Understanding Properties and Units
What Is a Property
A property represents a physical address — a house, duplex, apartment building, or commercial space. It is the top-level container in your portfolio. Every property has an address, a display name, and can contain one or more units.
What Is a Unit
A unit is a rentable space within a property. For a single-family home, you might have just one unit (the house itself). For an apartment building, each apartment is a separate unit. Units are where tenants live and where leases are attached.
Property-to-Unit Relationship
Properties and units have a parent-child relationship: every unit belongs to exactly one property, and a property can have any number of units. This hierarchy drives the rest of the system — leases are tied to units, and financial summaries roll up to the property level.
Single-Unit vs. Multi-Unit Properties
If you manage a single-family home, create one property and one unit within it. If you manage a multi-unit building, create one property and add a unit for each apartment. The system handles both scenarios the same way — the only difference is how many units you add.
Adding a Property
Step-by-Step
- Go to Properties in the navigation menu
- Click Add Property
- Enter the property address
- Give the property a display name (e.g., “123 Main St” or “Elm Street Duplex”)
- Add any additional details (property type, notes)
- Click Save
Address Entry and Validation
When you enter a property address, the system may validate it against an external address validation service (when configured). This canonicalizes the address — correcting formatting, standardizing abbreviations, and verifying the ZIP code. Canonical addresses ensure that the same physical location always gets the same identifier, preventing duplicate entries.
If address validation is not configured, the raw address you enter is stored as-is. You can always edit the address later.
Property Details
Each property includes:
- Address — the full street address, city, state, and ZIP
- Display name — a friendly label shown in lists and dropdowns
- Property type — residential, commercial, or mixed-use
- Notes — free-text field for any additional information
Saving and Viewing
After saving, the property appears in your Properties list. Click on it to see its detail page, which shows all units, current occupancy, and a summary of financial activity.
Managing Units
Adding Units to a Property
- Open a property’s detail page
- Click Add Unit
- Enter a unit identifier (e.g., “Unit A”, “Apt 101”, “Main Floor”)
- Fill in unit details — bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, rent amount
- Click Save
You can add as many units as needed. For a single-family home, one unit is typical. For apartment buildings, add one per apartment.
Unit Details
Each unit tracks:
- Unit name/number — how the unit is identified (e.g., “#101”, “Basement Suite”)
- Bedrooms and bathrooms — useful for listings and records
- Square footage — optional but helpful for comparison
- Market rent — the target rent amount for the unit
- Status — occupied or vacant, determined by active leases
Editing Unit Information
Click on any unit to open its detail view, then click Edit. You can update the unit name, room counts, square footage, and rent amount. Changes take effect immediately and are reflected across the system.
Removing a Unit
Units can be removed only if they have no active leases or tenants associated with them. To remove a unit, first end or settle any active leases, then delete the unit from the property detail page. Historical records (past leases, transactions) are preserved even after the unit is removed.
Property Dashboard
Overview
Each property has its own dashboard showing a snapshot of key metrics: occupancy status, active leases, recent transactions, and maintenance activity. Access it by clicking on a property name from the Properties list.
Occupancy Status
The property dashboard shows how many units are occupied versus vacant. Occupied units have an active lease with a current tenant. Vacant units are available for new tenants.
Unit List View
The dashboard includes a list of all units in the property with their current status, tenant name (if occupied), rent amount, and lease end date. This gives you a quick view of the property without drilling into each unit individually.
Financial Summary
The property-level financial summary shows total rent collected, outstanding balances, and recent transactions across all units. Use this to quickly assess whether a property is performing as expected.
Occupancy and Vacancy
How Occupancy Is Tracked
The system automatically determines occupancy based on active leases. When a lease is active (start date has passed, end date has not), the associated unit is marked as occupied. When no active lease exists for a unit, it is marked as vacant.
Vacant vs. Occupied Status
- Occupied — at least one active lease exists for this unit
- Vacant — no active lease exists; the unit is available for a new tenant
Finding Vacant Units
To quickly find vacant units across your portfolio, go to the Units page and filter by status. This shows all vacant units across all properties, making it easy to identify openings.
Occupancy Rate
Your overall occupancy rate is the number of occupied units divided by total units. The dashboard displays this metric to give you a sense of portfolio utilization. A high occupancy rate indicates strong demand; persistent vacancies may signal pricing or marketing issues.
Editing and Deleting Properties
Editing Property Details
From the Properties list, click on a property and then click Edit. You can update the address, display name, property type, and notes. If you correct the address and validation is configured, the system will re-validate and update the canonical address.
Deleting a Property
Deleting a property removes it and all its units from your active portfolio. You can only delete a property if all its units have no active leases. Historical data (past leases, transactions) is retained for your records even after deletion.
Archived Properties
Properties that are no longer active but have historical data can be archived. Archived properties do not appear in your main property list but remain accessible through search and reports. This keeps your active view clean while preserving records.