This guide walks you through setting up CondoGenie for your condominium from scratch. Follow the steps in order — each one builds on the last. **Time to complete:** 30–60 minutes depending on the size of your building(s). ---  ## Before You Begin You will need: - Your CondoGenie administrator login (provided when your account was created) - A list of your building(s), unit numbers, and resident email addresses (optional) - Any documents you want to share with residents (bylaws, rules, welcome package) --- ## Step 1: Configure Your Account Settings Set up your condo's address, time zone, and contact numbers before anything else. This information appears throughout the app and in resident emails.  1. Go to **Administration** → **Account** 2. Click **Account Settings** 3. Fill in your condominium's: - Name and address - Time zone - Emergency contact numbers (fire, police, building superintendent) 4. Click **Save** > **Why first?** Your time zone affects timestamps on all posts, tasks, and messages. Set it before residents start using the app. --- ## Step 2: Set Up Additional Buildings (Optional) If no buildings have been created during registration of your account you'll need to add buildings. CondoGenie organizes everything by building. You need at least one building before you can add units or invite residents.  1. Go to **Administration** → **Buildings** 2. Click **Add new building** 3. Enter a **Prefix** — Prefix is an identifier of a building, a short name (e.g. "North", "South", "Tower A", "Tower B"). This prefix appears on all unit numbers. 4. Enter the **Number of floors** and **Units per floor**, or add units manually in Step 3 5. Click **Save** Repeat for each building in your complex. > **Tip:** If you have a single building, still create it — units and users are always linked to a building in CondoGenie. --- ## Step 3: Add Units (Optional) If you haven't set up [[Units Overview|Units]] during your account's registration you'll need to add them. Units are the individual suites, apartments, or homes in your building. Every resident is linked to a unit.  1. Go to **Units** in the main navigation 2. Click **Create unit** 3. Select the **Building** 4. Enter the **Unit number** (e.g. 101, 202, PH1) 5. Optionally enter the unit size 6. Click **Save** Repeat for every unit. For large buildings, add floor by floor to stay organized. > **Tip:** Set up all units before inviting residents. Residents are assigned to a unit when they register — if the unit doesn't exist yet, they can't complete registration. --- ## Step 4: Configure Additional User Groups (Optional) User Groups control what each type of resident can see and do. Default groups exist (Owner, Tenant, Board Member, Administrator and Manager) but you can customize their permissions and additional [[User Groups Overview|User Groups]] as per your needs. 1. Go to **Administration** → **User Groups** 2. Review the default groups — Owners and Tenants, Board Member, Managers, Admionistrators are the default [[User Groups Overview|User Groups]] in CondoGenie. 3. Click a group to edit its permissions: - Which features can they access? - Can they post to the forum? Create classifieds? - Can they see other residents' contact information? 4. Click **Save** after making changes > **Recommended setup for most condos:** Owners and tenants can read announcements, post in the forum, and submit requests. Board members get full access. --- ## Step 5: Pre-Load Your Documents (Recommended) Upload your key documents *before* inviting residents. When residents first log in, they should find the bylaws, rules, and any welcome materials already waiting for them. 1. Go to **Documents** in the main navigation 2. Click **Add Document** 3. Select a **Category** (You can create additional categories under Administration → Global Settings, Documents if needed) 4. Upload the file (PDF, Word, image, etc.) 5. Set **Access** for the appropriate [[User Groups Overview|User Group]] 6. Click **Save** Suggested documents to upload first: - Condominium bylaws - Rules and regulations - Welcome letter - Emergency procedures - Move-in/move-out procedures --- ## Step 6: Set Up Notices (Optional) Notices are policies or warnings shown to residents before they post to the forum, classifieds, or contact page. 1. Go to **Administration** → **Notices** 2. Click **Add Notice** 3. Choose where the notice appears (Forum, Classifieds, Contact page) 4. Write the notice text 5. Click **Save** > **Example:** "All forum posts must be respectful and relevant to the building. Violations may be removed by the board." --- ## Step 7: Invite Your Residents (Recommended) Now that buildings, units, and documents are ready — it's time to invite your residents.  1. Go to **Administration** → **User and Residents** 2. Click **Invite Residents** (or the **Add** button at the top of the page) 3. Enter the resident's email address 4. Click **Send Invite** Each resident will receive an email invitation with a link to register. They'll create their own password during registration. > **Important:** Send invites one at a time, or use the bulk invite option if your plan supports it. Make sure the email address is correct — residents won't receive the invite if there's a typo. --- ## Step 8: Approve New Residents After residents register, you will need to review and approve their registration. This will ensure that only the owners and residents you want to give access to will have access, and not anybody on the internet. 1. Go to **Administration** → **User and Residents** 2. Look for the **Residents waiting for approval** section at the top 3. Review each pending registration 4. Click **Approve** to grant access Residents can't log in until they're approved. --- ## Step 9: Post Your First Announcement (Recommended) Let your residents know CondoGenie is live with a welcome announcement. 1. Go to **News** in the main navigation 2. Click **Add** 3. Write a welcome message — introduce the platform, explain what residents can do here 4. Set visibility to all user groups 5. Click **Publish** --- ## You're Live! What's Next? Once residents are logged in, explore these features: | Feature | Where to find it | What it does | |---|---|---| | Message Forum | Forum in nav | Residents post questions and updates | | Documents | Documents in nav | Share bylaws, minutes, notices | | Parking | Parking in nav | Manage visitor parking, QR codes | | Tasks | Tasks in nav | Track maintenance and work orders | | Requests | Requests in nav | Residents submit maintenance requests | | Amenities | Amenities in nav | Manage booking for shared facilities | | Surveys | Surveys in nav | Poll residents on decisions | --- ## Common Setup Issues **Residents say they didn't get the invite email** Check their spam/junk folder. Ask them to add [email protected] to their safe senders list. See [[Not receiving e-mail notifications]] for more. **Resident can't find their unit during registration** The unit may not have been created yet. Go to Units → Create unit and add it, then ask the resident to try registering again. **I need to change a resident's unit** Go to Administration → User and Residents → click the resident's name → edit their unit assignment. **Resident registered but can't log in** They may be waiting for approval. Go to Administration → User and Residents and check the approval queue at the top. --- See also: [[Buildings Overview]] | [[Create a Unit]] | [[Invite User To Register]] | [[How do I approve a user]] | [[User Groups Overview]]