Property Setup Guide

Create Your Property

Add a property to your account with the address and basic details. You can add as many properties as your plan allows.

• Go to Properties and click Add Property
• Enter the property address and any notes
• Add a photo of the property if you wish
• Add a welcome message for tenants (WiFi password, check-in instructions, contact details)

Add Your Documents & Information

Upload documents and add useful information for your tenants. Use the default checklist to ensure you have all legally required documents.

• Click Add Checklist to add standard UK landlord documents (uses your customised checklist if configured)
• Use Upload Multiple to add several documents at once (auto-detects types from filenames and allows room assignment for HMOs)
• Use Copy from Property to reuse documents from another property (great for standard docs like How to Rent)
• Use From Template (in More menu) to quickly add documents from your saved templates — pre-fills title, category, content, and settings
• Upload PDFs of your EPC, Gas Safety Certificate, EICR, and more
• Add contact details for emergency contacts and utility suppliers
• Upload appliance manuals or add links to online manuals
• Upload multiple photos with labels for inventory and check-in documentation
• Mark items as "requires agreement" if tenants need to acknowledge receipt
• Set expiry dates on certificates - you'll get email reminders before they expire
• Select multiple documents and use Delete to remove them all at once when tidying up
• Use bulk actions to update category, expiry date, or room assignment across multiple documents at once — use “Select all in category” to quickly grab a whole group
• Drag and drop to reorder documents within categories and reorder entire category sections — the order you set is what tenants see in their links

Start a Tenancy

Before your tenant moves in, record the tenancy details and add your occupants. HouseFile automatically creates document placeholders for each tenancy, keeping everything organised in your Documents tab.

• Go to the Tenancy tab and click Start New Tenancy
• Add occupants (each person on the tenancy) — document placeholders are created automatically for each
• Shared documents (auto-created): Tenancy Agreement, Deposit Certificate, Inventory — these can be shared with tenants via their portal
• Private records (auto-created per occupant): Right to Rent, Proof of ID — for your records only, never shown to tenants
• All tenancy documents appear in your Documents tab under “Current Tenancy” — grouped by shared and per-occupant
• For HMOs, each room has its own tenancy section with room-specific records
• When tenants leave, click Archive — documents move to an “Archived Tenancies” section for your records

Create a Tenant Link

Generate a secure, shareable link giving your tenant access to all property documents and information.

• Go to the Tenancy tab on your property page and click Create Tenant Link
• Give the link a label so it's clear what it's for — e.g. “Move-in Pack”, “Appliance Manuals”, “Bedroom 2”. The label appears on your list and on the tenant's portal
• Enter the tenant's email address - allows automatic reminders and direct email delivery of the link
• Use the Send button to email the link directly to your tenant with a professional welcome message
• Use Resend to notify tenants when documents are updated or new ones are added
• Filter by categories to create specialized links (e.g., maintenance-only, appliances-only) - perfect for contractors or quick-reference access
• Turn off tracking for reference links (appliance manuals, useful info) — tenants can still access the content, but it won't appear in your acknowledgment tracking
• Set an expiration date if needed
• Set a rent review date to receive a reminder 30 days before — appears in your calendar alongside certificate expiries
• Copy the link manually to send via WhatsApp or text if preferred
• Generate a QR code to display in the property - tenants can scan it anytime to access all documents and information
• Use Duplicate to create a new link with the same settings — the form pre-fills so you can adjust the label, tenant name, and email before generating

Track Tenant Access

The Tenant Overview in the Tenancy tab gives you a per-tenant progress card for every link you've shared. At a glance you can see who has opened their link, which required documents are still outstanding, and who needs a nudge.

• Each tenant gets a progress card showing how many documents they've viewed, confirmed, or declined — with a live progress bar
• Links marked “Needs attention” are surfaced first — covering links that were sent but never opened, or tenants who still have required agreements outstanding
• Expand any tenant card to see the status of every document — confirmed, declined (with reason), viewed, or not yet opened
• See last activity timestamps — know exactly when a tenant last interacted with their link
• Download a compliance report as PDF for tribunal evidence

HMOs & Room Management

For HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation), create individual rooms and assign documents at property or room level.

• Click the Rooms button in the documents section to add, rename, or delete rooms
• Use the room filter dropdown to quickly view documents for a specific room
• Property-wide documents (Gas Safety, EICR, How to Rent) are shared with all tenants
• Room-specific documents (tenancy agreements, inventories) are only shown to that room's tenant
• When adding a document, select which room(s) it belongs to
• When using Upload Multiple, select which rooms to assign all documents to at once
• Create separate tenant links per room - each tenant sees shared documents plus their room's documents

Multi-Property Management

Save time by reusing your setup across properties.

Duplicate Properties

• Click Duplicate Property on any property page
• Copies the property structure and all documents
• Choose to include rooms (useful for HMO templates)

Copy Documents Between Properties

• Click Copy from Property in the Folder Items section
• Select which documents to copy from another property
• Great for standard documents like How to Rent guide or house rules
• Automatically skips documents that already exist

Document Templates

Create reusable templates for documents you add to multiple properties — perfect for standardising your setup.

• Go to Templates in the sidebar to create and manage templates
• Templates save title, category, content type, and “requires agreement” settings
• For text and link documents, templates also save the content itself
• Click More → From Template when adding documents to use a template

Linked Templates

Keep documents connected to their template so updates sync automatically across all your properties.

• When applying a template, enable “Keep linked to template” to maintain the connection
• Linked documents show a link icon and cannot be edited directly — edit the template instead
• When you update a template, you'll see which properties and documents will be affected before confirming
• Optionally reset tenant acknowledgments so tenants must re-view updated documents
• Unlink a document anytime if you need to make property-specific changes

Share Access with Letting Agents

Give letting agents or property managers access to view and manage your properties without needing their own subscription.

Invite Collaborators

• Go to Settings and find the Property Sharing section
• Enter the collaborator's email address
• They'll receive an invitation email to accept

Permission Levels

• Viewer — Can see properties and documents, but cannot make changes
• Editor — Can upload and edit documents, but cannot manage tenancies
• Manager — Full access: upload documents, create tenant links, start tenancies, and even add new properties on your behalf

Access Scope

• All properties — Access your entire portfolio, including any properties you add in the future
• Selected properties — Choose exactly which properties they can access