PropDesk — Property management SaaS for small landlords
A complete property management ecosystem with 130+ API endpoints, 60+ pages, 4 user roles, and 1,024 automated tests — purpose-built for independent landlords managing 1–50 rental units.
The shape of the system. By the numbers.
A production-grade property management platform with 130+ API endpoints, 60+ pages, 4 user roles, 1,024 automated tests, and 5 daily automation jobs — built from a 122-page SRS to solve every pain point independent landlords face.
What the system looks like. Dashboard preview.
High-level view of the platform structure. Live screenshots are NDA-gated and shared on request.
The brief. What we shipped.
Independent landlords managing 1–50 rental units are caught in a gap: enterprise property management software is too complex and expensive, while spreadsheets and manual processes simply don't scale. They need a solution powerful enough to handle the full property lifecycle — leases, maintenance, payments, inspections — yet simple enough to use without training. The result? Missed rent payments, delayed maintenance, lost paperwork, tenant frustration, and hours wasted on repetitive administrative tasks every week.
We built PropDesk as a comprehensive SaaS platform with four tailored dashboards for Landlords, Tenants, Contractors, and Administrators. The platform covers the full property lifecycle: property and unit management, full lease lifecycle from vacancy through move-out, Stripe-powered online rent collection with automated late fees and payment plans, maintenance tracking with priority-based routing to contractors, digital move-in/out inspections, vacancy listing and tenant onboarding, compliance and insurance tracking, and 5 automated daily jobs (rent reminders, late fee assessment, lease expiry alerts, maintenance auto-closure, and rent increases).
Delivered a production-grade platform with 130+ API endpoints, 60+ user-facing pages, 1,024 automated tests (932 unit + 92 e2e) with 100% API test coverage, 9 major feature modules, 5 automated daily jobs, and 13 security hardening measures. Built from a comprehensive 122-page Software Requirements Specification ensuring every feature maps to a validated real-world need.
Next.js App Router with React 19 server components. TypeScript strict mode across entire codebase. PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM (29 models). NextAuth.js JWT sessions with role-based middleware (4 roles). Stripe integration for PCI-compliant payments. Redis for rate limiting and caching. Zod runtime validation on every endpoint. Cloudinary for document/image storage. 5 automated daily cron jobs. shadcn/ui component library. Vitest for 932 unit tests + 92 e2e tests.
What was broken. Before we shipped.
Independent landlords managing 1–50 units face a gap between expensive enterprise software and unscalable spreadsheets.
Enterprise Tools Too Complex
Existing property management software is designed for large portfolios — too expensive, too complex, and requiring training that small landlords don't have time for.
Spreadsheets Don't Scale
Manual tracking with spreadsheets breaks down as units grow. Missed deadlines, lost records, and no automation mean hours of wasted administrative work.
Fragmented Tooling
Landlords juggle separate tools for listings, leases, maintenance, payments, and compliance — leading to data silos and manual handoffs.
Tenant Communication Gaps
Without a unified system, maintenance requests get lost, rent reminders are manual, and dispute resolution lacks documentation.
Four-role ecosystem. Isolated by purpose.
Four tailored portals serve different stakeholders, each with dedicated dashboards, workflows, and permission boundaries.
Landlord Portal
- →Property & unit management dashboard
- →Lease creation, renewals, and terminations
- →Rent collection and financial tracking
- →Maintenance assignment & contractor management
- →Vacancy listing and tenant onboarding
Tenant Portal
- →Rent payments via Stripe
- →Maintenance request submission by priority
- →Lease and document access
- →Move-in/out inspection reviews
- →Payment history and receipts
Contractor Portal
- →Work order assignment notifications
- →Job status tracking and updates
- →Property and unit access details
- →Completion confirmation workflow
Admin Portal
- →System-wide user management
- →Platform configuration and settings
- →Audit trails and compliance monitoring
- →Analytics and reporting
Recurring work runs itself.
Five cron jobs automate the busywork that drains small landlords — reminders, fees, alerts, follow-ups.
Rent Reminders
Automated notifications sent to tenants before rent due dates.
Late Fee Assessment
Calculates and applies late fees based on configurable grace periods.
Lease Expiry Alerts
Notifies landlords and tenants of upcoming lease expirations.
Maintenance Auto-Closure
Closes unresolved low-priority requests after configurable periods.
Rent Increases
Processes scheduled rent increases on their effective dates.
What sets it apart.
Purpose-Built for Small Landlords
Designed from the ground up for the 1–50 unit market with workflows that match how small landlords actually operate.
All-in-One Platform
No need to juggle separate tools for listings, leases, maintenance, payments, and compliance. Everything under one roof.
Four-Role Ecosystem
Landlords, tenants, contractors, and admins all work within one connected system — reducing miscommunication and manual handoffs.
Automation-First Design
Recurring tasks like rent reminders, late fees, and maintenance follow-ups happen automatically — freeing landlords to focus on growth.
Spec-Driven Development
Built from a comprehensive 122-page SRS — every feature maps to a validated real-world need, not guesswork.
Coming soon.
What it does. End to end.
Nine integrated modules covering the complete property management lifecycle — from vacancy to move-out.
Property & Unit Management
Manage multiple properties and units from a single dashboard. Track occupancy, amenities, and financials in real time.
Full Lease Lifecycle
From vacancy listing through tenant screening, lease signing, renewals, and move-out — every stage covered.
Role-Based Access Control
Four tailored dashboards for Landlords, Tenants, Contractors, and Administrators — each sees exactly what they need.
Maintenance Tracking
Tenants submit requests by priority (Emergency, Urgent, Routine). Landlords assign contractors and track resolution.
Online Rent Collection
Secure Stripe-powered payments, automated late fees, payment plans for hardship, and rent increase workflows.
Move-In/Out Inspections
Digital checklists document property condition at every transition. Minimize disputes and protect deposits.
Automated Operations
Daily rent reminders, late fee assessment, lease expiry alerts, and maintenance auto-closure — all on autopilot.
Vacancy & Listings
Create listings, accept applications with built-in validation, and onboard new tenants — all from one place.
Compliance & Insurance
Renters insurance tracking, eviction management workflows, and audit trails keep landlords protected.
The stack. And the reason for each pick.
No exotic tooling. Every choice optimises for systems that survive their second year of production.
Tests are the contract. And the proof.
Coverage thresholds are enforced in CI. PRs are blocked on red.
Eight layers of defence. Built in.
- ✓Rate limiting on all API endpoints
- ✓Zod runtime input validation on every endpoint
- ✓Hashed credentials with bcrypt
- ✓Environment variable validation at startup
- ✓JWT session management with NextAuth.js
- ✓Role-based middleware for route protection
- ✓PCI-compliant payment processing via Stripe
- ✓CSRF protection on state-changing operations
- ✓Input sanitization against XSS
- ✓Secure HTTP headers
- ✓Connection pooling for database
- ✓Cloud-based file storage (no local uploads)
- ✓Audit trail logging for sensitive operations
What they said.
“[ AWAITING_QUOTE ] — once the founder sends a 2-3 sentence quote, drop it here with their photo + role + LinkedIn.”
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