Automation
Operations
Engineering
Automations should remove toil, not add opacity. Here are the flows that consistently pay off across small portfolios.
Rent & Payments
- Reminders 5 and 1 day before due; soft tone; include pay link.
- Auto-receipts with ledger link; reduce “did you get my payment?” emails.
- NSF alerts → optional auto-late-fee with grace rules.
Maintenance
- Intake with photos/audio; auto-tag emergency vs routine.
- Assign vendor by category + geography; SLA timers (acknowledge same day).
- Status notifications: scheduled, en route, done, rated.
Owner Reporting
- Monthly P&L + variance to budget; link to invoices.
- DSCR/NOI trend with alerts when thresholds break.
- CapEx tracker with receipts and expected lifecycle dates.
Developer’s Build Notes
- State machines for tickets/payments; webhooks for events.
- Single thread per unit for comms; push/email/SMS options.
- Role-based views: tenant simplicity; owner detail; PM control.
Takeaway
Automate reminders, receipts, status changes, and reports. Keep decisions human. Your tenants and owners feel the difference immediately.