User manual

Strata runs in the browser: there is nothing to install on a server. There are three apps, one for each kind of user:

Each account opens only the app that belongs to it. If you try to sign in to the wrong one, the screen tells you which to use.

First sign-in

1. You receive an invitation by e-mail (or a link the administration sends you).
2. Open the link, fill in «Name» and «Last name» and choose a «Password».
3. Tap «Activate access», then «Sign in».

The password has at least 10 characters, with upper case, lower case, a number and a symbol. If you already have a Strata account for another condominium, the invitation joins the account you have and does not ask for a new password.

Signing in and recovering access

On the sign-in page type your «Email» and «Password» and tap «Sign in». If you have turned on two-step verification, you are also asked for the «Verification code».

Forgot your password? Tap «Forgot your password?», enter your e-mail and tap «Send code». You receive a code by e-mail; type it with your new password and tap «Set new password».

Language, theme and the app on your phone

• The language (PT, EN or FR) is changed in the header or under «Profile → Language», and is saved to your account — e-mails then arrive in that language.
• Each app can be installed on a phone or computer: «Profile → Install the app». On an iPhone, tap Share and then «Add to Home Screen».
• To receive notifications on your phone, turn on «Get notifications on this device».

The first time you sign in, a guided tour shows the main buttons. You can replay it from «Profile → Guided tour».

After signing in you see the list of condominiums you manage. Opening one takes you to its main page, with the general details (units, monthly fee, status) and the working areas:

The header carries search, the notifications bell, «Settings», «Billing», «Report a problem» and «Profile».

If the page shows «Setup not finished», follow the «Resolve» button on each line: it is what Strata still needs before it can issue fees (for example, opening the fiscal year).

1. The condominium. In the list of condominiums tap «New condominium» and fill in the name, the address and the number of units.
2. Units. Under «Units» create the units one by one, or import them all at once: on the condominium page use «Import from a spreadsheet», download the template, fill it in and upload it. Strata shows what it will import, and any errors line by line, before saving.
3. Ownership shares. The shares (permilagem) must add up to exactly 1000‰. The share calculator proposes values from the floor areas; the official values are those in the constitutive deed.
4. Bank accounts. Record under «Bank accounts» the accounts residents transfer to. They appear in the resident app with the IBAN and the reference.
5. Financial policy. Under «Settings → Financial policy» set the monthly fee (it can differ by type of unit) and the late-fee rate (at most 4%).
6. Fiscal year. Under «Finance → Fiscal years» open the year. Monthly fees are only generated while a year is open.
7. Residents. Register the owners and tenants (see the next chapter).

Registering a resident

1. Open «Residents» and tap «+ Register resident».
2. Fill in the name, e-mail, «Phone», the «Unit», the «Relation» (Owner or Tenant) and the start date.
3. Leave «Create access invitation (resident login)» ticked so the resident receives the sign-in link.
4. Tap «Register». The link is also shown on screen, to copy if you want to send it another way.

The list shows each person's access status: «Account active», «Invitation pending», «Invitation expired», «No invitation», and so on.

A unit's page

Under «Units», open a unit to see and change its details, the «Unit residents» (owners and tenants, which you can link and «Terminate»), the vehicles and pets on record, and the «Payment reminder» card.

When a tenant leaves, tap «Terminate». The «Offboarding report» button produces a file with the fees, the payments and whatever is left outstanding.

Your staff

Under «Settings → Team & roles» invite colleagues («New invitation»: e-mail, «Role» and «Condominium» or the whole company). On the same page you can «Assign role», «Edit», «Suspend», or remove two-step verification for someone who lost their phone.

Concierges are created under «Operations → Personnel». Each condominium includes two concierge logins; a third is charged separately, and the screen asks you to confirm before creating it.

Fees

With the fiscal year open, Strata generates every unit's fee each month. A fee falls due on the last day of the month it pays for. Under «Finance → Charges» you see every fee, filtered by status, year and month; the «Control map» shows, unit by unit and month by month, what has been paid.

Recording a payment

• The resident sends the proof through the resident app. The payment stays «Under review» until the administration confirms it.
• The administration records a payment received: «Finance → Payments», manual entry, with the unit, amount, date, method and purpose (fee, extraordinary charge, late fee or other).
• The gate takes cash and issues a receipt in the concierge app; it appears under «Concierge cash».

Reviewing proofs

Open a payment under review to see its proof. You can «Confirm», correct the details and confirm, or «Reject» with a reason — the resident is told either way. When you confirm, Strata issues the receipt and applies the amount to the open fees, oldest first.

Bank statements

Under «Finance → Bank statements» upload the bank's statement (CSV or PDF). Strata reads the transactions, recognises the unit reference and proposes matches; confirm them, or match by hand the ones left over.

Expenses, budget and late fees

• Expenses: record, approve and pay, with the accounting account and the supplier.
• Budget: the annual budget per account, with the actual variance against plan.
• Late fees: calculated automatically five days after the due date, one per fee, at the rate you set. They can be waived.
• Extraordinary charges: one-off levies, split by ownership share, in equal parts or per unit.

Strata sends a reminder by itself three days before a fee falls due and another seven days after (the days can be changed under «Settings»). The administration can also remind whenever it wants:

• One unit: on the unit's page, the «Payment reminder» card shows how much is overdue, who the reminder goes to and when the last one was sent. Tap «Send payment reminder».
• The whole building: under «Finance → Charges», the «Remind every overdue unit» button.

The reminder arrives by e-mail and in the resident app, with the total, the number of fees and the reference to quote on the transfer. Each unit receives at most one reminder every 24 hours.

For persistent debts, «Collections & dunning» follows the case through its stages (reminder, formal notice, demand, pre-litigation) and produces the enforceable-title file.

Convening

1. Under «General meetings» tap «+ New general meeting».
2. Choose the type (Ordinary or Extraordinary), the «Scheduled date», the «Time», the «Location» and, if any, the video link.
3. Build the «Agenda»: each item says whether it «Requires vote» and which majority applies.
4. Tap «Schedule general meeting».

The law asks for 15 days' notice; with less, Strata asks for the «Short-notice reason». Owners receive the notice and can confirm attendance, appoint a proxy or vote in advance.

Running the meeting

Tap «Start» and open the «Live voting console»: record attendance (and proxies), tap «Check quorum», then for each item «Open voting», record each unit's vote («For», «Against», «Abstention») and «Close voting». Votes are weighted by ownership share. At the end, «Complete».

The minutes

The minutes are created when the meeting is completed. Write the content (or use the draft generated from the transcript), «Submit for review», collect the Chair's and the Secretary's signatures («Sign») and tap «Publish». Published minutes are an enforceable title and cannot be changed: a mistake is fixed with «Create correction».

• Notices: «Communications → New announcement». Choose the recipients (owners, staff or both), write the «Subject» and the «Message» and tap «Send announcement». The notice appears in the app and arrives by e-mail; the «Sent notices» table shows how many have read it.
• Messages: private conversations with each resident or concierge, and «New message» for several people at once.
• Newsletter: a summary of the period, generated automatically, which you review before you «Publish».
• Surveys: quick opinion polls (they do not replace a vote in a general meeting).

Under «Operations» you find:

• Staff: employees, shifts, payroll and the time clock.
• Generator and Water tank: readings, fuel and water deliveries, alerts on unusual consumption.
• Space bookings: approve or refuse bookings of common areas.
• Service requests: residents' requests (plumbing, electrical, cleaning…), accepted with or without a fee.
• Incidents: problems reported by the gate and by residents, through to resolution.
• Maintenance and Inspections: preventive plans, work orders and checklists.
• Contracts, Suppliers, Violations and Facilities (with the emergency contacts).

On the condominium page, the gate cards show visitors waiting for an answer and parcels held for the administration.

Under «Reports» choose a report from the catalogue and tap «Generate…». Strata asks only for what that report needs (period, reference date, unit or fiscal year) and produces PDF, Excel or CSV. Among others: balance sheet, trial balance, cash flow, reserve fund, receivables aging, budget vs actual, visitor log and owner directory. Reports can be scheduled and are kept in the «History».

Home

Shows the unit's balance («Outstanding», «Nothing owed» or «In your favour»), the next fee, the condominium's notices, open surveys and recent payments with their receipts.

Paying a fee

1. Open «Payments». The «Transfer details» card shows the condominium's accounts and your unit's reference — quote it on the transfer.
2. Make the transfer at your bank.
3. In the form enter the «Amount», «What are you paying?», the «Method», the date and the account you sent it to, and attach the «Proof».
4. Tap «Upload proof». Once the administration confirms it, you receive the receipt.

«My payments» shows your history (filtered by year and month) and each receipt to download; «My fees» shows what is paid and what is due.

Visitors

• Authorising a visit: under «Visitors» enter the name, the type of visit, any companions and the validity, and tap «Generate visitor QR». Share the pass by WhatsApp, SMS or as an image.
• Visitors without a smartphone use the six-character «Entry code» shown on the pass.
• Household staff (housekeeper, driver, nanny…) get a recurring pass, valid for months.
• An unannounced visitor: if someone arrives at the gate without a pass, you get a request under «At the gate, waiting for your answer» — tap «Accept» or «Refuse».

Parcels, incidents and services

• Parcels: what the gate is holding for you. When you collect it, tap «Confirm receipt».
• Incidents: report a problem in the building or your unit, with photos, and follow the answer.
• Services: ask for plumbing, electrical work, cleaning and more; you see the reference price and, if there is a fee, pay it like a fee.
• Bookings: book the hall or another common area, seeing that day's occupancy first.

General meetings, transparency and messages

• General meetings: confirm attendance, appoint a representative («By proxy») or vote in advance; read the published minutes.
• Transparency: expenses with their proof, the reserve fund, works and your share, documents and reports.
• Messages: talk directly to the administration.
• Strata-Q assistant: ask, for example, «What is my balance?» or "How do I pay my fee?".
• Fiscal flag: an anonymous message to the supervisory board.

Profile

Record vehicles and pets, your phone, notifications, password and two-step verification. Under «My data» you can ask for your personal data to be erased (Angolan Law 22/11).

The shift

At the start tap «Start shift» and, at the end, «End shift». «Record round» reads the QR code at each patrol point. «My shifts» shows the calendar and the hours.

On a shared device, the «Time clock» lets each employee clock in and out with their PIN.

Visitors

• With a pass: «Scan QR» and point the camera; or, without a QR, type the entry code. Check the document, enter the companions and tap «Confirm entry». On the way out, scan the same pass and «Record exit».
• Without a pass: «Manual visitor», choose the unit and tap «Request acceptance» — the resident answers in their app. If nobody answers, you can «Admit without acceptance» (it is recorded).
• The list shows who is inside the condominium; it is the count to use in an evacuation.

Deliveries, incidents and cash

• Deliveries: record the parcel («New delivery»), the unit and who it is for. When you hand it over, enter who is collecting and tap «Confirm handover»; the resident confirms receipt in their app.
• Incidents: record what happened, with photos. An incident of «Critical» severity immediately alerts every owner and the administration.
• Cash: when you receive money, «New receipt», and the receipt is issued to the resident.
• Operations: generator and water-tank readings, power cuts, fuel and water deliveries, and inspections.

Without a signal, the app keeps working: records are queued and sent when the connection returns. Anything that cannot be sent is shown with the reason, so it is not lost.

• Two-step verification: under «Profile → Two-step verification → Turn on», scan the QR with an authenticator app and confirm with the code. From then on, signing in asks for the code.
• Sessions on other devices: your profile lists where your account is open (device and address) and lets you «Terminate» any of them, or «End the other sessions».
• Changing your password ends the sessions on your other devices.
• A session lasts 30 days without signing in again.

• Questions about the condominium: talk to the administration under «Messages».
• An error, or something that does not work: «Report a problem», in any app. You get a reference, and Strata's answer on the same page.
• Sales and support: [email protected].