Development & Block Hierarchy Management
Development & Block Hierarchy Management
The property hierarchy is the foundational data structure of the platform. It models the physical and organisational layout of a residential development and links it to its governing OMC (Owners' Management Company).
Overview
The hierarchy has three levels:
Development (overall site)
└── Block (individual building)
└── Unit (individual apartment or house)
Every other feature on the platform — service charge billing, compliance, maintenance, and owner communications — operates within this hierarchy.
Developments
A Development represents the overall residential scheme (e.g. "Maple Court"). It is the top-level entity in the hierarchy.
Key fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The name of the development |
| OMC Organisation | The Owners' Management Company responsible for the development |
| Site Address | Full postal address of the development |
| Eircode | Irish postal code for the site |
| Total Unit Count | The total number of units across all blocks in the development |
Operations
- Create a new development and link it to an OMC organisation
- View development details including address, Eircode, and total unit count
- Update development information
- Delete a development (subject to dependencies)
Blocks
A Block represents an individual building within a development. A development may contain one or more blocks, fully supporting multi-block residential schemes.
Key fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name / Identifier | The name or label of the block (e.g. "Block A", "Block B") |
| Development | The parent development this block belongs to |
| Floor Plan | An associated floor plan document or reference for the block |
| Unit Numbering Scheme | The numbering convention used for units in this block |
Operations
- Create a block within a development
- View block details including floor plan and numbering scheme
- Update block information
- Delete a block
Multi-Block Developments
A single development can contain multiple blocks. Each block maintains its own floor plan and unit numbering scheme independently, allowing schemes with different building configurations to be modelled accurately.
Units
A Unit represents an individual apartment or house within a block. It is the lowest level of the hierarchy and the entity directly associated with individual owners.
Key fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Unit Number / Identifier | The identifier of the unit, following the block's numbering scheme |
| Block | The parent block this unit belongs to |
Operations
- Create a unit within a block
- View unit details
- Update unit information
- Delete a unit
Relationship to OMC Organisations
Each development is linked to exactly one OMC organisation. This association is the basis for:
- Assigning management responsibilities
- Scoping service charge billing
- Governing compliance and maintenance workflows
- Targeting owner communications
Irish Compliance Considerations
- Eircode is a required field on developments, aligning with Irish addressing standards.
- The Development → OMC link reflects the legal structure of multi-unit developments under Irish property legislation, where each scheme is governed by a distinct Owners' Management Company.
What Depends on This Feature
The property hierarchy is a prerequisite for all major platform features:
- Service Charge Billing — charges are calculated and allocated at the unit level
- Compliance Tracking — compliance obligations are scoped to developments and blocks
- Maintenance Management — maintenance requests reference specific blocks and units
- Owner Communications — messages are targeted to owners by development, block, or unit