Manage document visibility
Keep documents private where necessary, make suitable files available through the Tenant Portal and correct access settings when a document has been shared incorrectly.
Document visibility determines whether a file remains available only within the landlord account or can also be viewed by the connected tenant through the Tenant Portal. Visibility should be reviewed alongside the document’s property, tenancy and tenant connections.
How document visibility works
Private
The document remains available within the landlord account and is not shown through the Tenant Portal.
Tenant visible
The connected tenant can view the document through the portal while the visibility remains enabled.
Shared directly
The file is sent or shared using a separate document-sharing or communication action.
Keep appropriate documents private
- Internal property-management notes.
- Contractor quotations containing commercial information.
- Supplier banking or payment details.
- Mortgage and lender records.
- Insurance documents containing unrelated information.
- Documents relating to another tenant.
- Internal financial reports.
- Draft documents not ready for distribution.
- Documents containing unnecessary personal data.
- Professional advice intended only for the landlord.
Keep the document private until its content, recipient and correct tenancy connection have been reviewed.
Make suitable documents tenant-visible
Tenancy agreements
Share the correct signed agreement connected to the tenant’s current or relevant tenancy.
Inventories and reports
Make suitable tenancy check-in, inventory or condition records available where appropriate.
Property certificates
Share relevant certificates connected to the tenant’s property and tenancy.
Maintenance documents
Share selected reports or appointment information only when appropriate.
Tenant-requested documents
Make the requested file available after confirming the recipient and content.
Formal correspondence
Share relevant correspondence using the appropriate document or communication workflow.
Before making a document visible
- Open and read the complete document.
- Confirm all pages belong to the same file.
- Check the property address.
- Confirm the correct tenancy period.
- Review the connected tenant or joint tenants.
- Check for another person’s personal information.
- Review internal comments and annotations.
- Check supplier and contractor banking details.
- Confirm the document is the intended current version.
- Review whether direct sharing is more appropriate.
Do not rely only on the title. Open the file and check every page before enabling tenant access.
Change a document’s visibility
Open Documents
Find the file using its title, property, category or document date.
Open the document
Review the file and its existing property, tenancy and tenant connections.
Select Edit or Manage Visibility
Open the document access settings.
Select Private or Tenant Visible
Choose the setting appropriate for the document and connected tenancy.
Save the change
Confirm Estavo records the updated visibility.
Review the Tenant Portal
Confirm the file is available or hidden as intended.
Review visibility for joint tenants
A tenant-visible document may be available to tenants connected to the same tenancy, depending on the document and portal configuration.
- Confirm all joint tenants belong to the tenancy.
- Review whether the document applies to every tenant.
- Check for one tenant’s separate personal information.
- Use separate private records where appropriate.
- Review the portal connection for each tenant.
- Confirm former tenants no longer have active access.
Identification, financial or personal documents may require a separate tenant-level record and restricted visibility.
Review visibility when a tenancy ends
- Confirm the tenancy end date is recorded.
- Review former tenant portal access.
- Check documents linked to the completed tenancy.
- Review whether ongoing access is appropriate.
- Check documents for the incoming tenancy separately.
- Avoid reusing an old tenancy connection.
- Retain the historical landlord record where required.
Review portal access and document settings rather than assuming every visibility setting changes automatically.
Use additional care with sensitive documents
Identification documents
Keep access restricted unless there is a clear and appropriate reason for sharing.
Financial information
Review bank details, payment information and financial statements carefully.
Supplier information
Remove or restrict files containing supplier banking details or confidential pricing.
Internal notes
Keep internal comments, assessments and professional advice private.
Another tenant’s information
Do not make a document visible where it contains information about another tenancy or person.
Unredacted multi-page files
Check every page rather than relying on the visible first page or document title.
Correct an incorrectly visible document
Change the document to Private
Remove portal visibility as soon as the issue is identified.
Review the document connections
Check the property, tenancy and tenant linked to the file.
Review sharing and communication history
Check whether the file was also sent or shared directly.
Replace or remove the file where necessary
Upload a corrected version if the original document contains inappropriate information.
Record the corrective action
Retain an appropriate internal record of what was changed and when.
A tenant or recipient may already have viewed or downloaded the document. Follow your appropriate internal data-protection and incident process where required.
Review document access regularly
Signed Tenancy Agreement
24 Oak Avenue · Current tenancy
- Filter documents by tenant-visible status.
- Review current and ended tenancies.
- Check documents without a tenancy connection.
- Review files linked to the wrong property.
- Check joint-tenant access.
- Review newly uploaded documents.
- Check files replaced by newer versions.
- Return uncertain documents to private status.
Common document-visibility problems
The visibility option is unavailable
Check your permissions and whether the document has the required property or tenancy connection.
The tenant cannot see a visible document
Review the tenant’s portal access, tenancy connection and document status.
The wrong tenant can see the file
Change it to private immediately and correct the tenancy and tenant connections.
A former tenant still has access
Review the tenancy end date, portal account and document connection.
The setting changed but the portal still shows it
Refresh the portal view and confirm the visibility change saved successfully.
A private file was shared by email
Review the separate sharing or communication history; private portal status does not undo direct sharing.
Joint tenants have different access
Check each tenant’s portal status and connection to the same tenancy.
The old version remains visible
Review both document versions and update or archive the outdated file separately.
The document visibility is configured
The next guide explains how to share an appropriate document with a tenant or another authorised recipient and retain a record of the sharing activity.
Continue to share a document