Getting started

Welcome. This walkthrough takes you from sign-up to a working account in about ten minutes.

1. Create your account

Head to the sign-up page, enter your name, email, and a password. You'll be sent a verification email — confirm it before you sign in for the first time.

Every new account starts with a 30-day free trial of the Professional plan. No credit card up front. When the trial ends, your account drops to the Free plan automatically — nothing breaks, but caps tighten. See Plans and billing for details.

2. Pick your first workspace

A workspace is where your portfolio lives — properties, contracts, payments, the team. Most users only ever need one. You'll get one default workspace at sign-up, named after your account.

[!tip] If you're managing properties for more than one legal entity (e.g. a personal portfolio and a family-trust portfolio), use separate workspaces. They stay financially separate but share your login. See Workspaces.

3. Add your first property

From the sidebar, open Properties → Add property. Fill in the basics:

• Name (e.g. "Al-Olaya Tower")
• Address
• Property type (residential, commercial, mixed)

Save. You're now on the property detail page. From here you'll add units, documents, and assign team members.

4. Add a unit

A property is a container; units are the rentable spaces inside it (apartments, offices, retail bays). Open Units → Add unit and enter the unit number, size, and rent. You can add as many units as you want — but the Free plan caps you at 5 units per property and 10 units total across your workspace.

[!info] On the Free plan, if you go over the per-property cap (e.g. add a 6th unit to a 5-unit building), the extra units get locked: read-only until you upgrade or delete some. Nothing is lost; the lock lifts the moment your headroom is restored.

5. Invite a teammate

Open Settings → Members → Invite. Enter their email + pick a role (Admin, Manager, Accountant, Maintenance, etc.). They'll get an email with a sign-up link.

Each role comes with sensible default permissions. If you need finer control, you can create custom roles — but most teams never do.

6. Where to go next

• Properties and units — how the property/unit hierarchy works and what locking means.
• Leases and contracts — from lease offer to signed contract, including Ejar import.
• Money — receivables, payments, expenses, deposits, and how they connect.
• Plans and billing — what the trial gives you, what changes when it ends, and how to upgrade.

Common first questions

Do I need to set up workflows before I can use the system? No. Every workflow ships with a sensible default — you can use the system end-to-end without touching workflow settings. Customize later if your team needs it.

Can I import existing tenants and contracts? Yes — use the Ejar PDF import on the Contracts page, or the Backfill flow for historical data. See Leases and contracts.

What happens when my trial ends? Your account drops to the Free plan. Properties stay; team logins stay; some properties or units may lock if you're over the Free caps. Upgrading lifts the locks instantly. See Plans and billing.

I'm a solo landlord — is this overkill for me? No. Aqarflow is calibrated for both individual landlords and full property management teams. See Landlord software for a walkthrough specifically aimed at owner-operators.