Messages: writing to your Doorvest team

On a computer, choose Dashboard, then Messages in the menu. On a phone, open Menu, then Messages. When the team has written to you and you have not read it yet, the Messages link shows how many messages are waiting.

The page looks a little different depending on your screen:

On a phone

You see the list of your conversations first. Tap one to open it, and use the back arrow at the top left to return to the list.

On a tablet or computer

The list is on the left and the open conversation on the right. Your most recent conversation opens automatically.

On a wide screen

A third panel on the right shows your Success team's phone number and anything waiting on you. See below.

1. 1
   Press the round New conversation button next to the search box at the top of your list. If you have never messaged us, you can also press Start your first conversation.
2. 2
   Write your message in the box at the bottom, where it says Type your message.... You don't need a subject.
3. 3
   Press Send. On a keyboard, Enter sends and Shift+Enter starts a new line.

As you write, we look for conversations you already have about the same thing. If we find any, they appear above the box under Related conversations found. Tap one to go to it instead, or close the suggestions and carry on.

If you press Send while there are suggestions, you are asked first, under We Found Similar Conversations:

Continue this conversation

Takes you to that conversation with your message still in the box, not yet sent. Press Send there when you are ready.

Start New Conversation Instead

Sends your message as a new conversation.

Closing that window sends nothing, and your message stays in the box.

Under a conversation's title is a small chip with a house icon. It shows the home (and unit, in a building) the conversation is about, or Add property when none is set.

1. 1
   Tap the chip. A box headed Choose a property opens.
2. 2
   Type part of the address, or pick it from the list. It saves as soon as you choose.

We sometimes fill this in automatically from what you wrote. Once you choose a home yourself, the automatic step leaves your choice alone. The chip only appears when your account has homes on it.

The home also shows on the conversation in your list. If you have more than one home, or a building with several units, a Filter by property box under the search shows only the conversations about the one you pick.

1. 1
   Press the paperclip next to the message box (Attach files).
2. 2
   Choose the files, or on a computer drag them onto the box that opens.
3. 3
   Add a message if you like (the box now says Add a message (optional)...) and press Send.

What you can send

Photos, PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Text and CSV files and ZIP files.

How many

Up to 10 files in one message.

How big

Up to 30MB each. Large photos are made smaller automatically before they are sent, so a photo straight from your phone usually fits.

A file that is the wrong kind or too big is flagged before you send, with the reason.

To answer a particular message in a long conversation, point at it on a computer and press Reply, or on a phone swipe the message to the right. A banner reading Replying to ... appears above the box, and your message is sent as an answer to that one. Press the X on the banner to cancel.

Under your own messages, a small word shows where they stand:

Sent

It reached us.

Read

Someone on the Doorvest team has opened the conversation since you sent it.

Your list is in this order:

1. 1
   Open conversations marked Awaiting Doorvest: your latest message is waiting for a reply from us.
2. 2
   Your other open conversations, newest first.
3. 3
   Closed conversations, at the bottom under a Closed heading.

A dot and a number on a conversation count the messages in it you haven't read yet. The Search conversations... box finds conversations by their title or by words in any message.

Closing a conversation moves it to the bottom of your list. Use it once your question is answered, to keep your open conversations to the ones still going.

1. 1
   Open the conversation and press Close at the top right. On a phone it is a tick in a circle, with no word beside it.
2. 2
   Under Close this conversation?, press Close conversation.

You can't close a conversation while the team is still tracking work in it. The button is greyed out, and pressing it explains why under There is still open work here. Once that work is done, you can close it. The team can also close a conversation.

A closed conversation shows This conversation has been closed where the message box was. To pick it up again, press Reopen & Send Message, write your message and send it: the conversation opens again with your message in it.

When your answer on a lease renewal is needed, its conversation shows the renewal choices where the message box usually is. The lease renewals guide explains each choice.

Repair estimates are approved on Work Orders, not in Messages; the repair estimates guide walks through it.

On a wide screen, the panel on the right of Messages shows:

Your Success Team

A card with the Success team's phone number, (281) 626-5455.

Action items

Up to three of your open action items, with a link to see them all when you have more.

Work orders

Up to three work orders whose estimates are waiting for your approval.

Active listings

Up to three of your homes currently listed for rent.

When the team writes to you in Messages, we also let you know by Email, by Text messages, or both. You choose which under Message Notifications on the Notifications tab of Account & Settings; the getting started guide shows where. Texts need a phone number on your profile.

If you've already read it

We don't send an email or text for a message you have already opened in Messages.

Several messages together

Messages sent close together can arrive as one email, for example with the subject “2 new messages from Doorvest”. A single one usually reads “New message from Doorvest”.

What a text contains

The message itself, starting with [Doorvest] and ending “Reply to this text to respond.” A very long message is cut short with a link to the conversation, and files are not sent by text: the text says how many there are and links to them.

Lots of messages at once

We limit how many texts we send you in a short time. If a lot of messages reach you at once, some may come only by email.

You don't have to sign in to answer. Your reply is added to Messages either way.

By email

Reply to the notification email. Your reply goes into the conversation the email was about, without the earlier messages quoted below it, even if you reply to everyone on it. Files you attach come too, if they are a kind and size Messages accepts. After 30 days, a reply only reaches us when it comes from the address the email was sent to, or from a co-investor on your account. From anywhere else, write in Messages instead.

By text messages

Reply to our text from a phone number saved on the Profile tab of Account & Settings. Photos you text are added too. If your reply can't be matched to the conversation the text came from, it starts a new conversation. A text from a number that isn't on your account doesn't reach your Messages.