Signed in March, still not live in May
A new owner signs up with you in early spring. They are keen to get bookings for the summer. Then the property waits: the owner has not sent the gas safety certificate, the photographer cannot get access until a date is agreed, the inventory has not been done, the listing description is half written, nobody has set up the key safe, and the channel listings cannot go live until all of that is finished.
The owner starts phoning to ask why their cottage is not on Airbnb yet. Your team is not sure either, because each step is being chased by a different person.
Why onboarding drags
Onboarding is a project with many small dependencies, and it is usually run from an email thread and a spreadsheet. The owner does not know exactly what they need to provide, so they send things in pieces. Your team does not see at a glance what is outstanding, so chasing is irregular.
Some steps, such as writing the listing and building an inventory, are slow for the team because they start from a blank page for every property.
What slow onboarding costs
Every week a property is not live is a week the owner is not earning, which is exactly the moment they are judging whether they chose the right agency. Delays in spring can mean missing the peak season bookings entirely. Your team loses time chasing. And if anything is rushed to catch up, such as a missing safety document, you carry the risk.
The onboarding tracker we build
We build a tracker that runs onboarding as a checklist shared between your team and the owner, and takes the slow drafting off your team's plate. The documents required are set by your own policy and advisers.
- Owner portal: the new owner receives a link to a checklist of what you need, with upload slots for each document, such as certificates, insurance and the signed agreement.
- Document checks: uploaded documents are read to extract type and expiry dates, which are confirmed by a person and stored for future renewal reminders.
- Scheduling: photography, inventory and key set-up visits are booked in the tracker, with access arranged with the owner.
- Listing draft: a language model drafts the listing description from your notes, the owner's questionnaire and the photographer's shots, in your house style, for your team to edit.
- Inventory draft: the inventory is built from room photos and your template, for staff to check on the visit.
- Go-live checklist: the property can only be marked ready when all required items are complete, then it is created in your property management system and channel listings are set up.
| Step | Owner does | Your team does |
|---|---|---|
| Documents | Uploads certificates and insurance | Confirms dates and details |
| Access and visits | Agrees dates | Books photographer and inventory |
| Listing | Completes a short questionnaire | Edits the drafted description |
| Pricing | Agrees with your proposal | Sets rates and rules |
| Go-live | Nothing | Creates the property and channel listings |
After the change
Owners know exactly what they need to provide and can see progress. Your team sees every property in onboarding, which step each is on and what is waiting on whom. Listings and inventories start from a solid draft. Properties go live as soon as they are genuinely ready, rather than when someone finds time to chase.
The documents collected at onboarding also feed renewal reminders later, so certificates do not quietly expire a year on.
Signs your onboarding needs this
- New properties take a long time to go live after the owner signs.
- Owners send documents in pieces by email.
- Your team is not sure what is outstanding for each new property.
- Listing descriptions and inventories are written from scratch each time.
- New owners phone to ask when their property will be listed.