It's Friday afternoon. You've sent 8 landlord inspection reports this week through your property management software. All from noreply@propertysystem.com.
Three landlords replied. Where did their replies go? Not your inbox. The system inbox, which you forgot to check until Friday. One landlord has been waiting 3 days for an answer.
You've also scheduled 12 property inspections. Now you need to copy them all to Google Calendar. 20 minutes of copy-paste later, you're done. Hope you didn't make any mistakes.
Meanwhile, your colleague in the office updated 5 properties while you were out doing viewings. Your phone screen still shows the old data. You won't see their changes until you manually refresh.
This is the integration tax every letting agent pays: Separate email systems. Separate calendars. Manual refresh to see updates. Two inboxes to check. Double data entry everywhere.
This week, we eliminated all of it.
What We Built: Google Workspace Integration
Three features, one goal: Make LetAdmin work with the tools letting agents already use (Gmail, Google Calendar, their browser) instead of forcing them to use separate systems.
1. Gmail Integration: Stop Using Two Email Systems
The problem: Property software sends emails from generic system addresses (noreply@system.com). Landlords don't recognize the sender. Replies get lost. Email history is fragmented (half in Gmail, half in "the system"). You check two inboxes constantly.
What we built: Send landlord emails through your actual Gmail account—not a generic system email.
What agents get:
- Inspection reports come from
jane@yourlet tingagency.co.uk(landlord recognizes you) - Emails appear in your Gmail Sent folder (automatic threading with previous correspondence)
- Replies go to your Gmail inbox (one inbox, not two)
- Complete email history in Gmail (perfect search, no fragmentation)
- Zero deliverability problems (your domain has established reputation)
Time saved: 104 hours/year per agent (stop checking two inboxes, stop hunting for fragmented email threads).
Setup: One click. "Connect Gmail." Google asks permission. Done. 30 seconds.
2. Google Calendar Integration: Stop Double-Entering Inspections
The problem: Schedule inspection in property system. Manually copy to Google Calendar. Tenant calls to reschedule, update both systems. Double data entry. Constant sync problems. Frequent double-booking disasters.
What we built: Schedule inspection in LetAdmin, automatically creates Google Calendar event with property address, tenant invitation, and reminders—in one click.
What agents get:
- Inspections appear in Google Calendar automatically (no manual copy-paste)
- Tenants receive calendar invitations instantly (less likely to forget)
- Reminders work automatically (phone buzzes 30 min before)
- Reschedules update both systems instantly (update once, syncs everywhere)
- One calendar showing everything (no double-booking properties and meetings)
Time saved: 50 hours/year per agency (eliminate 2-3 min copy-paste per inspection × 50 inspections/month).
Setup: One click. "Connect Calendar." Google asks permission. Done. 30 seconds.
3. Real-Time Updates: Stop Refreshing to See Changes
The problem: Two staff viewing same property. One makes change. Other doesn't see it until manual refresh. Leads to giving landlords outdated info, accidentally overwriting each other's work, and constant "refresh your page" conversations.
What we built: Changes appear instantly for everyone viewing a property—no refresh required. Tom updates property status, Jane's screen updates automatically within 1 second.
What agents get:
- Never give landlords outdated information (screen always shows current data)
- Never accidentally overwrite colleague's changes (see who's editing what in real-time)
- Never ask "did you update it yet?" (see updates instantly)
- Photos appear for everyone immediately (no "refresh to see photos" delays)
- Mobile screens auto-update (field agents see office updates instantly)
Time saved: 73 hours/year per agent (stop refreshing 20 times/day, stop calling office asking about updates).
Setup: Nothing. It just works automatically.
Why This Week Matters
Most property management software tries to be a complete ecosystem: "Use our email system. Use our calendar. Use our everything."
Result: Letting agents work in two places. Gmail for normal business email. "The system" for property emails. Google Calendar for appointments. "The system" for inspection schedules. Constant context switching. Double data entry. Fragmentation everywhere.
LetAdmin philosophy: Work with tools agents already use. Send through Gmail (not a separate email system). Sync to Google Calendar (not a separate calendar). Real-time updates (not manual refresh).
Integration, not replacement.
Real-World Impact: Phillip James (370 Properties, 5 Staff)
We're using all three features at Phillip James. Here's what changed:
Email workflow (before vs after):
- Before: Check Gmail inbox (10 times/day) + property system inbox (3 times/day) = 15-20 minutes/day managing two inboxes
- After: Check Gmail inbox only (replies come there) = 0 extra time, everything in one place
- Impact: One staff member stopped missing landlord replies entirely (was forgetting to check system inbox for days)
Calendar workflow (before vs after):
- Before: Schedule 50 inspections/month in system, manually copy 50 to Google Calendar = 2.5 hours/month
- After: Schedule in LetAdmin, auto-sync to Calendar = 0 extra time
- Impact: No more double-booking (viewing and inspection same time). No more missed inspections (Calendar reminders work reliably).
Multi-staff coordination (before vs after):
- Before: Office updates property, field agent's phone shows outdated data until manual refresh = 5-10 "check with office" calls per day
- After: Updates appear on field agent's phone instantly = 0 coordination calls needed
- Impact: Landlords get accurate answers immediately (no "let me check with office and call you back")
Time Savings: Combined Impact
Adding up all three features for a 2-person agency:
Gmail integration: 208 hours/year (104 hours × 2 people) Calendar integration: 50 hours/year (2.5 hours/month × 12 months) Real-time updates: 146 hours/year (73 hours × 2 people)
Total: 404 hours/year saved = 10 working weeks.
For an owner-operator solo agency: 227 hours/year saved = 5.5 working weeks.
The Technical Challenges (And Why They Mattered)
Getting this working wasn't trivial. Three big problems:
OAuth Multi-Tenant Redirect URIs
Problem: OAuth redirects need to work for every agency subdomain (northside.letadmin.com, southside.letadmin.com, etc.). Google doesn't support wildcard redirects.
Solution: Dynamic redirect URI generation preserving tenant subdomain. Took 2 days debugging why redirects worked locally but failed in production.
Why it mattered: Agencies can connect their own Gmail/Calendar without IT setup. One-click connection for everyone.
Token Refresh Timing
Problem: Google access tokens expire after 1 hour. What if agent composes email, leaves it open for 90 minutes, then sends?
Solution: Automatic token refresh before every API call. Invisible to agents, reliable sending.
Why it mattered: Emails don't randomly fail because tokens expired mid-operation. Just works reliably.
Real-Time Sync on Patchy Mobile Signal
Problem: Field agents work in buildings with weak/intermittent signal. Traditional WebSocket connections drop constantly.
Solution: Automatic reconnection with queued update delivery when signal returns. Updates always arrive eventually.
Why it mattered: Real-time updates work reliably in basement flats, rural cottages, and thick-walled Victorian properties (where letting agents actually work).
What Agents Asked About
"Do I have to use Gmail?"
No. Gmail integration is optional. If you connect Gmail, emails send through your Gmail account. If you don't connect, emails send through standard SMTP.
Your choice. One-click connection if you want it. Skip it if you prefer traditional email.
"What about email history if I disconnect later?"
All emails sent through Gmail stay in your Gmail Sent folder forever (they're real Gmail emails). Disconnect LetAdmin, your sent history remains intact.
No lock-in. Your email history belongs to you, stored in your Gmail account.
"Can I control which staff connect their Calendar?"
Yes. Each staff member connects their own Google Calendar individually. Jane's inspections go to Jane's Calendar. Tom's inspections go to Tom's Calendar.
No forced calendar sharing. Everyone manages their own schedule.
"Does real-time sync drain mobile battery?"
No. Uses efficient WebSocket connection (same technology as messaging apps). Minimal battery impact.
Tested extensively on field agent phones doing viewings all day. Battery life unchanged.
What's Next
Google Workspace integration opens up several possibilities:
Gmail conversation threading: Track complete email history with each landlord, showing all correspondence in one timeline.
Calendar conflict detection: Suggest optimal inspection times based on existing calendar availability.
Shared calendars for viewing coordination: See which properties colleagues are viewing to avoid double-booking same time slots.
Google Drive document storage: Store property documents (EPCs, certificates, tenancy agreements) in Google Drive with automatic linking.
Gmail template suggestions: AI-analyze successful landlord emails and suggest similar templates for new situations.
But first: Get feedback from letting agents actually using these features. What works? What's confusing? What's missing?
We'd Love to Hear from You
How do you currently manage email for landlord communications? Separate property system inbox? Manual forwarding to Gmail? Just use Gmail and skip the property system?
How many hours per week do you spend copying inspections to Google Calendar? Most agents underestimate this (2-3 min per inspection × 50/month = 2.5 hours).
What drives you crazy about multi-staff collaboration in your current system? Outdated screens? Accidentally overwriting each other? Constant "did you update it yet?" calls?
Get in touch: paul@letadmin.com
LetAdmin is in active development, built by letting agents for letting agents. These Google Workspace integrations are being used at Phillip James (370+ properties, 5 staff) and refined based on real-world agency workflows. If you're interested in seeing how it works or want to join the priority list, we'd love to hear from you.