Docs/Workspace Setup

Clients and Properties

Clients and properties form the hierarchy in Manifold that checks, records, portals and reporting all depend on.

For: Office teams and owners3 min read5 sections
Property exampleCustomer-safe walkthrough

A property that knows its own compliance story

A well-formed property carries its client, appliance register, last record, status, and open defects so anyone can read its compliance at a glance.

What you see

  • A property under a client, with type, address, and access notes.
  • An appliance register listing each unit to be tested.
  • Compliance status and the next renewal date rolled up from the latest record.

How to use it

  • Create the client first, then the property, then the appliance register.
  • Use the address exactly as the landlord recognises it; it prints on the record.
  • Add access notes (key safe, tenant contact) so engineers are not locked out.
  • Keep historical properties; mark inactive rather than deleting referenced records.

Property detail

12 Oakwood Road, Leeds

Northgate Lettings - flat

due soon

Next check due 15 Jun 2026

Appliance register

Worcester Greenstar 30i

Boiler - Kitchen

registered

Valor Black Beauty

Gas fire - Living room

registered

Decision guide

SituationRecommended actionProof it worked
New landlord with several propertiesCreate the client, then import properties and appliances.Each property shows under the right client with a register.
Property has an HMO licenceSet the property type to HMO and capture access notes.Scheduling and records reflect the correct type.
A unit was replacedUpdate the appliance register before the next check.The engineer tests the new appliance, not the old one.

Troubleshooting path

  1. 1If a property is missing from scheduling, confirm it belongs to the current organisation.
  2. 2If the route looks wrong, re-check the address and re-cache coordinates.
  3. 3If a client cannot see a record, confirm delivery and portal visibility.

Related docs

Appliance registersCSV importsClient portal

Property import rows

CSV sample

Safe example data
client_name,address_line1,city,postcode,property_type,access_notes
Northgate Lettings,12 Oakwood Road,Leeds,LS6 2AB,flat,"Key safe by side door, code on file"
Northgate Lettings,3 Mill Court,Leeds,LS1 4PQ,hmo,"Call tenant 30 min before arrival"
Import clients before properties so the client_name column resolves.
Keep postcodes accurate; they feed the route planner and the printed record.

Client Management

Clients and properties are the hierarchy everything else in Manifold sits under: a client (the landlord, letting agent, or property manager) owns one or more properties, and each property holds the appliance register a check tests. Get this hierarchy right first, because checks, records, portals, and reporting all read from it.

  • Create, edit, and view client records with contact, portal, and billing context.
  • Use clients to group properties, records, portal access, and analytics.
  • Invite client portal users so landlords and letting agents can self-serve approved records.
  • Control portal visibility for records and property information per client.

Property Management

  • Create properties with address, type (house, flat, HMO, commercial), client, and access notes.
  • Hold an appliance register per property so checks know what to test.
  • Cache property coordinates so the route planner and scheduling can estimate travel.
  • Use property pages to review check history, current compliance status, and open defects.

Best Practices

  • Create the client first, then the property, then the appliance register.
  • Use the address format clients recognise, because it prints on records and appears in the portal.
  • Keep historical properties in place when old records reference them; mark inactive rather than delete.

Troubleshooting

  • Property does not appear for scheduling: confirm it belongs to the current organisation and is not filtered out.
  • Client cannot see a record: check portal visibility and whether the record was delivered or shared.
  • Map or route looks wrong: verify the property address and re-cache coordinates.

Data Quality Standard

Setup records are not just admin. They become the labels, filters, and certificate fields customers rely on later. A small naming or address mistake in setup becomes a compliance or delivery problem weeks later.

  • Use one canonical spelling for every client, property, and appliance.
  • Keep property addresses precise, because they drive the route planner, scheduling, and the printed record.
  • Keep appliance make, model, serial, and GC number accurate so PlateScan deduplicates cleanly.
  • Deactivate former engineers and historical records instead of deleting history that explains past work.
  • Run bulk imports in dependency order: clients, then properties, then appliances.

Customer-Facing Consequences

If a value can appear on a record, in the portal, or in an export, write it as if a landlord or letting agent will read it. Manifold reuses operational labels across customer outputs, so there is no separate translation step at delivery time.

Troubleshooting

  • If a client sees a confusing name, fix the source record and regenerate future records.
  • If analytics split across duplicate names, choose one canonical record going forward and keep the old ones for history.
  • If an export does not join downstream, check names, identifiers, and relationships in setup before changing the export.

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