Adding properties and units

When adding a property in Arthur, you are creating the asset which contains your rentable unit(s). This article will look at:

1. Hierarchy of property, unit and tenancy
2. Workflow of adding a property and corresponding unit(s)
3. Adding a property with a single rentable unit
4. Adding a property with multiple rentable units

Arthur’s Hierarchy

Arthur has a three level hierarchy, as outlined in the image below.

Each level represents a different part of your portfolio and you will find corresponding functionality to match. The levels are defined as follows:

• Property – The asset that contains the unit being rented – e.g. the block that contains the flat(s), the ground the house is built on, the house that contains the rooms, the estate the warehouse is on, the building the office is in
• Unit – The thing that is being rented – e.g. the flat in a block, the house, the room, the shop, the office, the desk
• Tenancy – A digital reflect of the agreement you and your tenants have e.g. AST, Licensee, Commercial Lease

Workflow of adding a property and unit(s)

You will be adding:

1. A property containing a single unit e.g single-let house, single flat in a block
2. A property containing multiple units. e.g HMO, block of flats, office block

Both options follow a similar workflow. Before you begin this process, look at the workflow below and ensure you have access to the information needed.

Adding a property containing a single rentable unit

Step 1

Select ‘Property with single rentable unit’

Step 2

Under Property Type choose the icon that  best describes the property containing the unit(s) your renting

1. Renting one flat in a block: The property is Residential Block and the unit is a flat
2. Renting a house:  The property is Residential or Land and the unit is a house
3. Renting a shop (or other commercial space): The property is Mixed or Commercial and the unit is a shop

Step 3

Enter property details. The owner here is the owner of the property NOT the owner of the unit (they may be different). The property reference should be whatever you call that property internally (it does not form part of the address). The Area field can be used in whatever way the user chooses, the most common are: the borough, the geographical location (North, South, East, West).

Step 4

Add details to the unit being rented:

• Please name the unit e.g House, Flat 1, Parking space 1 etc
• choose unit type that best describes your unit
• Unit owner
• Letting agent
• Whether its managed

If there is not a unit type that reflects your unit, click here to learn how to create your own

Step 5

Add certificates that are required for the unit. These will form the basis of your compliance automation. You will add the document itself later.

Scenario: What if I also manage the property as well as the unit within?

This happens rarely with a one unit property, but can occur where you manage a single unit in a property as well as the property itself – e.g. one flat in a block but also the common parts. Go to the property>edit>tick ‘I manage this Property’ and the management functions will appear in the right hand menu. Note – as standard, you do not manage the property where it is a single rentable unit.

Adding a property containing multiple units

Step 1

Select ‘Property with multiple rentable units’

Step 2

Under property type choose the icon that  best describes the property containing the unit/s your renting

1. Renting a block of flats: The property is Residential Block and the units are the flats
2. Renting rooms in an HMO: The property is HMO or Residential, depending on if a licence is required, and the units are rooms
3. Renting commercial space: The property is Mixed or Commercial and the units are shops, offices etc.

Step 3

Enter property details. The owner here is the owner of the property NOT the owner of the unit (they may be different). The property reference should be whatever you call that property internally (it does not form part of the address). The Area field can be used in whatever way the user chooses, the most common are: the borough, the geographical location (North, South, East, West).

Step 4

Add required certificates for the Property. Remember that these are the certificates for the entire property, not certificates relating to individual units. In an HMO you should upload all certificates to do with the house/flat etc., but if you are letting a block, you should only add certificates to do with the entire block at this stage.

Step 5

Select whether you manage the property. This refers to the common areas of the property that join the units together.

Step 6

Enter how many units are managed on or within this property

Step 7

On the next page, add details to the units being rented

• Name of units e.g Flat, Room, shop etc.
• Choose unit type (If there is not a unit type that reflects your unit, click here to learn how to create your own)
• Select or create the unit owner(s)
• Select the unit manager(s) – only to be used where the portfolio is given to specific team members
• Select or enter the letting agent – only to be used for ‘find only’ letting agents
• Select required certificates

Tip: Use the top line (highlighted below) to make changes to the whole column in bulk. To rename all units at once in a linear order, change the word ‘unit’ to better reflect the name of the units, but keep either {01} or {a}. When this option is used, the units will update in order. Once you are happy with the changes click on “apply all” and it will update your columns.