Help Centre

Property Management System Guide

This guide brings the provider and tenant workflows into one place so new users can understand how Oplanla handles onboarding, room management, utility billing, payments, maintenance, reporting, and messaging.

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Provider Guide

How providers use the property management system

The provider dashboard is built around day-to-day property operations: set up properties, load units, manage enquiries and tenants, issue charges, review payments, dispatch utilities, track maintenance, message tenants, and export reports.

Recommended setup order

Properties -> Rooms -> Meters -> Tenants -> Charges -> Payments -> Reports

1. Set up the property portfolio

  • Add each building or site from `Properties`.
  • Create rooms or rental units under `Rooms & Units`.
  • Capture room details such as room number, room type, property type, beds, bathrooms, rental status, rental price, furnishing, and availability.
  • Open a room record to review unit details and keep listings accurate.

2. Manage demand and onboarding

  • Use `Enquiries` to review incoming tenant interest and respond from the dashboard.
  • Request document uploads from promising applicants.
  • Review `Potential Tenant Documents`, open submitted files, approve valid packs, or reject with comments.
  • Convert approved applicants into tenants or create tenants manually from the `Tenants` section.

3. Operate the tenant book

  • Create tenant profiles and assign them to rental rooms.
  • Record stay start dates and stay length for lease tracking.
  • Filter tenants by name, room number, debt status, and start dates.
  • Use `Messages` to keep conversations with tenants inside the dashboard.

4. Run billing and payment review

  • Create manual charges for rent, utilities, penalties, or other fees.
  • Use bulk rent generation to create the month's rental invoices for occupied rooms.
  • Configure electricity and water rates with fixed billing, flat measured pricing, inclined block tiers, fixed fees, minimum charges, VAT, and invoice due dates.
  • Import Motla CSV meter readings, preview calculated consumption, review skipped rows, and dispatch utility charges in bulk.
  • Set a property manager commission percentage from provider settings when an owner delegates management.
  • Review payment proofs in `Payments`, verify valid submissions, and sync invoice status automatically.

5. Keep maintenance moving

  • Track tenant-reported maintenance jobs from `Maintenance Requests`.
  • Create tickets and assign them to provider maintenance users.
  • Maintain your technician roster in `Maintenance Users`.
  • Monitor active tickets and completed work without leaving the provider workspace.

6. Use reports and broadcast tools

  • Open `Reports Center` to monitor collections, charge breakdowns, and occupancy.
  • Use the manager commission summary to see how much the property manager earns from paid tenant collections in the selected reporting period.
  • Export provider reports to PDF or CSV for sharing and record keeping.
  • Send bulk notifications to tenant audiences from one screen.
  • Watch dashboard badges for new enquiries, document uploads, messages, completed maintenance, and pending payments.

7. Protect utility billing quality

  • Use meter multipliers for bulk, industrial, or shared meters without editing the Motla file.
  • Let the preview flag baseline readings, duplicates, zero usage, unknown meters, and negative consumption before billing.
  • Trust dispatch recalculation to use the latest saved rate and meter data when charges are created.

Meter Reading Billing

How to use meter reading billings

Meter reading billing turns imported Motla readings into tenant utility charges. The workflow is preview-first: configure meters and rates, upload the CSV, check the calculated rows, then dispatch only the readings that are safe to record and bill.

Billing path

Meters -> Rates -> Import -> Preview -> Dispatch -> Payments

1. Prepare every meter

  • Create or update each electricity and water meter before importing readings.
  • Make sure the meter serial number matches the Motla `Meter_ID` exactly.
  • Link the meter to the correct room so the generated charge lands on the right tenant account.
  • Set the meter type correctly, because electricity and water can use different rates and units.
  • Use the multiplier for meters where one displayed unit represents multiple billable units.

2. Choose the billing interface

  • Open `Motla Import & Rates` from the provider financial menu.
  • Pick `Fixed amount` when every imported row should produce the same base charge.
  • Pick `Measured usage` when charges must be based on consumption between the previous and current readings.
  • For measured usage, select `Flat rate` for one rate per unit or `Inclined block tiers` for municipal-style block pricing.
  • Complete the panel that appears for the selected method, then save the utility rates before importing the CSV.

3. Configure invoice settings

  • Use fixed, service, or capacity charges for recurring utility fees that sit on top of usage.
  • Choose `Per invoice` for once-off fees or `Daily` when the fee must scale by billing days.
  • Add a minimum charge when every billable row must reach a base invoice value.
  • Add VAT percentage when utility invoices must include tax.
  • Set due days so dispatched utility charges receive the correct payment deadline.

4. Import the Motla reading file

  • Export the readings from Motla as CSV or TXT.
  • Confirm the file includes `Meter_ID` and `Reading_kWh` columns.
  • Upload the file from the Motla import panel.
  • The system matches each row to provider-owned meters only, so readings from another account are not billed accidentally.
  • Consumption is calculated from the current reading minus the last saved reading for that meter.

5. Review the preview

  • Check previous reading, current reading, consumption, multiplier, billable units, fees, VAT, and final charge.
  • Rows marked `Baseline only` save the first reading without billing measured usage yet.
  • Rows marked `Already imported`, `Needs review`, `No room`, `No rate`, or `Rate incomplete` should be fixed before dispatch.
  • For tiered pricing, confirm the block table covers all billable units; the final tier can be blank or written like `>500` to take all remaining units.
  • Use the skipped and unmatched row list to clean meter serial numbers or room assignments before trying again.

6. Dispatch and follow up

  • Dispatch only after the preview totals and row statuses look correct.
  • Dispatch saves recordable meter readings and creates utility charges for billable rows.
  • The system recalculates each row during dispatch using the latest meter and rate data.
  • Generated charges appear under provider charges and on the tenant billing screen.
  • Tenants can pay the utility charges and upload proof of payment for provider review.

Pricing methods in plain language

  • Fixed amount: ignores consumption for the base charge and bills the configured fixed amount, plus any shared invoice fees and VAT.
  • Flat measured: calculates usage from readings, applies the meter multiplier, subtracts the free allowance, then multiplies the result by one rate per unit.
  • Inclined block tiers: calculates measured usage, subtracts the free allowance, then prices usage through tier blocks from first tier to a final open-ended tier such as `>500`.
  • Daily fees: use the days since the previous reading, with at least one day charged when a daily fee applies.

Common statuses and what to do

  • Baseline only: keep it if this is the first reading; the next higher reading will create measured usage.
  • Already imported: check whether the same reading was uploaded earlier in the current billing cycle.
  • Needs review: investigate meter resets, rollovers, data entry errors, or reversed readings.
  • No room: link the meter to a room before dispatching the file.
  • Rate incomplete: add a provider rate or extend tier blocks so all billable usage has a price.

Best practice before every billing run

  • Save electricity and water rates before uploading the Motla file.
  • Review one high-usage and one low-usage room manually to confirm the formula.
  • Resolve unmatched meters before dispatch so no occupied room is missed.
  • Keep the original Motla export for audit and tenant query support.

Provider quick-start checklist

Create the property record first so every room can be linked correctly.
Load rental prices and room availability before assigning tenants or generating rent.
Capture meters and utility rates before importing consumption files.
Review pending payments regularly so tenant balances stay current.

Tenant Guide

How tenants use the tenant dashboard

The tenant side focuses on everyday living: view your stay information, check balances, upload onboarding documents, report maintenance, pay charges, download statements, and message your property manager.

Tenant essentials

Dashboard -> Billing -> Documents -> Maintenance -> Messages

1. Track your stay

  • Use the dashboard to see stay duration, contract progress, projected end date, utility usage, and current balance.
  • Open your downloadable utility or room statement reports when you need records.
  • Use quick actions for `Report Issue` and `Pay Rent` from the main dashboard.

2. Manage billing and payments

  • Visit `Billing` to review rent, utility, penalty, and other charges.
  • Use the utility calculator to estimate how many kWh or KL an amount may cover, or how much planned usage may cost.
  • Pay a single charge or prepare payment for all unpaid items.
  • Upload proof of payment for provider verification directly from the tenant flow.

3. Submit and update documents

  • Upload identity, banking, proof-of-address, payslip, and optional support documents from `My Documents`.
  • Replace rejected or outdated files without restarting the whole application.
  • Document uploads automatically return the file pack to review.

4. Request support and stay in touch

  • Create maintenance requests with category, title, description, and optional photos.
  • Track request progress and view assigned ticket details.
  • Use `Messages` to chat with the property manager and watch for unread message alerts.