Frequently asked questions
Will I need to replace our ERP, CAFM or property-management software?
No. PMFriend sits beside the system you already run. In Qatar and the Gulf that's usually an ERP (accounting, contracts, service charges) and sometimes a CAFM; in Australia it's PropertyMe, PropertyTree, Console or REST (trust accounting, lease ledger, the records your state's agents legislation requires). All of that stays where it is. PMFriend handles the operational layer — intake, triage, dispatch, compliance, owner updates and the evidence trail.
If you run a helpdesk or CAFM that reads a mailbox (Maximo, eFACiLiTY, ServiceNow, TOPdesk, Facilio, Odoo and most others), every new job can arrive there as an e-mail with a fixed reference, so it becomes a ticket without anyone typing it twice. For an IT team there is a signed webhook and a status call back, which is also how Microsoft Dynamics 365 connects (Power Automate). Integrations are switched on per account on request. See Jobs into your helpdesk or CAFM.
What data does PMFriend need?
To get started, just your property list (address, suburb, state, postcode, type) plus your owners + tenants + contractors. Most agencies import the lot in 5 minutes from a CSV export of their existing PMS.
Where is my data hosted?
On AWS, isolated per agency. The platform runs in Frankfurt (eu-central-1) today, with inbound
email received in Sydney (ap-southeast-2). Customers are deployed in their own region when they
sign up: Australian agencies in AWS Sydney; Gulf operators in Frankfurt, or AWS Bahrain / UAE on
request. The public sandbox stays in Frankfurt. AI requests go to
Anthropic (Claude) with minimised fields only. The full map is on the
privacy page.
Does the AI ever send anything by itself?
The AI never sends anything it wrote on its own. Owner digests, notices, replies — the AI drafts, your PM reads and sends with one click. This is a hard product rule, not a setting.
What does go out automatically are fixed, pre-written messages: the "we received your message" acknowledgement, the "reviewed / dispatched / completed" status updates, the reply 1 if fixed, 2 if not prompt, and the emergency alert to your own on-call number. They say the same thing every time, in the tenant's language, and you can read every word of them in the docs.
Two messages are translated by AI as they go out: the automatic answer when a tenant asks for the status (the job's current step and their tracking link, taken from the job record), and a reply your PM writes to a tenant who speaks another language (your PM's original text is included under the translation). The facts in both come from the job or from your PM; the AI only translates.
What does the AI actually see?
Only what's needed for each task. For maintenance triage, just the tenant's report text + property context. For owner digests, just the period's activity + owner first name. The AI never sees bank details, trust ledger, or other agencies' data.
Read more about AI safety + fallbacks →
Does the AI train on my data?
No. Our AI provider agreements contractually exclude your data from any training set. Your inspection reports, your case packs, your owner digests — none of it ends up in anyone else's model.
What happens when the AI is down?
Every AI feature has a deterministic fallback that produces the same
output (slightly less polished prose). Your maintenance inbox keeps
working, your inspection reports still draft, your case packs still
assemble. You'll see modelVersion: heuristic-v0 in the response when
the fallback is running.
How long does setup take?
About 30 minutes for a typical 150-property agency. Most of it is the CSV import wizard reading your existing PMS export.
Read the getting started guide →
How much does it cost?
Qatar and the Gulf: a monthly platform fee plus a fee per unit, in Qatari riyals — see Portfolio pricing.
Australia (Australian dollars, for agencies operating in Australia) — three flat plans:
- Pilot — $79/month, up to 100 properties, first 60 days free
- Growth — $0.95 per door per month, minimum $249 (100–1,500 doors; 500 doors = $475)
- Scale — above 1,500 doors: quoted per door, from about $0.80 (talk to us)
Prices exclude GST (added only where it applies). No setup costs. Pilot and Growth have no minimum term; Scale runs for the term in the Order Form.
Can the tenant see where their request is up to?
Yes — without logging in and without ringing you. Every request has one tracking link, shown when they report on the web form and included in every status update. It is a parcel-style timeline: which steps are done, which is next, the contractor's company name and the visit time — with an Add to calendar button once the visit is booked. No dates on the steps, no cost, nothing about the owner. And if they simply ask on WhatsApp or by e-mail ("what is the status?"), the automatic reply is exactly that: the current step and their link, in their language. The question still reaches your inbox. See Maintenance.
Can I talk to a tenant who doesn't speak my language?
Yes. In the inbox conversation you read every message in your own language, with the original one click away, and your reply goes out in the tenant's language with your own words underneath. Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Korean, Greek, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog, Malayalam, Ukrainian and many more. The automatic "we've got your message" replies and status updates go out in the tenant's language too. The translation is done by AI and you can always see both versions. See Email and WhatsApp.
How do I know a job was actually fixed?
You don't have to chase the tenant, and the contractor can't close the job. When a contractor marks the work done, the job waits and the tenant is asked did it get fixed? — one digit on WhatsApp (1 = yes, 2 = no, in their own language) or one tap on the two buttons in the email. A 1 closes the job. A 2 sends it back to the contractor with a fresh link and goes to the top of your Attention Inbox until you mark it handled; it also counts against that contractor next time you dispatch. Silence closes the job after a number of days you set (7 by default), marked no reply — never as confirmed. See Maintenance.
Can the tenant agree the move-in condition, so there's no argument at move-out?
Yes. Every inspection is saved with its photos, and once you issue a move-in, move-out or bond-out record it is locked — nobody can edit it, including you. Each tenant on the lease gets their own link to agree or dispute it in their own words; their first answer is final and kept with the record. A dispute lands on your Attention inbox until you mark it handled. A move-out starts from the move-in, item by item, so the comparison is already done. It is a record between the tenant and your agency, not a legal certificate. See Inspections.
Does PMFriend remember what was fixed before?
Yes — if you tell it what things exist. Register the assets at a property (AC units, chiller, lifts, heaters) and link requests to them; from then on any open job on a unit that was "fixed" in the last 30 days is flagged as a repeat failure on the request, in your Attention Inbox and on the property's asset history. See Operational memory.
Has PMFriend been run at the size of a large operator?
Yes. In September 2026 we loaded a test operator with four towers and 2,000 apartments on the live system, the way a customer is onboarded: all four towers were in after under four minutes of uploads with no failed rows, and every list — 2,000 properties, 1,800 tenants, the compliance register, the home screen — answers in well under half a second. The numbers, and what the test made us fix: Tested at 2,000 units.
Can Claude or ChatGPT change things in PMFriend?
Only by proposing a change that a person approves. Connect your assistant, tick "Propose changes" on the consent screen, and say for example "book the smoke-alarm check at 14 Rathdowne St". The assistant shows what will happen; you confirm in the chat (for your own internal changes, if you allowed that) or someone approves it on the Attention page. Assigning a contractor or recording a tenant's answer always needs an agency admin. An admin can switch it off for the agency. See Make changes from the chat.
Can I see where jobs get stuck?
Yes — ask your connected AI assistant (ChatGPT or Claude) "where do our jobs get stuck?". PMFriend records when every job enters each stage (draft, waiting for the owner, dispatched, scheduled, in progress), so the answer comes with the typical days per stage and the jobs waiting longest. Time per stage is a running total that never resets. It's deliberately not shown in the app, so it reads as a view of the process rather than a stopwatch on your team. See Where do jobs get stuck?.
Does the SLA clock run on weekends?
Only for emergencies and urgent jobs. Normal and low-priority requests stop counting on your weekend — Friday and Saturday in Qatar, Saturday and Sunday in Australia — so a routine job reported before the weekend isn't "overdue" when the week starts. Public holidays still count. See Maintenance.
What if my email forward breaks and I don't notice?
PMFriend notices for you. If a working intake (email or WhatsApp) goes seven days without a single message, it raises a warning in the Attention Inbox and emails every agency admin, weekly until messages flow again.
What if a tenant's e-mail address is wrong?
The first e-mail to it bounces, and PMFriend stops sending to that address so your other mail keeps its good reputation. The next time you write to them you see Not sent — the address bounced on … instead of a silent failure. Fix the address on their record, or lift the block in Settings → E-mail delivery once their mailbox works. See What happens when an e-mail bounces.
Can I get my data out?
Yes, without asking. Any agency admin can download your records as a ZIP of spreadsheets from Settings — properties, tenants, leases, contractors, requests, jobs, compliance, service charges, assets, plus a manifest. The properties, tenants and contractors files re-import straight back. Uploaded files (lease documents, inspection reports, photos, email attachments) and the audit log are not in the ZIP — they download from their own pages, and the manifest lists exactly what the ZIP does and does not contain. See Your data, exportable.
Which systems does PMFriend connect to?
Accounting systems, helpdesks and CAFMs, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and automation tools, WhatsApp and e-mail, property software exports, Google and Microsoft sign-in, and Claude or ChatGPT. Sidebar → Integrations shows each one with its logo, how it connects (direct, by e-mail, webhook or file) and whether it works for your account now. See Integrations at a glance.
Can job costs go to our accounting system?
Yes. Settings → Accounting export gives an admin the finished jobs of a period as supplier bills: one row per job with the contractor, the job reference, the property and the amount. Xero has its own layout; QuickBooks, Zoho Books, Tally and NetSuite import the standard one. On request we switch on a direct connection to Xero, Zoho Books, NetSuite, Sage Business Cloud, FreeAgent, FreshBooks, Wave, Clear Books or Moneybird (QuickBooks Online to follow), which creates the same bills there (drafts in Xero) without a file; each job becomes one bill, never two. PMFriend never pays anything in your ledger. See Accounting export.
What happens after the 60-day pilot?
If it's working for you, you move onto the commercial plan and start paying. If it isn't, you walk away — no obligation, no fees, no "you signed a contract" surprises.
On day 60 we review the two numbers we've tracked since day one — lost requests per month and coordination hours per week — against your baseline. If your maintenance cycle time hasn't dropped 30%, you owe nothing and leave with your data. We're confident enough to put that in writing. Pilot terms →
Can I cancel any time?
On the flat Australian plans, yes — Pilot and Growth have no minimum term. Scale and the Qatar Portfolio plan run for the term in your Order Form, renew for the same length unless either side gives 30 days' notice before it ends, and a launch partner commits to twelve months. The Terms say which applies to you.
Either way we export your records to CSV within 7 business days. We retain your data for 30 days in case you change your mind, then delete it permanently.
Who uses PMFriend day-to-day?
Your property managers and ops lead. Tenants, owners, and contractors use WhatsApp, email and links — they don't need logins, accounts, or to install anything.
How does compliance work in my market?
Qatar: QCDD fire certificates, elevator certification, chiller service before summer, Kahramaa, your own Aqarat licence, plus the lease-registration and deposit-return timers that start themselves when a lease is recorded. Compliance — Qatar →
Australia: per-state defaults for all 8 jurisdictions — smoke alarms, pool certs, gas and electrical safety, minimum standards, landlord insurance, routine inspections — each in the shape the state's law sets. In Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory the smoke-alarm check falls before each tenancy, so it appears when you record the lease. Insurance and routine inspections are marked as practice, not legal duties. Compliance — Australia →
If your agency does things differently you can change how often any obligation recurs, or switch one off, for your whole agency (Compliance → Rules). Changes apply from the next completed task. See Compliance.
Can an owner approve a repair without logging in?
Yes. When the estimate is above the owner's limit, they get an e-mail with one button. It opens a page with the job, the photos, the tradie and the estimate. They approve, decline with a note, or ask you to call. Approve sends the job to the tradie straight away. The link works for 7 days, with one reminder after 24 hours. Urgent jobs can go first; the owner is told. Owner approval →
Can the owner choose between several quotes?
Yes. Ask up to five tradies to quote from the draft job: each gets a link and sends their price there, or you type in a price you got by phone. Then click Ask the owner to choose. The owner gets one e-mail listing them all, cheapest first, and picks one on their phone. The job goes to that tradie straight away. If they'd rather none of them, it comes back to you as a draft with the quotes still on it. A choice made by phone you record on the job with one click. Several quotes →
What if the tradie finds more work on site?
They enter the new total and what changed on their job link. Within the owner's limit it goes ahead and you're told; over the limit the owner is asked again on the same no-login link (was / now / why), and the tradie hears the answer on WhatsApp before doing the extra work. The price goes up on site →
Who gets an emergency at night?
The PM on call, on their phone. Set office hours, who is on call and a backup in Settings → After hours and on call. Outside office hours a new emergency goes to the person on call with I'm on it; not taken in 15 minutes, the backup and your emergency WhatsApp number; in 30 minutes, everyone. Urgent (not emergency) requests can wake them too if you switch that on. After hours →
Can PMFriend remind us about the AC service and the gutters?
Yes. In Planned maintenance add a plan once (the AC service every October, the gutters every April, the water tanks every six months), for every property, every house, or every property with that asset. Three weeks before it's due, each property gets a draft work order and you're told once. Send them one by one, or all at once to your usual tradie. Planned maintenance →
Can I see which tradie has a key?
Yes. Add the key to the job (which key, where to collect it, when it's due back). The tradie confirms collecting and returning it on their job link, and also confirms they read how to get in. If a key isn't back by its date, or a day after the work is done, you're told once. Keys →
Do you check a contractor's ABN and licence?
In Australia, yes:
- ABN: PMFriend asks the Australian Business Register whether it is active, who it is registered to, and whether the business is registered for GST.
- NSW trade licences: checked against NSW Fair Trading's public register for status, holder, classes and expiry.
Both are re-checked every week, and you're told when a licence is about to expire or stops being current. Other states' licence registers come later. It's a reminder from public data, not a legal guarantee. Contractors →
How do dispute and tribunal packs work?
Qatar: an RDSC dispute pack assembles the chronology and statement of facts for the Rental Disputes Settlement Committee from the records you already keep, and flags a missing prevailing Arabic contract. Dispute packs — Qatar →
Australia:
Pick the property + date range + case type + a paragraph of
background. The AI assembles a chronological Statement of Facts from
the actual maintenance + work-order history at the property, with
exhibit IDs (MR-abc12345, WO-def67890). The Statement is a draft —
you verify before submitting to tribunal.
Can the AI help with tenant screening?
No. We don't build AI-driven tenant screening. Discrimination law makes that a high-risk space and we don't have the regulatory moat to play in it. Tenant screening stays a human-judgment task.
What if I want a feature that isn't built yet?
Email support@pmfriend.com. We read every request. The
roadmap shows what's on the queue. Customer requests do
move the list — multiple agencies asking for the same thing tends to
push it up.
What's your uptime?
We aim for 99.9%. We don't publish that as a contractual SLA today because we're early-stage and over-promising would be dishonest. Agencies on bespoke contracts can negotiate written SLAs.
If we have an outage, you'll see a status page banner (currently under construction) and we'll email affected customers within 30 minutes of confirming the issue.
How is PMFriend different from our ERP, CAFM or PMS?
Different layer. ERPs, CAFMs and property-management platforms hold the accounting and legal record-keeping. PMFriend is the operations layer that sits beside them and handles the tenant-to-contractor loop they don't.
In Qatar: your ERP doesn't read WhatsApp voice notes in Malayalam, issue a gate pass, or ask the tenant whether the AC was actually fixed.
In Australia: PropertyMe doesn't write your inspection reports. PropertyTree doesn't draft your owner digests. Console doesn't assemble your tribunal case packs. PMFriend does all three. And we sit alongside, not instead.
Can I put PMFriend on my phone like an app?
Yes. Open app.pmfriend.com in your phone's browser and add it to the home screen. On an iPhone: Share → Add to Home Screen. On Android: the browser offers Install app. It opens full screen with the PMFriend icon, which is handy for inspections and checking jobs on the road. There is nothing to download from an app store, and it updates itself: every time you open it you get the latest version. You still need a connection; your data is never stored on the phone.
Can PMFriend send notifications to my phone?
Yes. In Settings → Notifications on this device, click Turn on for this device, allow notifications, and you get a test straight away. From then on, emergencies, owner answers, price increases, overdue keys and anything else that needs you arrive on that phone or computer even when PMFriend isn't open. Routine updates stay in the app. Turn it on on each device you use; turn it off there too. On an iPhone, first add PMFriend to the Home Screen (above) and open it from there: that's how iOS allows notifications from web apps. If a burst of alerts comes in at once, you get the first two and then "and N more".
Is there a tenant mobile app?
Coming. Today the tenant submission flow is a mobile-friendly web form (no login, just a link on a fridge sticker). The dedicated mobile app is on the roadmap.
Can multiple agencies share data?
No. Each agency's data is fully isolated at the database level. Other agencies cannot see your data, even other PMFriend customers.
Is the live sandbox on the website safe to play with?
Yes. Every visitor shares it, so you may see someone else's changes. Every six hours (at 06:05, 12:05, 18:05 and 00:05 Doha time) it goes back to the same starting data, and whatever anyone added, changed or deleted is undone. The agencies, tenants and contractors in it are made up. Imports and the data export are switched off there.
Two things to know. Photos uploaded to the sandbox are not deleted by the reset, so please don't upload anything private. And the sandbox behaves like the real product: an e-mail notification goes to whatever address is on the record. Don't type in a real person's e-mail address or phone number.
How do I get started?
Apply for the pilot. We onboard your first 100 properties in an afternoon. No payment until 60 days in.