Here's a conversation that made me rethink how property management software works:
A letting agent explained their current situation: "The tenant gave notice two weeks ago. They're moving out end of next month. We're advertising the property now to line up the next tenant, but obviously it's still legally let until the current tenant leaves."
I asked how their current system handled this.
"It doesn't. We can mark it as either 'Let' or 'Available', not both. So we mark it 'Available' to enable advertising, but then our reports show it as vacant even though we're still collecting rent. It's confusing for the team and the landlord keeps asking why reports say it's empty when there's still a tenant in there."
This is the problem with single-status property management systems. Real-world property states are complex. Properties can be:
- Tenanted but advertised (notice period)
- Vacant but not advertised (awaiting repairs)
- Advertised but not accepting viewings (pre-marketing test)
- Generating revenue but not tenanted (overlap period)
Forcing all these nuanced states into one "status" field creates confusion, inaccurate reports, and frustrated staff.
This week, we fixed it in LetAdmin. Instead of one confusing status field, properties now have three independent status dimensions: Tenancy Status (is someone living there?), Marketing Status (are we advertising it?), and Financial Status (what revenue is it generating?). This article explains why this separation matters and how it improves agency workflows.
The Problem: One Status Field Can't Represent Reality
Traditional property management systems force you to choose ONE status:
- Available to Let
- Let
- Let Subject to Contract
- Under Offer
- Withdrawn
But what does "Let" actually mean?
- Does it mean there's a tenant in the property right now?
- Does it mean we've accepted an offer but tenant hasn't moved in?
- Does it mean we're collecting rent?
- Does it mean we're not advertising?
All of the above? The status is overloaded with meaning, which creates problems:
Problem 1: Reporting Is Inaccurate
When "Let" means both "has a tenant" AND "not advertising" AND "generating revenue", your reports get messy:
- Occupancy rate includes properties where offers are accepted but tenants haven't moved in
- Vacant property counts miss properties with outgoing tenants still paying rent
- Revenue reports don't distinguish between properties generating income and properties "let" but awaiting move-in
Problem 2: Marketing Gets Confused
"Can I advertise this property?" becomes unclear:
- Tenant gave notice = technically "Let" but should be advertised
- Offer accepted = no longer "Available" but tenant hasn't moved in yet
- Void period planned = vacant but not ready to advertise yet
Single-status systems can't elegantly represent these states.
Problem 3: Team Communication Breaks Down
When Sarah marks a property "Available" to enable advertising but Tom sees "Available" and thinks it's vacant:
- Tom schedules viewings expecting an empty property
- Arrives to find tenants still living there
- Embarrassing situation, frustrated tenants
- All because one status field tried to mean too many things
How LetAdmin's Three-Dimensional Status Works
We separated property status into three independent dimensions:
1. Tenancy Status (Occupancy)
Question: Is someone living in this property right now?
Options:
- Vacant: No tenant, property empty
- Occupied: Active tenant living there
- Notice Period: Tenant gave notice, still living there, moving out soon
- Pending Tenant: Offer accepted, tenant not moved in yet
What it controls:
- Viewing availability (don't book viewings in occupied properties without notice)
- Access permissions (tenants have privacy rights)
- Maintenance scheduling (easier to do repairs in vacant properties)
2. Marketing Status (Advertising)
Question: Are we advertising this property on portals?
Options:
- Draft: Listing being prepared, not ready to publish
- Ready: Content complete, awaiting approval to publish
- Live: Actively advertising on Rightmove/Zoopla/etc.
- Paused: Was advertising, temporarily stopped
- Archived: No longer marketing (property let or withdrawn)
What it controls:
- Portal syndication (Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket)
- Website display
- Enquiry capture
- Marketing analytics
3. Financial Status (Revenue)
Question: Is this property generating rental income?
Calculation:
- Monthly Rental Revenue (MRR): Rent received this month
- Annual Rental Revenue (ARR): Projected annual income
- Comparison to previous periods
What it shows:
- Actual revenue (regardless of tenancy or marketing status)
- Portfolio income tracking
- Landlord reporting
- Agency commission calculations
Real-World Examples: How This Solves Problems
Example 1: Property During Notice Period
Situation: Tenant gave 2 months' notice on August 1st. Moving out September 30th.
Old single-status approach:
- Mark as "Available" → Reports show vacant (wrong, tenant still there)
- Mark as "Let" → Can't advertise (wrong, need to find next tenant)
- Compromise: Mark "Available", manually remember tenant is still there (confusing)
LetAdmin three-dimensional approach:
- Tenancy Status: Notice Period
- Marketing Status: Live
- Financial Status: Generating £1,200 MRR until Sept 30
Result:
- Reports correctly show property as occupied until September 30
- Property advertises on portals to find next tenant
- Revenue tracking shows current income ending Sept 30
- Team knows situation at a glance
Example 2: Property Needing Repairs Before Marketing
Situation: Previous tenant moved out August 15th. Property needs repainting before advertising. Repairs scheduled for August 20-25th.
Old single-status approach:
- Mark as "Available" → Portals show it immediately (wrong, not ready)
- Mark as "Withdrawn" → Looks like property pulled from market (wrong signal)
- Compromise: Leave off portals, manually remember to list when ready (easy to forget)
LetAdmin three-dimensional approach:
- Tenancy Status: Vacant
- Marketing Status: Draft (preparing listing, repairs in progress)
- Financial Status: £0 MRR (void period)
Result:
- Team knows property is vacant but not ready to advertise
- Portal syndication paused until repairs complete
- Clear view of void period impact on revenue
- When repairs done, change Marketing Status to "Live"
Example 3: Offer Accepted, Awaiting Move-In
Situation: Offer accepted August 20th. Tenant moving in September 15th. References in progress.
Old single-status approach:
- Mark as "Let STC" → Property disappears from reports (hard to track pending tenancies)
- Keep as "Available" → Continue receiving enquiries (wasting time)
- Unclear revenue state until move-in
LetAdmin three-dimensional approach:
- Tenancy Status: Pending Tenant
- Marketing Status: Paused (can restart if tenant pulls out)
- Financial Status: £0 MRR (until move-in), scheduled £1,100 MRR from Sept 15
Result:
- Reports show property in pending state (track pipeline)
- Portal advertising paused automatically
- Revenue forecasting includes upcoming tenancy
- If tenant pulls out, restart advertising with one click
How Agents See This in LetAdmin
Three status cards on each property page:
Card 1: Tenancy Status
- Badge showing current state (Vacant/Occupied/Notice Period/Pending)
- Tenant name if occupied
- Move-in and move-out dates
- Quick actions: View Tenancy / Add New Tenancy
Card 2: Marketing Status
- Badge showing advertising state (Draft/Ready/Live/Paused/Archived)
- Toggle switch to enable/disable portal syndication
- Success animation when actively advertising
- Quick actions: Edit Advert / View on Portals / Pause Advertising
Card 3: Financial Status
- Monthly revenue (MRR) and annual revenue (ARR)
- Comparison to previous period
- Toggle between monthly/annual view
- Quick actions: View Payment History / Adjust Rent
Each card updates independently. Changing tenancy status doesn't affect marketing status. Pausing advertising doesn't change financial tracking. This separation eliminates confusion.
Better Reporting with Dimensional Status
Old reports (single status):
- "52% of properties are Let" (what does that mean?)
- "48% are Available" (vacant? Being advertised? Both?)
New reports (dimensional status):
- Occupancy: 73% occupied, 18% vacant, 6% notice period, 3% pending tenants
- Marketing: 22% actively advertising, 5% ready to advertise, 73% not marketing
- Revenue: £42,000 MRR across 137 tenanted properties, £8,400 MRR at risk (notice periods)
Landlord reports become clearer:
- "Property is occupied (tenant until Sept 30)"
- "Currently advertising for next tenant"
- "Generating £1,200 monthly rent until current tenancy ends"
Much better than "Status: Let" which tells landlords almost nothing.
Finding Properties That Need Attention
Three-dimensional status enables powerful searches:
Properties with expiring tenancies:
- Tenancy Status = "Notice Period"
- Marketing Status = "Draft" or "Ready" (not yet advertising)
- Action needed: Get these properties marketed!
Vacant properties not generating enquiries:
- Tenancy Status = "Vacant"
- Marketing Status = "Live"
- Created more than 30 days ago
- Action needed: Reduce rent or improve listing
Properties generating revenue but missing from reports:
- Tenancy Status = "Occupied"
- Financial Status = £0 MRR
- Action needed: Fix missing tenancy data
These searches were impossible with single-status systems.
We'd Love to Hear from You
How does your current system handle properties during notice periods? Do you mark them as "Let" or "Available"? How do you track advertising vs occupancy?
What status combinations cause confusion for your team? Properties let but advertised? Vacant but not marketing? Offers accepted but not moved in?
How do landlords react when reports show their property as "vacant" even though rent is still being paid? We'd love to hear how you explain this.
Get in touch: paul@letadmin.com
LetAdmin is in active development, built by letting agents for letting agents. The three-dimensional status system is being used at Phillip James (370+ properties) to track complex property states without confusion. If you're tired of status fields that try to mean everything and end up meaning nothing, we'd love to hear from you.