The Lettings Process Catalogue
Every process a letting agency runs, organised by where it sits in the life of a managed unit, and expressed as a verifiable sub-process: a clear trigger (clock starts) → a checkable outcome (clock stops). That framing is what makes each one measurable and, in turn, automatable.
The shape — a unit is a state machine
It loops. A unit that terminates (🔴) re-enters Letting (L2) for a re-let — or, if the landlord is selling, feeds the Sales desk. Underneath it all sits Running the Firm (client-accounting · finance · regulation · MI · marketing · office · corporate · capital · people).
Every process is a verifiable sub-process: Trigger (clock starts) → verifiable outcome (clock stops). The clock — time-to-resolve — is the τ from the Verifiable Frontier: short-τ + verifiable outcome = safe to automate. Build-type: Alto CRM · AI AI delivers · Copilot AI assembles, human decides · Physical body required.
L1 · Acquisition — win the unit
Two engines, same destination (a unit in our system), different route, price and onboarding.
Roll-up (M&A) — buy a book · ~£3,100 / unit · three stages, human-led (not automated yet)
| Stage | What it covers | Core |
|---|---|---|
| ① Acquisition | sourcing & evaluation → diligence (legal · trading-FDD · client-money) → negotiation & offer → completion | Copilot |
| ② Book onboarding | migrate the book: data extract, money moved, deposits re-protected, CMP re-registered → ready to manage | AI |
| ③ Business / company integration | fold in the acquired company: office, staff (TUPE), systems, brand, entity → integrated — ties to Office mgmt + Corporate | Human |
Organic — win a landlord one at a time · ~£hundreds / unit (to prove)
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing — lead-gen → conversion | market activity →qualified landlord lead | AI Human |
| New landlord registration | enquiry →landlord record + KYC/CDD passed (Griffin Verify) | AI |
| Landlord agreement signing | terms agreed →signed agreement + ToB vintage recorded | AI |
| Property registration | instruction →property record + digital twin | AI |
Cross-sell — an existing landlord adds a unit · lowest CAC (limited volume)
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core |
|---|---|---|
| Spot opportunity | existing relationship →landlord signals a new property | AI Human |
| Add property | new unit →added to the existing landlord account | AI |
Property Onboarding — standardised · all three channels converge here
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core |
|---|---|---|
| AML / KYC | landlord →verified (Griffin Verify) — gating before we hold funds | AI |
| Client account setup | verified →dedicated client-money account open | AI |
| Digital twin | instruction →property record + photo-captured twin | AI |
| Compliance baseline | record →gas/EICR/EPC/deposit baseline + gaps flagged | AI |
| Readiness gate | mandatory items present or under remediation →operable | AI |
Exit fork: empty → L2 Letting · already tenanted → straight to Tenant Onboarding.
L2 · Letting & Tenant Onboarding — get a paying tenant into the unit
Two parts. Letting fills an empty unit (once per turnover; earns the fee, pays the void). Tenant Onboarding brings the tenant into our system — and is the direct entry point for units acquired already tenanted (they skip Letting). End state either way: the unit goes 🟢 Green.
Letting — find & sign a tenant
| Step · process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core | Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listing · Property marketing | unit available →live listing on portals | Alto | 27 |
| Viewings · Viewing management | enquiry →viewing conducted + feedback logged | Physical | 203 |
| Leasing · Tenant referencing | applicant →pass/fail decision (RTR + sanctions) | AI | 20 |
| Tenancy agreement drafting | offer accepted →signed AST | AI | 27 |
Tenant Onboarding — bring the tenant into our system · ↳ direct entry if already tenanted
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core | Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenancy ingestion | signed/inherited AST →structured key terms | AI | — |
| Deposit protection / transfer | deposit taken or inherited →protected + prescribed info in the statutory window | AI | 9 |
| Right-to-rent check | tenant →status verified | AI | — |
| Rent setup | tenancy live →schedule + collection configured | AI | — |
| Move-in / letting transition | move-in →utilities/council tax switched + inventory filed | AI Physical | 68 |
L3 · Management — run it — the RAG state machine
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core | Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly rent collection | due date →rent received & matched | Alto | 200 |
| Landlord statement & payment | rent cleared →statement issued + landlord paid | Alto | 500 |
| Client-money reconciliation | daily →reconciled to zero | Alto | 4 |
| Scheduled compliance — gas, EICR, EPC/MEES, alarms, legionella, RTR, licensing, PRS-DB | renewal window →valid cert / registration on file | AI Physical | ~145 |
| Routine mid-tenancy inspection | scheduled date →inspection report filed, no actions | Physical | 200 |
| Rent review (S13) | anniversary →new rent agreed / Form 4A served | AI | 25 |
| Landlord update & sentiment pulse | monthly →update sent + landlord RAG captured | AI | — |
| Tenancy continuation (periodic) | ongoing →terms current | AI | 15 |
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core | Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reminder → follow-up → Letter Before Action | rent unpaid past the ~2-week tolerance →rent collected (→ Green) | AI | 23 |
| Section 8 notice | arrears threshold (3mo, post-RRA) →valid notice served | Copilot | 8 |
| Possession proceedings prep | notice expired →claim bundle issued (→ Red) | Copilot | 8 |
Clock: days-to-collect. Mostly automatable chasing; human on enforcement & vulnerable-tenant routing.
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core | Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenant maintenance request | request logged →approved, scheduled, completed, paid, closed | AI | 200 |
| Contractor management | job raised →contractor dispatched + invoice-to-quote matched | AI | 100 |
| Emergency maintenance | out-of-hours alert →made safe + landlord notified | Physical | 60 |
Clock: days request→closed. Precision dispatch from the digital twin; 15% markup = revenue. The standout AI-native build.
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core | Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cert failure / expiry / EICR C1–C2 remedial | failure detected →valid cert restored / remedial done | AI Physical | — |
| Statutory breach (missed deadline, RRA, licensing) | breach detected →breach remediated + evidenced | Copilot | — |
| Disrepair claim response | claim received →protocol response + remedials scheduled | Copilot | 10 |
Clock: days-to-remediate. Regulatory-penalty risk — the lane where failure is expensive. AI tracks every expiry so this rarely fires.
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core | Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenant breach (ASB, subletting, unauthorised occupant/pet) | breach detected →breach cured / enforced | Copilot | — |
| RTR follow-up failure | share-code lapse →status re-verified | AI | — |
| Tenant complaint / ombudsman case | complaint raised →final response in time / case closed | Copilot | 6 |
Clock: days-to-cure. Investigation + enforcement — judgement-heavy, human-led longest.
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core | Hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenant notice / Landlord possession (Ground 1/1A) | notice served (either side) →valid notice + end date confirmed | AI Copilot | 14 |
| Check-out & deposit return | end date →check-out done + deductions agreed + deposit returned in 10 days | Physical | 54 |
| Deposit dispute (if any) | dispute raised →ADR bundle filed + adjudicated | Copilot | 24 |
| Off-boarding / final reconciliation | possession →vacant possession + ledger closed | AI | — |
Clock: days notice→possession→deposit released. Then the unit forks: → back to L2 (re-let), or → Sales (landlord selling).
Sales — separate desk, and a termination outcome
Sits beside the lifecycle. Its job (economically) is to cover the shared portal so lettings lists its re-lets free — and at GF+Flatman scale one retained team covers both books' sales twice over. Run commission-only. Two channels, different CACs: landlord sales (warm — a 🔴 Red termination where the landlord is selling; skips marketing) and new instructions (open market; marketing-led, higher CAC).
| Process | Trigger → verifiable outcome | Core |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing — lead-gen → conversion | market activity →vendor lead → valuation booked | AI Human |
| Valuation & instruction | seller enquiry →signed sole-agency instruction | Copilot |
| Marketing & listing | instruction →live sales listing (shares the portal) | Alto |
| Viewings & offers | listing →offer accepted, memo of sale | Physical |
| Sale progression | sale agreed →exchange & completion | Copilot |
The loop that matters: a 🔴 Red landlord termination where the landlord is selling is a warm sales instruction — the lettings book feeds the sales desk. And a tenanted sale to a new landlord can retain the management — the inverse cross-sell.
Running the Firm — underneath all of it
Firm-level processes that aren't per-unit but make the whole thing legal, solvent, financed and improving.
| Domain | What it covers | Core |
|---|---|---|
| Client money / client accounting | the regulated client-money function: per-tenancy reconciliation, landlord payments, deposit handling, NRL, CMP (TLP bridge → build) | Alto |
| Finance | our own corporate finance: VAT (MTD), annual accounts & corp tax, payroll, management accounts, budgeting / MI | Copilot |
| Regulatory & control environment | AML / CMP / redress / ICO / PRS firm registrations; the financial-crime control pack (policies · MLRO · monitoring · training); legislative-change monitoring; RRA firm compliance | AI Copilot |
| Reporting & MI | the Book Health RAG dashboard (this model's output), unit-economics model, KPI framework, the queries / triage ledger | AI |
| Marketing & Portals | brand; the shared portal subscriptions (Rightmove / Zoopla); the demand-gen infrastructure powering organic-lettings and sales lead-gen | AI Human |
| Office management | premises across the group; integrating or closing acquired offices | Human |
| Corporate | rationalising acquired companies / entities; group structure; legal-entity management | Copilot |
| Capital | investor / shareholder management; debt financing | Human |
| People | hiring, the operating team, training, the control-environment training | Human |
The roll-up acquisition machine itself lives in L1, not here. The three "marketing" mentions are distinct: organic-lettings lead-gen wins management instructions; sales lead-gen wins vendor instructions; Marketing & Portals here is the shared infrastructure both run on.
What's still missing — the gap list (open)
Setting the structure out makes the holes visible. Candidates to slot in:
- Key management & property access for hundreds of units (contractor access, viewings, emergencies) — flagged undiscussed in the GF diligence; a real physical lane.
- Void / vacancy management — the unit's state between termination and re-let (security, utilities, council-tax void, insurance) — currently implicit in L2.
- Insurance — landlord rent-guarantee, building, and our PI / CMP — partly firm, partly a cross-sell.
- Cross-sell / ancillary revenue — insurance referral, mortgage referral, rent-guarantee — a revenue lane not yet a process.
- Landlord win-back / churn-save — when a landlord signals leaving (the sentiment-pulse amber) — a retention process.
- General complaints handling (below ombudsman) and the vulnerable-customer pathway.
- Deposit-scheme transfer on acquisition (custodial ↔ insured) — an L1 integration sub-process.