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FeaturesBlockManOSUpdated March 11, 2026

Introducing the Property & Development Hierarchy — Blocks, Buildings & Units

Introducing the Property & Development Hierarchy — Blocks, Buildings & Units

Version: 1.0.0
Category: Core Functionality

The Foundation of Irish Block Management

Every property management platform needs a place to start — and for an Irish block management system, that place is the Multi-Unit Development (MUD).

With v1.0.0, the platform now includes the complete data model, API layer, and management UI for the four core domain entities:

  • Developments — the top-level MUD entity
  • Blocks — sub-divisions within a development
  • Buildings — physical structures within a block
  • Units — individual residential units

This hierarchy isn't just a database design choice. It directly mirrors how Irish residential developments are structured legally and practically, from planning permission through to day-to-day property management under the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011.

The Hierarchy Explained

Development (MUD)
└── Block (e.g. Block A, Block B)
    └── Building (e.g. Building 1)
        └── Unit (e.g. Apartment 4B)

Developments

A Development is the root entity. It represents the entire Multi-Unit Development as a legal and operational unit — the entity typically associated with an Owners' Management Company (OMC). All service charges, compliance obligations, and management activities are ultimately scoped to a development.

Blocks

Blocks allow a large development to be divided into logical sub-sections. This is common in Irish residential schemes where a single OMC may oversee multiple blocks with distinct physical addresses, stairwells, or management needs.

Buildings

Buildings represent discrete physical structures within a block. In some developments a block and a building are one and the same; in larger schemes, a block may contain several buildings.

Units

Units are the individual residential apartments or houses. Each unit is the atomic entity in the hierarchy — the level at which owner records, service charge accounts, and maintenance requests are ultimately attached.

What's Included in This Release

Data Model

New database tables have been introduced for all four entity types, with enforced relational integrity:

  • A unit must belong to a building.
  • A building must belong to a block.
  • A block must belong to a development.

This ensures the hierarchy is never broken at the data layer.

API Routes

Full Create, Read, Update, Delete (CRUD) API routes are available for each entity. The API respects the parent-child relationships — for example, querying buildings returns only those belonging to the specified block.

Management UI

Property managers can now:

  1. Create a development and set its top-level details.
  2. Add blocks to a development and organise them by name or identifier.
  3. Add buildings within each block.
  4. Register individual units within buildings, including unit identifiers and floor information.

The interface reflects the natural hierarchy, allowing agents to drill down from development level all the way to a specific apartment.

Why This Release Is Critical

Without developments, blocks, buildings, and units in the system, there is nothing for a property manager to act on. Every downstream feature of this platform — service charge billing, compliance tracking, maintenance management, owner communications — depends on this hierarchy existing.

This release resolves the most fundamental gap in the platform and unblocks all core functionality that follows.

Getting Started

If you are setting up the platform for the first time:

  1. Run all pending database migrations to create the new schema tables.
  2. Navigate to Developments in the main menu.
  3. Create your first development, then add blocks, buildings, and units as required.

All existing platform functionality is unaffected. There are no breaking changes in this release.

What Comes Next

With the property hierarchy in place, upcoming releases will build on this foundation to deliver:

  • OMC Management — associate Owners' Management Companies with developments.
  • Owner Records — link unit owners to their apartments.
  • Service Charge Billing — generate and manage annual service charge demands per unit.
  • Compliance Tracking — monitor statutory obligations at development and block level.
  • Maintenance Management — log and resolve issues against specific buildings and units.