Blueprints: seven landlord systems, built around the landlord

The landlord

A couple with three flats along the coast: a two-bed in Whitley Bay, a one-bed in Tynemouth and a two-bed in Cullercoats. Both work full time. They used a letting agent because they didn't want tenants ringing them at work, not because they couldn't manage.

What was getting in the way

The agent took 12% plus VAT every month, roughly £3,900 a year on their rents, and most of what they got for it was a rent reminder, a yearly gas booking and a stock tenancy agreement. When a boiler failed, the agent still rang them to approve the spend.

What we built

Their own WhatsApp Business numberRent matched from the bank feedPolite arrears chasingGas, EICR, EPC and alarm remindersRepairs reported with photosBranded tenancy agreementsBranded welcome packA monthly summary email

What changed

The agent fee stopped. They still do viewings themselves, which they always did anyway.
Rent is matched the morning it lands, so they never check the bank.
Tenants message the business number, not their mobiles, and the assistant drafts the reply for them to approve.
Gas, EICR and EPC dates sit in the system with alerts at 60, 30 and 7 days, instead of in someone's head.

RH

Rhea, Flat 2 EsplanadeCoastal Lets

Friday 30th October

Sent automatically
Hi Rhea, a reminder that rent of £895 is due on Sunday 1st November. Reply PAID once it's sent, or HELP if anything's wrong.09:00

Paid this morning10:12

Sent automatically
Thanks Rhea, that's matched to Flat 2. Your receipt is on its way by email.10:13

Tuesday 3rd November

The extractor fan in the bathroom has stopped working 😕Photo19:40

Sent automatically
Thanks, I've logged that as a repair. Our electrician can come Thursday between 9 and 11. Reply 1 to confirm or 2 for another time.19:41

119:44

Rent reminder, repair logged from a photo, electrician booked. The landlord approved the booking with one tap.

Coastal LetsNovember

Rent due£2,790

Collected£2,790

Late0

Checks due1

Flat 2 Esplanade, Whitley Bay NE26£895 received 1st November

Paid

14 Front Street, Tynemouth NE30£1,150 received 1st November

Paid

Flat 1 Beverley Terrace, Cullercoats NE30EICR due 19th November

Check due

14 Front StreetRent review notice due in 60 days

Rent review

Their dashboard. Three homes, one screen, and the chart is rent collected on time.

Coastal Lets

Welcome home, Rhea

Everything you need for Flat 2, Esplanade.

Wi-FiCoastal-F2. Password on the router in the hall cupboard.

BinsGrey bin Tuesday. Blue recycling every other Tuesday.

StopcockUnder the kitchen sink, left-hand side.

RepairsMessage us on WhatsApp, any time, with a photo.

Moving in on 1st NovemberSent with the agreement

The welcome pack goes out with the signed agreement. Their logo, their colours.

Comes in fromBank feed, WhatsApp, certificate dates

Their own systemA small dashboard in their own accounts, with an assistant that drafts every message

Goes out asReminders, receipts, bookings, a monthly summary

Start from this blueprintTakes this list straight into the free call form. Change anything there.

The landlord

One home let already, cash saved for the second, and a clear idea of the numbers: ten per cent yield, at least £450 a month left after the mortgage, and no more than £55,000 cash in. What they didn't have was time to check 40 new listings a day against those numbers.

What was getting in the way

Portal alerts show everything. The landlord was opening each one, pasting the price into a spreadsheet, guessing the rent and giving up by Thursday. Two good listings in Blyth went under offer before they got to them.

What we built

Deal finder set to their gatesPrice-drop watch on saved listingsRent checks against three local letsRefurb cost flagA daily "deals that fit" emailA review table to work through

What changed

They open one email a day instead of forty listings.
Every near pass comes with the offer price that would make it work, so they know what to bid.
A price drop on a saved listing is scored again the same hour.
The gates are theirs. Change the cash or the target and every listing is re-scored.

The gatesEvery listing passes all of them or it's binned

Gross yield	10% or more
Cash-on-cash return	12% or more, 15% preferred
Net before reserve	£450 a month or more
Spendable after £200 reserve	£250 a month or more
Interest cover at a 7% stress rate	1.50 or more
Cash needed, stamp duty and fees included	£55,000 or less
Mortgage assumed	75% interest-only at 5.5%, 5% fee added to the loan

Hidden costs flagged separately: refurb, cheap stock in weak towns, rent evidence thinner than three comparable lets.

Their actual gates. Change any of them and the whole pipeline follows.

2 deals fit todayTuesday 3rd November

Listings checked43overnight

Pass1all gates

Near pass1with offer price

Binned41you never see them

Today's keepers

Property	Price	Yield	Net	Verdict
3-bed terrace, Blyth NE24	£82,000	10.9%	£478	Pass
2-bed terrace, Sunderland SR4	£74,950	10.1%	£402	Offer £69,500

Why the Sunderland one is a near pass: rent evidence is two lets, not three, and net is £48 short at asking. At £69,500 it clears every gate.

The daily email. Forty-one listings were checked and binned before breakfast.

Deal reviewThis week

To review7

Viewing booked2

Offered1

Passed on9

3-bed terrace, Blyth NE24Viewing Saturday 10am. Cash in £24,150

Viewing

2-bed terrace, Sunderland SR4Offer £69,500 sent via agent

Offered

2-bed flat, Newcastle NE6Price dropped £5,000 today. Re-scored: near pass

Re-scored

3-bed semi, Blyth NE24Refurb flag: kitchen and roof. Passed on

Passed

The review table. Every deal they're chasing, with the numbers already done.

Comes in fromTheir own PaTMa and Rightmove alerts, into their own inbox

Their own systemEvery listing scored against the gates overnight, stamp duty and fees included

Goes out asOne email a day with only the passes and near passes, plus a table to review

Start from this blueprintTakes this list straight into the free call form. Change anything there.

The landlord

A family with six homes in Oxfordshire, built up over fifteen years, now living and working in Riyadh. A relative in Thame holds keys and does the odd viewing. Everything else was being run over WhatsApp at odd hours.

What was getting in the way

A leak at 6pm in Thame is 9pm in Riyadh. Finding a plumber, agreeing a price and telling the tenant took three evenings. Rent was checked by logging into the bank from abroad, which the bank kept blocking.

What we built

Their own WhatsApp Business numberRepairs reported with photos, contractor booked for approvalApprovals from their phone, any time zoneA Sunday summary messageE-signed agreements and noticesView-only access for the relative in ThameRent matched from the bank feedCertificate reminders

What changed

A repair now reaches them as a yes or no question with a quote, not a problem to solve.
The relative in Thame sees the same screen, read-only, so nobody repeats a phone call.
Sunday evening in Riyadh: one message with rent in, anything late and what's coming up.
Agreements are signed online. Nothing is posted anywhere.

TF

Thame Family LetsYour weekly summary

Sunday 1st November

Sent automatically
Your week, 26th October to 1st November
Rent: £8,640 of £8,640 collected.
Late: none.
Repairs: 1 open (Wellington Street boiler, engineer Tuesday).
Coming up: EICR at Park Street due 19th Nov, booked.
Nothing needs you this week. ☕18:00

Tuesday 3rd November

Sent automatically
Priya at 7 Wellington Street reports no hot waterPhoto
Boiler is an 8-year-old Vaillant, on your plan. GasSafe engineer can attend Wednesday 8 to 10am, call-out £95. Book it?20:14

Yes book it20:31

Sent automatically
Booked. Priya has been told and sent the engineer's name. I'll confirm when it's fixed.20:31

The Sunday summary, and a repair that arrived as a one-word decision.

Repairs and jobs2 open, 3 done this month

Needs you

7 Wellington St, ThameNo hot waterEngineer Wed 8 to 10am, £95. Approved 20:31

Booked

Park St, ThameEICRThursday 19th November, quote £180

Cowley Rd, OxfordGutter clearPlanned job, Friday, £60

Done

Queens Rd, ThameWashing machine replaced£329, receipt in Costs

The repairs board the relative in Thame can see, read-only.

Thame Family LetsRent review for 12 Park Street is due. Similar lets nearby: £1,450 to £1,525. Current rent £1,380. Draft a notice at £1,450?

Your assistantDrafted. Two months' notice, new rent £1,450 from 1st February, your branding, ready to e-sign. Daniel gets it by email and WhatsApp the moment you approve.

Approve and sendEdit

Rent review notice drafted, with the local evidence, for a one-tap approval.

Comes in fromTenant messages, the bank feed, their contractor list

Their own systemA dashboard and assistant that handles everything up to the point a decision is needed

Goes out asApprove or decline from a phone, plus a Sunday summary

Start from this blueprintTakes this list straight into the free call form. Change anything there.

The landlord

A landlord with one licensed six-room HMO near the university, let to postgraduates and junior doctors on rolling agreements. Rooms change hands at different times of year, so there is always someone moving in or out.

What was getting in the way

Six rents arrive on six dates. The fire alarm test log was a notebook in the hallway. The licence renewal date was in an email from three years ago. Finding the next HMO meant working out room income by hand every time.

What we built

Rent by room, matched from the bankRoom-by-room reminders and receiptsFire alarm and emergency lighting logLicence renewal and gas, EICR, EPC remindersBins and cleaning rota messages to all roomsHMO deal gates for the next one

What changed

Each room has its own rent date and its own reminder. One late room doesn't hide inside a monthly total.
The weekly alarm test is a tap on the phone, and the log is ready for the licence inspection.
The licence renewal sits with the gas and EICR dates, 90 days out.
The next HMO is screened on room income, minimum five rooms and cash in under £90,000, not on single-let numbers.

9:415G 82%

Gable House, HeadingleyNovember

83%

£2,700 of £3,250collected from 5 of 6 rooms

AN

Room 1, Anita£540, paid 1st

Paid

JO

Room 2, Joe£520, paid 1st

Paid

PR

Room 3, Priyanka£550, due 5th

Due

TA

Room 4, Tariq£560, paid 1st

Paid

EL

Room 5, Ella£520, paid 2nd

Paid

SA

Room 6, Sam£560, paid 1st

Paid

RoomsTestsLicenceNext deal

Six rooms, six dates. Room 3 isn't late, it's just due on the 5th.

Gable House complianceChecked today

Fire alarm testTested Monday

Gas safetyDue June

HMO licenceRenewal 12th March

EICRDue 2029

Log for the inspection

Fire alarm test, all zonesMon 2nd Nov

Emergency lighting, 3-hour testOct

Fire door check, 6 doorsOct

Fire risk assessment reviewedAug

Next HMO: the quick screen

Room income ÷ price14.6%

Rooms6

Cash in£64k

ICR at 7%1.52

Passes the quick screen: 13.9% or more, 5+ rooms, under £90k in, ICR 1.45+

The compliance screen, with the log the council asks for and the quick screen for the next house.

Comes in fromBank feed, WhatsApp group and one-to-one messages, inspection dates

Their own systemA phone app for the house: rooms, rents, tests, licence

Goes out asReminders to each room, a log the council can see, a screen for the next deal

Start from this blueprintTakes this list straight into the free call form. Change anything there.

The landlord

A converted building on the quayside with nine flats. Four people own it between them, two of them abroad. There is a managing agent for the big things, but the day-to-day fell to whoever answered the group chat first.

What was getting in the way

Service charges were collected in a spreadsheet one owner kept. A resident's car hit the communal planter and nobody wrote it down. Insurance documents lived in three inboxes. Quarterly updates to the other owners meant a weekend of copying numbers.

What we built

Service charge tracking by flatA shared repairs and incident log with photosQuarterly reports to co-owners, sent automaticallyA document store: insurance, contractors, certificatesView-only access for each ownerReminders for insurance and fire risk assessment

What changed

Every owner sees the same balance, the same log and the same documents. The group chat is for opinions now, not records.
An incident is logged in a minute with a photo and a date, which is what the insurer asks for.
The quarterly report writes itself from the ledger and goes to all four owners on the same day.
Insurance and the fire risk assessment have dates with reminders, not a memory.

Harbourside CourtCo-owner report
Quarter to 30th September 2026

Sent toAll four owners, same day

Item		In	Out	Balance
Opening balance				£6,420
Service charges	9 flats	£5,850		£12,270
Buildings insurance	Annual		£2,940	£9,330
Communal lighting	Quarter		£214	£9,116
Planter repair	Incident 17 Jul		£180	£8,936
Closing balance		£5,850	£3,334	£8,936

Reserve fund target £12,000. Fire risk assessment due March 2027.Agreed

The quarterly report. Written from the ledger, sent to every owner at once.

Building logShared by all owners

Reported

StairwellDamp patch, second floorReported by Flat 6, photo attached. Roofer to inspect

Logged

Car parkPlanter hit by visitor's car17th July, 7:50pm. Driver left details. Repaired £180

Documents

Buildings insuranceRenews 1st August 2027

Fire risk assessmentDue March 2027

Lift service contractQuarterly, next 14th Dec

The incident log and document store. Dated, photographed, visible to everyone who owns a share.

Comes in fromBank feed for the service charge account, resident messages, contractor invoices

Their own systemOne shared record of the building, with each owner seeing the same thing

Goes out asQuarterly owner reports, an incident log, reminders

Start from this blueprintTakes this list straight into the free call form. Change anything there.

The landlord

A landlord who built up twelve homes through a limited company: terraces around Sunderland and Newcastle, two in Fife. They self-manage with a local handyman and a part-time bookkeeper. Growth has slowed because the admin eats the time that used to go into finding deals.

What was getting in the way

Twelve rents, twelve certificates, two fixed rates ending within four months of each other, and every question ("which ones need a gas check before Christmas?") meant opening three spreadsheets. Year end took the bookkeeper a fortnight.

What we built

Cashflow and yield by propertyMortgage fix-end and remortgage alertsYear-end pack for the accountant, Making Tax Digital readyAn assistant that answers questions about the portfolioWhat-if planning: sell one, remortgage anotherRent matched from the bank, arrears chasedAccess for the bookkeeper and the handyman

What changed

"Which homes need a gas check before Christmas?" is a question, not an afternoon.
Both fix-end dates triggered a broker reminder six months out, with the equity figure attached.
The year-end pack is a button. The bookkeeper checks it rather than builds it.
The what-if planner showed that selling the weakest home and remortgaging two others freed the cash for the next purchase.

North Star Portfolio6th Apr to 1st Nov 202612 homes

Rent received£57,480tax year to date

Costs£34,120mortgages, repairs, insurance

Net£23,360up 4% on last year

Fix ends2Feb and May 2027

Yield by property, top and bottom

Hendon SR211.2%

Blyth NE2410.6%

Kirkcaldy KY19.9%

Heaton NE67.0%

Jesmond NE25.5%

Coming up

Fix ends, Hendon SR2Feb 2027

Fix ends, Blyth NE24May 2027

Year-end pack ready6th Apr

Gas checks before Christmas3

The finance screen. The Jesmond flat is the one the what-if planner suggested selling.

YouWhich homes need a gas check before Christmas?

Your assistantThree: Hendon SR2 on 3rd December, Blyth NE24 on 11th December and Kirkcaldy KY1 on 18th December. Your usual engineer has Tuesday 2nd December free for the first two. Book them?

Book bothNot yet

YouWhat happens to cash if I sell Jesmond and remortgage Hendon and Blyth at 75%?

Your assistantRoughly £61,000 freed after costs: £38,000 from the sale after the mortgage and fees, £23,000 from the two remortgages. Monthly net drops by about £140. That covers the cash gate for the next deal with room to spare. Want the full working?

Show the workingSave as a plan

The assistant answers from the portfolio, not from a chat. Figures are illustrative.

North Star Portfolio LtdYear-end pack
6th April 2025 to 5th April 2026

ForThe accountant, Making Tax Digital software

Section		Lines	Receipts	Status
Rental income	12 homes	144	144	Matched
Mortgage interest	12 loans	144	12	Statements in
Repairs and maintenance		67	67	Photos attached
Insurance, licences, fees		31	31	Complete
Export		386	254	Ready

Exported as CSV and PDF for the accountant on 6th April.Ready

The year-end pack. Every line has its receipt, so the accountant reviews rather than reconstructs.

Comes in fromBank feed, mortgage statements, certificates, the deal finder

Their own systemOne portfolio system with an assistant on top of it

Goes out asAnswers in plain English, a year-end pack, alerts months ahead

Start from this blueprintTakes this list straight into the free call form. Change anything there.

The landlord

A family-owned building of eight apartments near the Corniche, let to professionals and young families. The owner runs it alongside a day job. Tenants message in Arabic and English, rent is paid in instalments, and every contract has to be registered on Ejar.

What was getting in the way

Four instalment dates per tenant, eight tenants, and a reminder system that was the owner's memory. Contract expiry dates lived in the Ejar portal, which nobody checked until a tenant asked. Maintenance requests came by voice note at midnight.

What we built

Their own WhatsApp Business numberMessages in Arabic and English, matched to each tenantInstalment reminders and receipts in SAREjar contract tracker with expiry alertsMaintenance requests with photos, contractor bookedA document store for contracts, IDs and insuranceMonthly statement per apartment

What changed

Every instalment has its own reminder, in the tenant's language, two weeks before and on the day.
Contract expiry shows 90 days out, so renewals are agreed before the Ejar date, not after.
A voice note becomes a logged job with a photo request and a contractor slot to approve.
The owner sees all eight apartments on one screen, and the family can see it too.

KH

Khalid, Apartment 5Corniche Residences

Saturday 15th November

Sent automatically
مرحباً خالد، تذكير بأن دفعة الإيجار الثانية (١١٬٢٥٠ ريال) مستحقة يوم ١ ديسمبر. يرجى الرد بكلمة «تم» بعد التحويل.10:00

تم التحويل اليوم14:22

Sent automatically
شكراً خالد، تم استلام الدفعة. الإيصال في بريدك الإلكتروني.14:23

Monday 17th November

Hi, the AC in the living room is dripping water Photo21:05

Sent automatically
Thanks Maria, logged for Apartment 2. Our AC technician can come tomorrow between 4 and 6pm. Reply 1 to confirm.21:06

Arabic for Khalid, English for Maria. Same system, each tenant in their own language.

Corniche ResidencesNovember

Instalments due3

Received2

Open jobs1

Contracts ending1

Apartment 5, KhalidInstalment 2 of 4, SAR 11,250, received 15th Nov

Paid

Apartment 2, MariaAC technician booked Tuesday 4 to 6pm

Job booked

Apartment 7, Al-Harbi familyEjar contract ends 28th February. Renewal message drafted

90 days

Apartment 3, OmarInstalment 2 of 4, SAR 10,000, due 1st Dec

Reminded

Eight apartments, four instalments each, and every Ejar end date with 90 days' warning.

Corniche ResidencesStatement, Apartment 5
Contract year 2026/27

TenantKhalid A., Ejar contract 10/2026 to 09/2027

Due	Item	Due	Paid	Balance
1 Oct	Instalment 1	SAR 11,250	SAR 11,250	0
1 Dec	Instalment 2	SAR 11,250	SAR 11,250	0
1 Mar	Instalment 3	SAR 11,250		SAR 11,250
1 Jun	Instalment 4	SAR 11,250		SAR 22,500
Annual		SAR 45,000	SAR 22,500	SAR 22,500

Sent monthly in Arabic and English.Up to date

A statement per apartment, in both languages, with the Ejar contract dates on it.

Comes in fromWhatsApp messages in either language, bank transfers, Ejar contract dates

Their own systemA building dashboard with an assistant that replies in the tenant's language

Goes out asInstalment reminders, receipts, maintenance bookings, 90-day contract alerts

Start from this blueprintTakes this list straight into the free call form. Change anything there.

Seven landlords. Seven systems. None of them the same.

The landlord

What was getting in the way

What we built

What changed

Welcome home, Rhea

The landlord

What was getting in the way

What we built

What changed

The landlord

What was getting in the way

What we built

What changed

Needs you

Booked

Done

The landlord

What was getting in the way

What we built

What changed

The landlord

What was getting in the way

What we built

What changed

Reported

Logged

Documents

The landlord

What was getting in the way

What we built

What changed

The landlord

What was getting in the way

What we built

What changed

None of these quite you?