Maintenance requests arriving via text, WhatsApp, email, and phone calls with no consistent record or triage process?
Tenants calling the office for rent payment confirmations and document copies that should be self-service?
Tenant Portal Development
A self-service portal where tenants submit maintenance requests, pay rent, access their tenancy documents, and communicate with your team -- without picking up the phone or sending an email your team has to action manually.
Custom-built for your property management system and your portfolio. Not a third-party tenant app bolted on to the side of your existing platform, but a portal that integrates with your operations and gives your team the information they need in the format they use.
Maintenance request submission with photos, priority classification, and real-time status updates
Online rent payment with automated receipts and payment history
Direct messaging with your property management team and broadcast notifications from the landlord
RaftLabs builds custom tenant portals for residential lettings agencies, build-to-rent operators, and property managers -- maintenance request submission with photo capture, online rent payment, tenancy document access, communication messaging, amenity booking, and parcel notifications. Built to reduce inbound calls and emails to property management teams while giving tenants a better experience. Most tenant portal projects ship in 8-12 weeks at a fixed cost with full source code ownership.
100+Products shipped
·24+Industries served
·FixedCost delivery
·8-12Week delivery cycles
Most property management call centre load is questions that should be self-service
A significant portion of the calls and emails your property management team handles every day are routine enquiries that have a simple answer the tenant could find themselves. What is my rent due date? Can I get a copy of my lease? Has my maintenance request been assigned? What time is the gas engineer coming?
Every one of those enquiries takes time from a property manager. At 200 properties, it's manageable. At 500 or 2,000, it becomes the thing that defines the capacity of your team.
A tenant portal shifts those enquiries to self-service. Tenants check their rent account, download their documents, track their maintenance request, and book an amenity without contacting your office. Your team handles the enquiries that actually require them -- disputes, complex maintenance, lease renewals -- rather than answering the same questions repeatedly.
What we build
Maintenance request submission
Maintenance request forms with issue category selection, description, photo and video upload, and urgency flag. Confirmation receipt sent to tenant immediately on submission with a reference number. Status tracking visible to the tenant -- received, triaged, contractor assigned, job booked, completed. Contractor booking confirmation with appointment time notification. Job completion confirmation requiring tenant sign-off or time-based automatic close. The maintenance workflow where the tenant always knows what's happening without having to call to find out.
Rent payment and account management
Online rent payment via bank transfer, card, or open banking integration with your payment processor. Automated receipts issued on payment confirmation. Rent account showing payment history, upcoming rent due dates, and current balance. Outstanding payment reminders sent automatically before and after due date. Payment plan recording for tenants on agreed arrears plans. Download of rent statements for tenant reference -- the accounting view that answers the 'did my payment go through?' question without a call to your accounts team.
Document library
Tenancy document library where lease agreements, guarantor documents, inspection reports, compliance certificates, and any other tenancy-specific documents are stored and available for tenant download. Version-controlled so the current version is always what the tenant downloads. New documents added by property managers are notified to the tenant immediately. Document history showing what was issued and when -- the audit trail that demonstrates the tenant received the documents you're required to provide.
Messaging and communications
Direct messaging between tenant and property manager through the portal -- creating a thread-based communication record separate from email. Broadcast notifications from the landlord or managing agent to all tenants in a building or development -- scheduled maintenance, building-wide announcements, seasonal reminders. Read receipts on important notices. Push notifications via mobile app for time-sensitive communications. The communication channel that creates a record automatically rather than depending on email threads that span multiple accounts.
Amenity booking for BTR and managed buildings
Amenity booking for build-to-rent and managed buildings -- gym time slots, meeting rooms, communal terraces, car parking bays, and any other shared facilities. Availability calendar with real-time booking confirmation. Cancellation and rebooking within defined windows. Booking history for the tenant and utilisation reporting for the building manager. Restrictions configurable by tenancy type, floor, or building. The amenity system that removes the 'call reception to book the meeting room' experience from a product that's supposed to feel premium.
Parcel management and move-in
Parcel notification for managed buildings where reception or concierge accepts parcels on behalf of tenants -- automated notification on receipt with parcel description and collection instructions. Parcel log for building management showing uncollected items. Move-in checklist and welcome pack delivered through the portal at tenancy start, covering utility setup, building access, amenity booking, and maintenance reporting instructions. Digital inventory sign-off at check-in and check-out. The onboarding experience that starts the tenancy well rather than with a stack of paper forms.
Frequently asked questions
For most property management operations, a web-first portal accessible on mobile is the right starting point. It avoids the app store approval process, works across all devices, and doesn't require tenants to download anything. If your portfolio is BTR or build-to-rent where a premium resident experience is a differentiator, a native mobile app with push notifications, smooth animations, and amenity booking creates a stronger product. The right answer depends on your tenant demographic, your portfolio type, and how much the tenant experience factors into your competitive positioning. We scope both options during discovery so you can make the decision with an accurate cost and timeline for each.
The tenant portal pulls live data from your property management system -- tenancy details, rent account, maintenance job status, and documents -- and pushes tenant-initiated data back in: maintenance requests, payment confirmations, and message threads. Integration depth depends on what your existing property management system exposes via API. For systems with good API coverage (Arthur, Yardi, Re-Leased, custom platforms), integration is comprehensive. For systems with limited API access, we assess what's achievable and scope the integration accordingly. In some cases, we build the property management system and tenant portal together as a single integrated platform, which gives the tightest integration and the cleanest user experience.
Yes. For commercial tenants, institutional landlords, or any tenant with multiple units in a portfolio, the portal can present a portfolio view showing all tenancies, their rent schedules, and their maintenance history in a single interface. Property selection is clear and prominent so the tenant accesses the right tenancy without confusion. Payments, documents, and communications are kept separate per tenancy while remaining accessible from a single login. This is particularly relevant for commercial property management where one company may have multiple leases across a portfolio.
A web-based tenant portal covering maintenance requests, rent payment, document access, and messaging typically runs $20,000--$45,000. A full platform including mobile apps, amenity booking, parcel management, and property management system integration typically runs $45,000--$90,000. Cost depends on the number of features, the integration complexity with your existing property management system, whether a native mobile app is included, and any BTR-specific features. We scope every project before pricing it -- you get a fixed cost covering an agreed scope before development starts.
Real Estate Automation -- lease renewals, maintenance workflows, and compliance tracking automation
Talk to us about your tenant portal project.
Tell us your portfolio size, your current tenant communication channels, and what you want tenants to be able to do without contacting your team. We'll scope the right portal and give you a fixed cost.
