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FeaturesDepositClearUpdated March 14, 2026

SMS & WhatsApp Tenant Deduction Response Reminders

SMS & WhatsApp Tenant Deduction Response Reminders

Available from: v0.1.311

When a landlord or agent sends a tenant a deduction notification, the platform can now automatically deliver a response prompt via SMS or WhatsApp — in addition to any email or in-app notifications already configured.

This ensures tenants are reached on whichever channel they're most likely to act on, reducing the chance of a response window expiring without engagement.

How It Works

The feature is fully event-driven. No manual steps are required after the initial channel configuration.

Trigger

The workflow fires the moment a tenantDeductionNotification record is created with sentAt set — i.e. as soon as the deduction notification is dispatched.

Message 1 — Immediate Reminder

At the point of dispatch, the system checks two conditions:

  1. Does the tenant have a phone number on record?
  2. Does the organisation have SMS or WhatsApp notifications enabled?

If both are true, an SMS or WhatsApp message is sent to the tenant containing their unique, secure response URL.

Message 2 — Pre-Expiry Follow-Up

A second message is automatically scheduled for 2 days before the token expiry date (tokenExpiresAt). This follow-up uses the same tenant-deduction-pending-reminder pattern already in use across the platform and serves as a final prompt before the tenant's response window closes.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Tenant phone numberMust be stored against the tenant record
Organisation SMS channelMust be enabled via the existing SMS notification settings (sms.ts)
Organisation WhatsApp channelMust be enabled via the existing WhatsApp notification settings (whatsapp.ts)

If either condition is not met, no SMS or WhatsApp message is sent. All other notification channels (email, in-app) continue to operate independently and are not affected.

Notification Channels

This feature integrates with the platform's existing notification channel infrastructure:

  • sms.ts — handles outbound SMS delivery
  • whatsapp.ts — handles outbound WhatsApp delivery

No new channels are introduced. Organisations must enable SMS or WhatsApp through their existing notification settings to benefit from this feature.

Reminder Schedule Summary

tenantDeductionNotification created (sentAt set)
        │
        ▼
[Immediate] SMS/WhatsApp sent with response URL
        │
        ▼
[T-2 days before tokenExpiresAt] Follow-up SMS/WhatsApp sent

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this affect tenants who don't have a phone number? No. If no phone number is on record, the workflow exits silently. Email and in-app notifications are unaffected.

Can an organisation use SMS but not WhatsApp, or vice versa? Yes. The system checks for each channel independently. Messages are sent via whichever enabled channels are available.

Is any extra setup required for organisations already using SMS/WhatsApp? No. If SMS or WhatsApp is already enabled for the organisation, this workflow activates automatically.

What URL is sent to the tenant? The message contains the tenant's unique, time-limited response URL — the same link they would receive via email. It directs them to the response flow where they can review and reply to the deduction claim.