Viewings, offers, rent, repairs and deposits each carry a different approver in a lettings approver authority matrix. It states which tenancy actions an AI agent may complete, such as booking viewings at depth 3, which it drafts for a property manager or director, the value limits for each, and why legal notices never come from the agent.
What does a lettings matrix need to cover?
Lettings agencies handle other people's money and homes. Rent is collected for landlords and paid on, deposits are held and returned, repairs are ordered on the landlord's behalf. Each of those is an action an agent can prepare, and each needs an approver with the right authority from the landlord and the agency.
The matrix also has to respect the tenant. Decisions about who gets a tenancy, how much rent rises and what is deducted from a deposit are the decisions tenants most often dispute. An agent can draft each one quickly from the evidence. A person must approve it, and be able to explain it if challenged. The general concept is explained in what an authority matrix is.
How do you fill it in?
- Start from your landlord terms of business: the repair spend limit each landlord has agreed is the ceiling for anything you approve without asking them.
- For each action, set the agent's depth.
- Name the approver and their limit.
- Add when the landlord must be asked.
- Add a dispute note: what evidence must be on file if the decision is challenged.
- Record the certificate approvers must hold, if your agency ties approval rights to certification.
The template
| Lettings action | Agent depth | Approver | Approver limit | Landlord consent when | Evidence for a dispute | Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book viewing | ||||||
| Pass or fail referencing | ||||||
| Offer tenancy | ||||||
| Serve rent increase | ||||||
| Order routine repair | ||||||
| Order emergency repair | ||||||
| Deduct from deposit | ||||||
| Pay landlord | ||||||
| Serve legal notice |
A worked example
A hypothetical agency managing 600 homes for 250 landlords. Values are illustrative.
| Action | Agent depth | Approver | Limit | Landlord consent when | Evidence for a dispute | Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book viewing | 3 | None | n/a | n/a | Booking log | n/a |
| Referencing | 2 | Property manager | All | Borderline result | Reference documents and checks | Operator |
| Offer tenancy | 2 | Property manager | Asking rent | Below asking rent or with conditions | Selection criteria applied | Operator |
| Rent increase | 2 | Property manager | Landlord's instruction | Always | Comparable rents and instruction | Operator |
| Routine repair | 2 | Property manager | Landlord's agreed limit, typically 250 | Above the agreed limit | Quote and photos | Operator |
| Emergency repair | 3 | Property manager notified | 500 | After the event | Contractor report | Operator |
| Deposit deduction | 2 | Senior property manager | 500 | Always informed | Check-in and check-out reports | Operator |
| Landlord payment | 4, held | Accounts manager | All | n/a | Rent received in client account | Operator |
| Legal notice | Not permitted | Lettings director | All | Always | Legal advice on file | n/a |
Emergency repairs run at depth 3 up to 500: a burst pipe at midnight cannot wait for an approver. The agent books an approved contractor, the property manager is notified, and the landlord is told afterwards. That depth is safe only because the contractor list is closed and the limit is low.
Deposit deductions go to a senior manager and always need check-in and check-out reports on file. The agent may compare the reports and propose deductions, but its draft is a starting point for a decision tenants often dispute.
Legal notices are not permitted to the agent at all: it may not draft them, because a defective notice can derail a possession claim. The director handles them with legal advice. The agency treats this as one of its own limits, applied as a refusal for every agent it runs.
Landlord payments are released only when rent shows as received in the client account, which is sealed evidence from the agency's own bank records. A tenant's message saying "I've paid" is declared and does not count.
Similar logic for payments out applies in the approver authority matrix for the claims team and the approver authority matrix for the payroll team. Detailed limits belong in the approver rule for the lettings team, and the reviewer rota for the lettings team should keep a certified approver on duty on check-out days. Pryme Intelligence Academy's Operator certificate is one way to evidence approvers' review skills. Each role's skills are mapped in AI agent skills by role.
Questions people ask
Can an agent decide which applicant gets a tenancy?
It can rank applicants against written criteria and draft an offer. A property manager decides, so the agency can explain the choice if a disappointed applicant asks.
Who approves repairs when the property manager is away?
Another property manager on the rota with the same limit. Emergency repairs still go ahead within the agent's limit, with notice to whoever is covering.
How should rent increases be handled?
Always on the landlord's instruction, drafted by the agent with comparable evidence, approved by a property manager, and served by the method the tenancy requires.