Property services: how-to

Step-by-step instructions for property services. For what each service does, see Property services; for problems, see Property services: troubleshooting.

Find your task

If you’re here because…	Go to
A panel is missing from a property or room	Find out why a panel is missing
You want to start using a feature on a property	Turn a service on
Something doesn’t apply to a property, and you want the reminders to stop	Turn a service off
You want to change reminder timings or other options	Change a service’s settings
You want every property (or every property in a building) set up the same way	Copy a service’s settings to all properties or a building
A service was switched off everywhere by mistake	Undo Save for all properties
A panel asks you to accept terms, or you have a Configure… Action	Accept a service’s terms, or clear a Configure Action
You’re adding new properties and want them to start a certain way	Set a default for new properties

Find out why a panel is missing

Do this when a panel you expect, such as Rent Collection, Deposit Management or Gas Safety Certificate, isn’t on a property or room page.

Before you start: you need view permission for the area the panel belongs to.

1. Open the property. Scroll to the bottom of the page to Services, or click Services in the property’s menu.
2. Look under Inactive services. If the service is listed there, it’s off for this property. Turn it on.
3. If the service has a card at the top of Services with Manual or Automatic, it’s on. Check the other reasons in Why a panel is missing: the room may have no tenancy, the property type may not use it, or your role may not include it.
4. For Deposit Management on a room: open the tenancy, click Edit, and check Tenant money held isn’t None or Rent in advance.
5. If the service isn’t listed anywhere under Services, it isn’t available for this property. For example, short-term lets don’t have Rent Collection. Contact COHO support if you think it should be there.

What happens next: once the service is on and the room has what the panel needs, the panel appears on the page.

Turn a service on

Do this when a service is listed under Inactive services, or you want to start using it on a property.

Before you start: you need edit permission for the area the service belongs to (see Who can use it).

1. Open the property and scroll to Services.
2. Under Inactive services, find the service and click Read more.
3. Read the description, then choose Manual (or Automatic for Building Insurance or Mortgage, if you prefer).
4. Answer the service’s settings questions, if any.
5. If the terms are shown, read them and tick I agree to the terms & conditions. Tick Set as default for future properties if new properties should start the same way.
6. To turn it on for every property, tick Save for all properties (or Save for all properties in this building). Leave both unticked for this property only.
7. Click Save. If you ticked a box in step 6, confirm.

What happens next: the service moves to the top of Services, its panels appear, and COHO starts its reminders. Records you added before it was switched off show again.

Tip

Turning a service back on with Save for all properties is the quickest fix when it was switched off across your portfolio.

Turn a service off

Do this when a service doesn’t apply to a property, for example a Gas Safety Certificate for a property with no gas, or you don’t want COHO’s reminders for it.

Before you start: you need edit permission for the service’s area. Check what Off does for this service in The services; for example, turning Rent Collection off stops new rent records and hides tenants’ rent.

1. Open the service’s form in one of these ways:
   • click the settings cog on the service’s panel (property or room page); or
   • scroll to Services on the property and click Configure on the service’s card.
2. Choose Off.
3. Make sure Save for all properties isn’t ticked, unless you want the service off on every property.
4. Click Save.

What happens next: the panel disappears (except Rent Review’s), the service moves to Inactive services, and its open Actions close. Your records are kept.

Caution

For Tenant Find, end any Rightmove, Zoopla or OnTheMarket adverts from the Availabilities panel before you turn it off. Turning it off hides that panel but doesn’t end the adverts.

Tip

For Fire Safety and Health & Safety, you can keep the service on and switch off only the checks that don’t apply, with each check’s Required? switch.

Change a service’s settings

Do this when you want to change how a service works on a property, such as how many weeks before expiry you’re reminded.

Before you start: you need edit permission for the service’s area. Most settings only show when the service is on Manual.

1. Click the settings cog on the service’s panel, or Configure on its card under Services.
2. Change the settings. See Settings for each service.
3. Click Save, or tick Save for all properties first to use the same settings everywhere.

What happens next: the new settings apply to this property’s reminders from now on. Reminders already created aren’t changed or back-dated; for example, Create maintenance issue automatically applies from the next time an item comes due.

Copy a service’s settings to all properties or a building

Do this when you want one service set up the same way across your portfolio, or across a building.

Before you start: set the service up exactly as you want it on one property, including the mode. Everything in the form is copied, including Off.

1. On that property, open the service’s form (settings cog or Configure).
2. Check the mode (Manual or Off) and every setting.
3. Make your change, if you haven’t already. If nothing in the form has changed, nothing is copied: change a setting and change it back first.
4. Tick Save for all properties, or Save for all properties in this building (only shown for a property in a building).
5. Click Save, then confirm: “Are you sure you want to save these settings against all properties, overwriting any existing settings?”

What happens next: every other property that has this service gets the same mode, terms acceptance and settings, overwriting theirs. Each property’s Audit Log records the change with “(saved for all properties)”. Save for all properties also updates your default for new properties, if you have one for this service.

Caution

If the property you’re saving from has the service Off, this switches it off on every property and hides its panels everywhere.

Undo Save for all properties

Do this when a service was switched off (or changed) across all your properties by mistake, for example Rent Collection panels have disappeared from every room.

1. Open any property and scroll to Services.
2. Find the service under Inactive services and click Read more (or Configure if it’s still on).
3. Choose Manual, and set the settings you want everywhere.
4. Tick Save for all properties, click Save, and confirm.

What happens next: the service is back on across your properties, and the panels show again with your existing records. COHO recreates any reminders and Actions that are due, shortly afterwards or at its next regular check. Settings that were different on individual properties before the mistake aren’t restored; change those properties one by one.

Note

To find out who made the change and when, open a property’s Audit Log and look for “mode changed from Manual to Off (saved for all properties)”.

Accept a service’s terms, or clear a Configure Action

Do this when a panel says “You must accept the terms and conditions before this service can be used” or “You need to accept the terms and conditions before you can use this service”, or you have an Action such as Configure Rent Review.

1. Click View (property panel) or View Terms and Conditions (room panel), or open the Configure… Action.
2. Check the mode and settings.
3. Tick I agree to the terms & conditions. Tick Set as default for future properties if you want new properties to start the same way.
4. Click Save.

What happens next: the panel opens normally, and the Configure… Action clears itself. If you don’t want the service, choose Off and save instead; that also clears the Action.

Set a default for new properties

Do this before adding properties, so they start with the services and settings you use.

1. On a property, open a service’s form while its terms are waiting to be accepted (for example from Inactive services > Read more, or a Configure… Action).
2. Set the mode and settings.
3. Tick I agree to the terms & conditions and Set as default for future properties.
4. Click Save.

What happens next: properties you add from now on start with this service’s mode and settings, with the terms accepted. Existing properties aren’t changed; use Save for all properties for those.

Note

Set as default for future properties only shows while a service’s terms need accepting. Most properties have their terms accepted automatically, so you may not see it. Once you have a default, Save for all properties keeps it up to date. If you can’t set the default you need, contact COHO support.