Product
UX
Engineering
Most landlord software is built around ledgers, not people. Tenants want simple, mobile-first interactions; owners want accurate, drillable numbers. Both groups get friction because the workflows aren’t designed end-to-end.
Common UX Gaps (From Experience)
- Fragmented channels: tenants text, owners email, PMs use portals. No single source of truth.
- Low empathy flows: maintenance forms assume users know part names; payments ignore variable fees.
- Dashboards without decisions: charts that don’t link to actions (e.g., message tenant, approve work order).
Design Principles
- System of record first: one canonical thread per unit/tenant; everything attaches there.
- Action adjacency: every metric links to its action (late rent → message; high repair cost → quote).
- Context carry: pre-fill what you know (unit, lease, preferred vendors) to avoid user re-entry.
Feature Blueprint
Tenant-facing
- 2-click pay; clear fees; reminders with soft tone.
- Maintenance with photos/audio; status visibility; ETA expectations.
- Mobile-first ID and lease docs; simple renewal accept/decline.
Owner-facing
- Cashflow + variance alerts; drill to ledger lines.
- DSCR/NOI trend; attach invoices; approve/deny with thresholds.
- Vacancy pipeline; turn costs; make-ready timers.
Developer Notes
- Model states explicitly (requested → scheduled → in-progress → done → billed).
- Use webhooks for payment/maintenance events; fan out to email/SMS/push.
- Add audit trails by default—users rarely complain about too much clarity.
Utah/Regional Nuance
Snow/ice damage, swamp coolers vs HVAC, and HOA nuances change maintenance SLAs. Build region-specific playbooks into the UI.
Takeaway
Great landlord software feels invisible: tenants see clarity, owners see decisions, PMs see fewer tickets. Build for the human loop, not just the ledger.