Nobody chases paperwork by hand any more
The problem
Applications arrived through a leasing platform that collected documents but never tracked them. Staff had to open each file to work out what was still missing, then chase it by hand. Approvals sat waiting, and nobody could say how many were stuck or where.
The insight
Only ever ask for what is genuinely missing
The obvious build is a reminder that nags everyone on a schedule. That fails quickly, because it asks people for documents they have already sent — and once that happens twice, everyone learns to ignore the emails. What works is knowing, per applicant, exactly which documents are outstanding right now, and asking only for those. Get that right and the chasing runs itself.
What we built
- A single screen showing which applicant still owes which document, updated automatically
- Reminder emails that list only what is genuinely outstanding, with delivery tracking
- Protection against asking for something that arrived after the reminder was written
- Staff sign in with their existing Microsoft accounts — no new passwords
- Built so a second leasing platform can be added without starting over
In progress — not yet shipped
Now in build — the greenfield replacement
The add-on proved the domain, and the engagement expanded into a full multi-tenant screening platform for community associations: applicant intake, document collection, payment, background checks, e-signatures, and decision delivery to the board — replacing the third-party platform outright. Tenant isolation is enforced in the database with row-level security on every table rather than trusted to application code.
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