Property managers, coordinators and the finance clerk at Hollins & Tate Property
The tenant portal replaces the paper rent book and most repair calls. This guide says who sees what, how the five-week rollout runs and what can go wrong.
- 5 weeks from setup to the end of the paper rent book.
- 412 homes in 7 buildings. A pilot of 102 homes in 2 buildings goes first.
- 6 in 10 pilot tenants must sign in within 7 days before the other buildings start.
1. What changes
1.1 For tenants
A tenant opens the portal on a phone. Nothing is installed. The tenant can:
- pay rent online, by bank transfer or card;
- report a repair, with a photo;
- read tenancy papers and notices.
That is all. Rent is still due on the 1st. The portal reminds the tenant on day 3 and day 7 after the due date. A receipt is emailed straight after payment.
1.2 For managers
Dashboard
The dashboard shows what needs a manager's attention today.
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Open Dashboard.
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Look at In arrears. A home is flagged red after 5 days late.
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Look at Open repairs.
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Look at Tenant portal: pilot to see how many tenants have signed in.
The dashboard: arrears, open repairs and the pilot count
2. Who sees what
There are five roles. Nobody gets a role "just in case". Ask the director.
| Role | Can open | Cannot open |
|---|---|---|
| Property manager | Tenants, repairs and notices of their own buildings | Other buildings |
| Maintenance coordinator | Repairs and contractors, all buildings | Rent figures |
| Finance clerk | Rent ledger and arrears, all buildings | Repair photos |
| Director | Everything, to read, and the reports | Changes nothing |
| Tenant | Their own home | Everything else |
3. Repairs
Repairs
3.1 Priorities
The tenant picks a priority. The coordinator can change it, and the tenant sees the change.
| Priority | Examples | We answer |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency | Water leak, no power, no gas, broken front door | In 4 hours |
| Urgent | Window will not close | In 2 working days |
| Routine | Hallway light flickers | In 10 working days |
An emergency is not reported in the portal. The tenant must call the emergency line. The portal shows a red banner with the number.
3.2 Handle a request
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Open Repairs.
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Click the request.
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Check the Priority. Change it if it is wrong.
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Click Assign contractor.
A repair request: priority and Assign contractor
Contractors do not use the portal in this release. The coordinator sends the job to the contractor by email, as before.
4. The rollout plan
4.1 Five weeks
Tick each item when it is done.
- Week 1, setup. Import the 412 tenancies. Check names and emails. Make the 5 manager accounts and train them for 1 hour.
- Week 2, pilot. Greaves Court (38 homes) and Marlow House (64 homes). Letters and invites go out on Monday.
- Week 3, review. On Friday, look at arrears, repairs and complaints. Decide: go or no go.
- Week 4, the other buildings. 5 buildings, 310 homes. Invites go out in 2 batches, Monday and Wednesday.
- Week 5, paper stops. The paper rent book stops on the 1st. The phone line stays.
4.2 The go or no go rule
Go when at least 6 out of 10 pilot tenants have signed in within 7 days, and no payment has gone missing.
5. Risks
5.1 What can go wrong
| Risk | What we do |
|---|---|
| About 60 tenants have no email address | A manager visits and writes the address down. Until then the tenant keeps paying at the office. |
| A tenant pays twice, by bank transfer and by card | The finance clerk checks the ledger every Monday morning and refunds within 5 working days. |
| A repair photo shows people in the flat | Only the coordinator and the manager see photos. They are kept for 12 months. |
| An old email address makes the invite bounce | The manager sees Not delivered on the tenant's row and fixes the address. |
| A contractor does not use the portal | The coordinator forwards the job by email. Contractor access is not in this release. |
Tenant details are kept for 12 months after the tenancy ends.
Change log
| Version | Date | Change | By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2026-11-06 | First version | Hollins & Tate Lettings |