Workflow-first beats CRM-first. LettingGuru runs your agency as connected workflows.
Lettings, maintenance and sales are not databases — they are stage-gated processes with prerequisites, automations, and audit trails. LettingGuru is the property management workflow software built around that fact, with one shared data layer underneath.
35 states across three workflows · 56 built-in automations · single record per property
A CRM is a database. Workflow software is a state machine.
The difference matters because UK lettings is stage-gated by regulation — you literally cannot sign a contract before AML, deposit protection, and right-to-rent are green.
| Property management CRM | Property management workflow software |
|---|---|
| A database with screens. You decide what happens next. | A state machine. The system tells you what's possible next. |
| Free-text fields and side notes carry the real meaning. | Each step has structured data + the action that promotes it to the next state. |
| Reminders depend on someone setting them. | Automations fire on state transitions — every tenancy gets the same checklist. |
| Audit trail is whatever the agent typed in a notes field. | Audit trail is the timestamped log of every state change, automatically. |
| Each module — sales, lettings, maintenance — has its own data silo. | One property + tenant + landlord record drives all three workflows. |
Every UK letting and estate agency runs the same three workflows
You may not have named them. You may not have automated them. But every tenancy, every repair, and every sale goes through these same stages.
Letting workflow
Twelve states from first enquiry to final check-out. Each transition fires automations: referencing requests, contract generation, deposit registration, move-in inventory dispatch.
12 states
- 1Applicant
- 2Viewing booked
- 3Offer submitted
- 4Referencing in progress
- 5AML clear
- 6Contract sent
- 7Move-in scheduled
- 8Active tenancy
- 9Renewal due
- 10Notice served
- 11Check-out booked
- 12Tenancy ended
Maintenance workflow
Eleven states from tenant report to closed audit. Emergency keyword detection short-circuits the queue; landlord approval is auto-skipped below pre-set thresholds.
11 states
- 1Reported
- 2Triaged (priority + category)
- 3Quoted
- 4Landlord-approved
- 5Dispatched
- 6Contractor accepted
- 7Work in progress
- 8Completed
- 9Invoice received
- 10Paid (with CIS)
- 11Audit closed
Sales workflow
Twelve states from valuation to keys. Progression-tracker fires reminders to vendor, buyer, and the agent on each milestone — including chain status updates.
12 states
- 1Valuation
- 2Instructed
- 3Marketed
- 4Viewing booked
- 5Offer submitted
- 6Offer accepted
- 7Memorandum of Sale
- 8Solicitor instructed
- 9Searches + survey
- 10Exchange
- 11Completion
- 12Keys released
Three workflows. One data layer. Seven stakeholder apps.
The workflow-first architecture is what makes "single source of truth" actually work. One property record drives lettings, maintenance, and sales simultaneously.
Three workflows on top, one shared data layer underneath, stakeholder apps + compliance + integrations as outputs. The architecture that makes the workflow-first model actually work.
What state-gating looks like for a single tenancy
The tenancy detail screen shows where this tenancy is, what every prerequisite looks like, and which automation fires next. The contract step only unlocked because AML, referencing, and Right to Rent are all green.
Martin Smith · 15 Elm Drive, Reading
12-month AST · Start 1 June 2026 · £1,350/mo · Joint with co-tenant
Current state · Contract
Contract sent
12 May 2026, 09:21
Tenant signed
✓ 13 May 2026, 14:03
Landlord signed
⏳ Awaiting · reminder sent
Next automation
Move-in inventory · on contract complete
Prerequisites · all cleared
Illustrative dashboard view · not a screenshot of live data
Five things you only get with workflow-first
The structural advantages a workflow-based system has over a CRM-with-add-ons.
State gating prevents silent skipping
You cannot 'forget' AML, deposit protection, or right-to-rent because the contract step refuses to transition until they are green. Compliance is built into the structure, not bolted on at audit time.
Automation fires on transitions, not timers
When 'Referencing in progress' flips to 'AML clear', the contract auto-generates and the deposit protection ticket auto-opens. You don't schedule reminders — the workflow runs them.
AI plugs into specific transitions
AI maintenance triage runs at the 'Reported → Triaged' transition. AI property descriptions run at 'Instructed → Marketed'. AI receptionist plugs into 'Applicant' creation from a phone call. Workflow-first lets AI sit where it adds the most value.
Single source of truth for one property
One property, one tenant, one landlord record drives all three workflows. If you sell the property after a tenancy ends, the sales workflow inherits everything — landlord details, EPC, floor plan, tenancy history.
Audit trail is automatic and court-ready
Every state transition is timestamped with who did it. For a disrepair claim, a Section 21 challenge, or an HMRC AML inspection, you produce the full history in one click — without scrolling email threads.
Three categories of property software, compared
Where each one stops, and what LettingGuru brings to the table.
| Capability | Generic CRM | Workflow software | LettingGuru |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stores properties, tenants, landlords | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| State machines for tenancies and tickets | No | Yes | Yes |
| Automation triggered by state transitions | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Compliance gating (cannot skip required steps) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in audit trail per record | Notes field | Yes | Yes |
| Single record across lettings + sales + maintenance | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| AI triage / descriptions / receptionist | No | No | Yes |
| Dedicated mobile apps for stakeholders | No | Sometimes | 7 portals |
| UK-specific compliance (RRA 2025, NRL, deposit) | No | No | Yes |
| Real-time portal sync (Rightmove + Zoopla + OTM) | Via plugin | Via plugin | Native |
| Xero integration with CIS | Via plugin | Sometimes | Native |
| Multi-branch + role-based permissions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | £~50-150/user/mo | £~200-500/mo | £399/mo all-in |
Source: feature documentation, public pricing pages, May 2026.
The 4-week implementation timeline
What rolling out workflow software actually looks like for a real letting agency.
Data migration + agency setup
Import properties, tenants, landlords, tenancies, and payment history from your current system (or spreadsheets). We do this for you — typical migration is 200-2,000 properties in 2-3 days. Configure branch structure, user roles, and approval thresholds.
Contractor onboarding + portal connections
Invite contractors to the contractor mobile app. Tag each by trade, postcode coverage, and rating. Connect Rightmove + Zoopla + OnTheMarket via RTDF. Connect Xero. Connect your bank account via Open Banking for Smart Rent Detection.
Tenant + landlord rollout
Send magic-link emails to existing tenants and landlords inviting them to their respective mobile portals. Typical first-week adoption: 60-70%. Run a 'we've upgraded' message that highlights what tenants get (self-service maintenance, 24/7 reporting, in-app messaging).
Go live + retire old systems
Old CRM stays read-only as a reference for 60 days. New workflow runs everything new. By end of week 4 most agencies have closed the disconnect between modules and report a 30-50% drop in admin time on standard tenancies.
Measure + improve
Three KPIs to watch: average time-to-letting (applicant → tenancy), maintenance time-to-completion, and renewal rate. Workflow data is now structured enough to actually answer 'which contractor closes fastest?' or 'which properties have the highest reopen rate?'.
Questions agents ask before switching to workflow software
See the workflow architecture running live
Book a 30-minute demo. We'll spin up the three workflows with two of your real properties, walk through a tenancy state transition, a maintenance escalation, and a sales progression — and show you the shared audit trail at the end.