Managing agent (housing & support)

Collaborate with an RSL (when applicable)

Updated 2026-05-15

What "RSL collaboration" actually means here

To avoid confusion: an RSL (Registered Social Landlord / Registered Provider) on PropFlow is a collaborating organisation, not a property owner. Property ownership stays with the landlord record. The RSL's role is supported-tenant-level — typically:

They fund or place tenants in housing-and-support arrangements.
They assign housing officers who collaborate on the welfare workspace.
They receive monthly digests on the tenants they're supporting.

The managing-agent firm (you) is still the operational party — adding properties on behalf of landlords, running compliance, dispatching maintenance.

Mode 1 — RSL off-platform (fully self-serve)

The most common mode. The RSL you're working with isn't a PropFlow member. You operate your firm independently:

Sign up as a managing-agent firm (org-admin).
Invite landlords whose properties you manage.
Add properties, run compliance, manage tenancies — all the standard workflows.
For supported tenants, open a welfare workspace and invite the housing officer as a collaborator without the RSL needing a PropFlow account (they can be invited as an individual collaborator via the welfare workspace).

This mode requires no special setup. Most managing-agent firms operate this way.

Mode 2 — RSL on PropFlow (group structure)

If your RSL partner is on PropFlow as an organisation, your firm operates as a child org under their group. This unlocks:

The RSL's group-admin sees your firm in their team hierarchy.
Cross-org visibility into shared supported tenants (with appropriate RLS scoping — the RSL doesn't see your other landlords' portfolios, only the tenants they collaborate on).
The RSL's housing officers can be assigned across tenants without needing per-tenant invites each time.

Today, setting up this mode runs through PropFlow Admin (us). Here's the current flow:

The RSL contacts us to be set up.
PropFlow Admin creates a group record with type rsl or housing_association.
PropFlow Admin invites the RSL's principal as a group-admin.
The group-admin invites your firm as a child organisation under their group.
You accept the invite and continue as an org-admin of your firm, now sitting under the RSL's group.

What's in development

The infrastructure for RSL collaboration exists in the data model:

Group records support rsl / housing_association / rp types.
The tenant_collaborators table (D054) supports cross-org collaboration on supported tenants.
Group-admin → child-org-admin invitation chain works.

What's not yet self-serve in the UI:

An RSL clicking "Invite a managing agent" from their own /team page — the dialog and the workflow aren't built.
A managing-agent firm requesting to join an RSL's group — no UI yet.

This is on the roadmap as Decision 054 Phase 7. Until it ships, the workaround above (PropFlow Admin manual setup) is how it's done. Contact support to start the process — usually completed within a working day.

Which mode fits your firm?

Most firms → Mode 1. Run independently, invite housing officers per-tenant when needed. No platform-level RSL relationship required.
Firms tightly coupled to one RSL → Mode 2. The group structure makes housing-officer assignment less repetitive and the digest reporting more centralised. Worth contacting support to set up.

Common questions before you reach for support

Can I switch from Mode 1 to Mode 2 later? Yes — your firm can be moved under a newly-created RSL group with no data loss. Contact support.
What does the RSL pay? Group-level organisations are billed separately by PropFlow. The RSL's plan covers their own organisation; your firm's plan still covers your firm. No double-billing on the same tenants.
Can the RSL see my other landlords' portfolios? No. RLS scopes RSL visibility to the supported tenants they collaborate on. Your firm's other operations stay private.

Next steps

Invite a supported tenant — the workflow that benefits from RSL collaboration.
The per-tenant welfare workspace — where housing officers live.
Contact support — to set up an RSL group on PropFlow.

FAQ

Does the RSL own the properties?: Not in PropFlow's model. Property ownership sits with the landlord record — typically a private landlord or a housing association acting as a landlord. The RSL is a separate entity who collaborates on supported tenants (e.g. they fund placements, assign housing officers). Your firm manages the property on behalf of the landlord, regardless of whether the RSL is on PropFlow.
If I'm collaborating with an RSL that's off-platform, can I still serve their tenants?: Yes — completely. PropFlow has no requirement that the RSL be a member. You operate as the managing-agent org, the landlord is on PropFlow, the supported tenant gets a tenancy and (optionally) a welfare workspace. The RSL's role outside the platform doesn't change anything inside it.
How do I get my RSL set up on PropFlow today?: Contact support. The RSL-onboarding flow runs through PropFlow Admin (us) creating a group for them, then a group-admin who in turn invites your firm as a child org under that group. We're working to make this self-serve.
Once the RSL is on PropFlow, what extra collaboration is possible?: Cross-organisation visibility into shared supported tenants — the RSL's housing officer can see the welfare workspace alongside your team, with shared notes appearing in their digest. Property and operational data still belongs to the managing-agent org; the welfare layer is what's shared.

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