"How many properties do we have available right now?"
Simple question. How long does it take you to answer it?
If you're scrolling through a list, mentally counting, or—worse—opening a spreadsheet and applying filters, you're spending time on something that should take one second.
This week, we added smart property filters to LetAdmin. One tap to see all your available properties. One tap to see properties under negotiation. One tap to see which properties have active tenants vs which are vacant.
Small feature. Massive time savings when you're asked that question five times a day.
The Problem: Portfolios Without Context
When you manage 100+ properties, a list of all of them isn't useful. You need context:
- "Which ones are available?"
- "Which are under offer?"
- "Which are actually tenanted?"
- "Which are vacant and NOT being marketed?"
Without filters, you're doing one of two things:
-
Mental filtering: Scrolling through the list, eyes scanning for the status you need. Slow, error-prone, exhausting.
-
External tracking: Maintaining a separate spreadsheet or system that categorizes properties. Double entry, gets out of sync, extra admin.
Neither is efficient. You're spending brain cycles on something software should handle.
What We Built: Filter Buttons That Make Sense
At the top of your properties list, you now see filter buttons:
Marketing Status:
- All - Every property in your portfolio
- On Market - Properties listed as available to let
- Under Negotiation - Applications in progress
- Let STC - Tenancy agreed, subject to contract
- Let - Tenanted and off market
Tenancy Status:
- All Properties
- With Active Tenancy - Currently occupied
- No Active Tenancy - Vacant or between tenants
One tap. Instant results. No waiting.
Why These Specific Filters?
We didn't add filters randomly. These are the questions letting agents ask most often:
"What's available?"
→ Tap "On Market"
Landlord calls: "I've just seen a nice flat, what do you have coming up?" You need to know instantly what's available. Not "let me check and call you back"—now.
"What's in progress?"
→ Tap "Under Negotiation" or "Let STC"
Manager asks for the pipeline report. How many properties are close to being let? One tap shows Under Negotiation (applications being processed) and Let STC (agreed, contracts being prepared).
"How many are vacant?"
→ Tap "No Active Tenancy"
Monthly landlord report time. Which properties don't have tenants? This used to mean cross-referencing property lists with tenancy records. Now it's one tap.
"What's actually earning rent?"
→ Tap "With Active Tenancy"
Year-end analysis. How many properties are genuinely occupied and generating management fee income? One tap.
Combining Filters: Powerful Slicing
Here's where it gets useful. Filters combine:
"Show me vacant properties that are on market"
- Tenancy filter: No Active Tenancy
- Marketing filter: On Market
- Result: Properties you're actively trying to let
"Show me tenanted properties"
- Tenancy filter: With Active Tenancy
- Marketing filter: Let
- Result: Your stable, income-generating portfolio
"Show me the problem properties"
- Tenancy filter: No Active Tenancy
- Marketing filter: NOT On Market (none of the active marketing statuses)
- Result: Vacant properties that aren't even being advertised. Why?
This last one is gold. It surfaces properties that have fallen through the cracks—vacant but not marketed. Maybe the landlord asked you to hold off. Maybe it needs work. Maybe someone forgot to relist it. Either way, you can see them now.
Filter Counts: Know the Numbers Instantly
Each filter button shows a count badge:
- On Market (12)
- Under Negotiation (3)
- Let STC (7)
- Let (340)
Before you even tap, you know the answer.
"How many properties are on market?" Just look at the button. Twelve. No tapping required.
These counts update in real-time. Change a property from On Market to Let STC, and the counts adjust immediately. You're always looking at current data.
Filter State Persists
Small but important: your filter choice remembers itself.
- Open Properties, filter to "On Market"
- Click into a specific property to view details
- Hit back
- You're still filtered to "On Market"
Previously, navigating away and back would reset your view to "All". Frustrating when you're working through a filtered list, checking each property.
Now the filter persists. Work through your On Market properties one by one. Each time you come back, you're still in your filtered view.
The URL Updates Too
When you filter, the browser URL updates:
/properties?marketing_status=on_market
Why does this matter?
-
Bookmarkable views: Save a browser bookmark to your "On Market" properties. One click takes you directly there.
-
Shareable links: Send a colleague a link to the filtered view: "Here are our properties under negotiation."
-
Browser history: Use back/forward buttons naturally. Your filter is part of the navigation.
-
Refreshing works: Refresh the page, and you stay on your filtered view. No starting over.
Real-World Scenario: The Monday Morning Briefing
8:45am Monday. Team meeting.
Manager: "Quick update—how many available?"
One tap: On Market. "Twelve available."
Manager: "How many in progress?"
One tap: Under Negotiation. "Three under negotiation." One tap: Let STC. "Plus seven Let STC."
Manager: "Any problem vacants?"
Tenancy: No Active Tenancy. Marketing: All. Scroll through. "Four properties are vacant. Three are on market, one isn't—24 Oak Lane. I'll check why that's not listed."
Manager: "Good. Update me end of day."
Total time for that exchange: 45 seconds. No spreadsheets opened. No mental arithmetic. No "I'll get back to you."
Service Type Filters: Customizable by Agency
Beyond marketing and tenancy status, we've added service type filtering:
- Let Only
- Fully Managed
- Rent Collection
- Other custom types
Each agency can configure their own service types. Filter to "Fully Managed" properties when preparing your management fee analysis. Filter to "Let Only" when checking which properties just need marketing.
These filters are denormalized for performance. What does that mean? Even with 500+ properties, filtering is instant—under 2 milliseconds. No waiting, no loading spinners.
What The Filters Replaced
Before:
- Scroll through 200 properties looking for available ones
- Or maintain a separate "available properties" spreadsheet
- Or run a report and wait for it to generate
- Or just guess based on memory
After:
- Tap "On Market": 12 results
- Done
Time saved per query: 30-60 seconds. Queries per day: Maybe 5-10. Daily time saved: 5-10 minutes.
Doesn't sound like much, but it's 25-50 hours per year. And more importantly, it removes friction from your work. You can answer questions without interrupting your flow.
Coming Next: Saved Filter Views
The current filters are a foundation. What's coming:
Custom saved views: "My Fully Managed On Market Properties" as a one-click view.
Combined smart views: "Properties with expiring certificates AND active tenancies"—compliance filters.
Quick filters for common tasks: "Properties I haven't contacted in 30 days" for proactive management.
Export filtered results: Generate a PDF or CSV of your filtered property list for landlord reports.
The Technical Side (For the Curious)
Filters are processed server-side for accuracy, but results feel instant because:
- Filter counts are pre-calculated as you load the page
- Denormalized status fields mean no complex database joins
- Cached results for common filter combinations
- Progressive loading shows first 50 results immediately
The result: Large portfolios (500+ properties) filter just as fast as small ones.
The Bottom Line: Questions Answered Instantly
Before filters:
- "Let me check and get back to you"
- Mental scanning through long lists
- Separate tracking spreadsheets
- Guessing based on memory
After filters:
- "Twelve available, three under negotiation, seven Let STC"
- One tap for any status view
- Live counts without calculating
- Confidence in your numbers
How many times per day do you need to know your property breakdown? If it's more than once, these filters will save you time.
We'd Love Your Feedback
What filters would be most useful for your agency? Marketing status? Tenancy status? Something else entirely?
Do you currently maintain separate tracking for property statuses? Spreadsheets? Colour coding? We want to eliminate that extra admin.
What's the most common "property count" question you get asked? We'll make sure there's a filter for it.
Get in touch: paul@letadmin.com
LetAdmin is in active development, built by letting agents for letting agents. These property filters were designed based on the questions we actually ask every day at Phillip James (370+ properties). If you're tired of scrolling through property lists, we'd love to show you a faster way.