Admin Portal Feature Overview and Onboarding Checklist

Last updated: October 7, 2026

Overview

This comprehensive checklist guides housing administrators through all key features available in the Housing.Cloud admin portal. Use this as an onboarding reference to understand what's available in each section and ensure you've configured essential features for your institution.

Who this is for: Housing administrators, residence life staff, and anyone responsible for managing student housing operations through the admin portal.

The admin portal provides centralized management for all aspects of student housing—from resident profiles and applications to inventory, tasks, communications, and finances. Access to specific features depends on your assigned role and permissions.

Permissions Matter: Not seeing a feature listed below? Your user role may not have the required permissions. Contact your super admin or IT team to request access to specific sections.

---

Before You Begin

Before diving into specific features, ensure you have:

Admin portal access: You can log in at your institution's housing portal (e.g., yourschool.housing.cloud/admin)
Assigned role: Your profile must have a role assigned—granting portal access alone isn't enough
Required permissions: Different sections require specific permissions (detailed below)
Feature flags enabled: Some features require your institution to have specific feature flags activated

Common Setup Issue: New staff members often have admin access but only see limited navigation options. This happens when a role hasn't been assigned to their profile. Make sure both access AND a role are properly configured.

---

Dashboard

Location: Admin › Dashboard Required Permission: Basic admin access

Key Features

Overview widgets with key metrics
Calendar view for upcoming events
Quick access to frequently-used functions
System-wide notifications and updates

Onboarding Checklist

□ Review dashboard widgets and customize your view
□ Check calendar for any scheduled events
□ Familiarize yourself with quick-access shortcuts

---

Profiles

Location: Admin › Profiles Required Permission: Basic admin access

Key Features

View and search all student profiles
Add new profiles manually
Edit profile information and custom fields
Filter profiles by multiple criteria
Export profile data to CSV
Save and load custom views
Customize visible columns

Profile Management Tasks

□ Add new profile
□ Edit profile information
□ Update custom profile fields
□ Search profiles by name, ID, or other criteria
□ Create and save custom views for different workflows
□ Export profile data for reporting
□ Review profile field configurations
□ Manage profile tags (add, remove, update)
□ Drag and drop to reorder columns
□ Resize columns for better viewing

Pro Tip: Save custom views for frequently-used filter combinations (e.g., "First-year students," "International students," "Spring admits") to speed up your daily workflows.

---

Applications

Location: Admin › Applications Required Permission: appAccess

Key Features

View and review housing applications
Review applicant answers and responses
Approve or deny applications
Manage phase groups for application cycles
Bulk review multiple applications
Export application data

Application Management Tasks

□ Review pending applications
□ Approve qualified applications
□ Deny applications with reason codes
□ View detailed applicant answers
□ Configure phase groups for staggered application periods
□ Set up application review workflows
□ Export application data for analysis
□ Bulk process multiple applications

Expected Result: After approving applications, students receive notification and can proceed to room selection or assignment based on your housing cycle configuration.

---

Residents

Location: Admin › Residents Required Permission: Basic admin access

Key Features

View all residents with status filtering
Manage individual resident details
View assignment, room, and suite information
See housemates and roommate details
Bulk operations on multiple residents
Export resident data
Filter by residency status (active, moved out, cancelled, transferred)
Advanced filtering with AI-powered query suggestions
Saved views for quick access to common filters

Status Tabs

□ View All residents
□ Filter by Current (active residencies)
□ Filter by Assigned (newly assigned)
□ Filter by Incoming (future residents)
□ Filter by Moved Out
□ Filter by Canceled
□ Filter by Transferred
□ Filter by Early Termination
□ Filter by Move In Scheduled
□ Filter by Move Out Scheduled
□ Filter by Overstay (past end date)

Resident Management Tasks

□ Assign bed to resident
□ Cancel residency
□ Transfer residency between rooms
□ Change bed assignment (requires CHANGE_ROOM feature)
□ Swap residents between rooms (requires SWAP_RESIDENCY feature)
□ Update residence start/end dates
□ Schedule move-in slot
□ Cancel move-in assignment
□ Schedule move-out slot
□ Cancel move-out assignment
□ Check-in resident to room
□ Undo check-in
□ Check-out resident from room
□ Undo check-out
□ View move-in slot assignments
□ Export resident lists by building, status, or other criteria

Bulk Operations on Residents

□ Bulk cancel residencies (requires BULK_CANCELLATION feature)
□ Rollover residents to new housing cycle (requires CYCLE_ROLLOVER_V2)
□ Manage tags for multiple residents
□ Promote to student staff
□ Send message to multiple residents
□ Send additional forms
□ Create condition reports in bulk
□ Assign to moving group
□ Bulk check-in/check-out operations
□ Create transactions for multiple residents
□ Sync occupancy to Ethos (requires devSuperpower permission)

Advanced Filtering

□ Filter by cycle (with "Show Past Cycles" option)
□ Filter by date start/end (days ago or specific dates)
□ Filter by birthday
□ Filter by building, suite, room, bed
□ Filter by room type and bed type
□ Filter by student ID (SIS ID)
□ Filter by assigned by (staff member)
□ Filter by move-in/out slots
□ Filter by assigned keys
□ Filter by profile tags
□ Filter by application tags
□ Filter by meal plans
□ Filter by phone number, class, classification
□ Filter by custom profile fields
□ Filter by package data (if PACKAGES enabled)

Important: Once a residency is cancelled, this action cannot be reversed. If you need to reassign the student, you'll need to create a new residency. Use "Transfer" instead of "Cancel" when moving students between rooms during an active semester.

Status Definitions: "Transferred" appears when a student is moved to a new room within the same housing cycle. "Cancelled" means the residency was terminated. "Moved Out" indicates the student has completed check-out but the residency record remains for historical purposes.

---

Student Staff

Location: Admin › Student Staff Required Permission: viewStudentStaff Feature Flag: Available by default

Key Features

Manage student staff members (RAs, Desk Attendants, etc.)
Configure staff positions and roles
Create and manage room groups
View staff updates and duty logs
Track staff assignments by building/area

Student Staff Tasks

□ Add student staff member
□ Assign staff to buildings or areas
□ Configure staff positions and titles
□ Create room groups for staff oversight
□ View duty logs and updates submitted by staff
□ Rollover staff positions to new academic year
□ Manage staff permissions and access levels

Room Groups Tip: Use room groups to organize which RAs oversee which residents, making it easier to filter duty logs, interactions, and maintenance requests by staff area of responsibility.

---

Inventory

Location: Admin › Inventory Required Permission: invAccess

Key Features

Manage buildings, suites, rooms, and beds
Track furniture and room items
Monitor occupancy rates
Manage key inventory and distribution
Room Condition Reports (RCR)
View aggregate occupancy statistics
Bulk operations on inventory items
Status history tracking

Buildings Management

□ Add new building
□ Edit building details and information
□ Configure building communities/categories (requires BUILDING_TYPES)
□ View building occupancy rates
□ Generate occupancy reports (Gantt chart and line graph)
□ View aggregate occupancy graph
□ Set building capacity and availability
□ View suites within building
□ View rooms within building
□ View beds within building
□ Upload and manage building images
□ Add administrative notes

Suites Management

□ Add new suite
□ Edit suite configuration
□ Assign suite to building
□ Set suite capacity
□ Manage suite status (In Service, Blocked, Out of Service)
□ View rooms within suite
□ View beds within suite
□ View current occupancy
□ View student staffers assigned to suite
□ Manage suite furniture
□ View suite keys
□ View status history
□ Bulk update suite status
□ Bulk update suite tags

Rooms Management

□ Add new room
□ Edit room details and attributes
□ Assign room to suite or building
□ Set room type (single, double, triple, etc.)
□ Configure room features and amenities
□ Update room naming conventions
□ Manage room availability status (In Service, Blocked, Out of Service)
□ View beds within room
□ View current occupancy
□ View student staffers assigned to room
□ Manage room furniture
□ View room keys
□ Create room condition reports
□ View status history
□ Bulk update room status
□ Bulk update room variation/type
□ Bulk create furniture items (devSuperpower only)
□ Send communications to room residents

Beds Management

□ Add bed to room
□ Edit bed details
□ Set bed types and configurations
□ Mark beds as available/unavailable
□ Configure bed-specific attributes
□ Manage bed status (In Service, Blocked, Out of Service)
□ View current occupancy
□ View assigned furniture
□ Create condition reports for bed
□ View status history
□ Bulk update bed status
□ Bulk update bed variation/type
□ Send communications to bed residents

Furniture Management

□ Add furniture items to inventory
□ Configure furniture types (dresser, desk, chair, etc.)
□ Assign furniture to buildings, rooms, or beds
□ Track furniture condition/state
□ Use furniture propagation tool for bulk assignment
□ Create furniture variations (sizes, models)
□ Manage room parts (walls, doors, fixtures)
□ Update furniture state (Good, Fair, Poor, Damaged)
□ Set next action for furniture item
□ Export furniture data to CSV/Excel
□ Filter furniture by type, location, condition

Keys Management

□ Add keys to inventory
□ Assign keys to rooms or residents
□ Configure which doors/rooms key opens
□ Track key distribution
□ Monitor key returns
□ Create key codes and identifiers
□ Update key status (Active/Inactive)
□ Bulk delete keys
□ Bulk update key status

Room Condition Reports (RCR)

□ Configure RCR templates
□ Create condition reports for rooms/beds
□ Review submitted condition reports
□ Compare check-in vs. check-out conditions
□ Inspect reports (add admin notes)
□ Review and approve reports
□ Create follow-up tasks from RCRs
□ Archive completed reports
□ Unarchive reports if needed
□ Track damage charges
□ Export RCR data
□ Bulk archive/unarchive reports

Occupancy Reporting

□ View full occupancy Gantt chart (timeline view)
□ View aggregate occupancy line graph
□ Toggle between beds and rooms view
□ Toggle between raw numbers and percentages
□ Select date ranges for analysis
□ Filter by specific buildings
□ Export occupancy data

CSV Upload Required: Bulk inventory changes (building structures, room naming updates) typically require CSV file uploads processed by support. Prepare your data carefully and allow 5-7 business days for validation and import.

Furniture Setup Tip: Use the furniture propagation tool instead of manual CSV uploads. Create furniture types in Setup › Inventory Management, then specify which buildings and inventory levels receive each type—much faster than individual assignment.

---

Tasks

Location: Admin › Tasks Required Permission: tasksAccess

Key Features

View all maintenance and service requests
Create new tasks manually
Assign tasks to staff or vendors
Track task status and completion
Filter tasks by category, building, status
Configure task categories and workflows

Task Management

□ View pending tasks
□ Create new task or maintenance request
□ Edit task details and descriptions
□ Assign task to staff member or team
□ Update task status (in progress, completed, etc.)
□ Add notes or comments to tasks
□ Set task priority levels
□ Filter tasks by building, category, or status
□ Export task data for reporting
□ Configure task categories in Setup

Note: Task category dropdown ordering cannot be customized at this time. Categories appear in system-default order regardless of your institution's preferences.

---

Communications

Location: Admin › Communications Required Permission: commsAccess

Key Features

Send emails to residents and groups
SMS/text messaging (requires CHATS feature)
Create broadcasts for mass communications
Post updates visible in resident portal
Manage resource links for students
Email templates for common messages
Scheduled reports delivery
Notification management
AI-powered email assistant (requires AI_EMAIL_ASSISTANT feature)

Email Management

□ Send email to individual resident
□ Send email to multiple residents or groups
□ Use template variables for personalization
□ Preview variables with specific recipient
□ Upload inline images (requires UPLOAD_IMAGES feature)
□ Set custom reply-to address
□ Save draft emails
□ Edit draft emails
□ Send or retry failed messages
□ View sent email history
□ Filter by status (Draft, Pending, Success, Error)
□ Search by subject or body text
□ View delivery status per recipient

SMS & Broadcasts (requires CHATS feature)

□ Send SMS to individual resident
□ Send bulk SMS to multiple recipients
□ Create broadcast message
□ View broadcast details and recipients
□ Manage chat followers
□ Configure SMS auto-reply
□ Enable/disable auto-reply messages

Templates (requires commsManageTemplates permission)

□ Create email template
□ Create SMS template
□ Edit template content
□ Delete templates
□ Search templates when composing
□ Apply template to message

Updates (requires NEW_DASHBOARD feature)

□ Create tenant-wide update
□ Set update title and body
□ Configure priority (HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW)
□ Set applies-to tags for targeting
□ Set start and end dates
□ Make update closable by students
□ Pin update to top of portal
□ Edit existing updates
□ Delete updates

Resource Links

□ Create resource link
□ Add label and URL
□ Edit resource links
□ Delete resource links
□ View all shared resources

Tenant Emails (requires commsUseTenantEmails permission)

□ Add tenant email address
□ Set email display name
□ Configure as reply-to address
□ Delete tenant emails
□ Select reply-to when composing

Scheduled Reports (requires reportingAccess + REPORTS_SCHEDULER)

□ Create report schedule
□ Select report/visualization
□ Set report subject and message
□ Add recipient email addresses
□ Configure start date/time
□ Set repeat frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly)
□ Select export formats (CSV, XLSX, PDF)
□ Edit scheduled reports
□ Deactivate scheduled reports
□ Delete scheduled reports

Notification Management (requires commsManageNotifications permission)

□ View all notification types
□ Edit notification settings
□ Toggle notification active/inactive
□ Set notification priority
□ Configure delivery methods (In-App, Email, SMS, Push)
□ Mute notifications until specific date
□ Review notification triggers and descriptions

Updates Feature: Posted updates appear immediately in the resident portal dashboard, making them perfect for urgent announcements, policy reminders, or community news that all residents should see.

Template Variables: Use profile field variables like {{firstName}}, {{email}}, or {{building}} to personalize messages. Preview with a specific recipient to see actual values before sending.

---

Events

Location: Admin › Events Required Permission: Basic admin access Feature Flag: EVENTS

Key Features

Create resident events and activities
Manage event registrations
Track attendance
Set event capacity and waitlists

Event Management

□ Create new event
□ Edit event details (date, time, location)
□ Set event capacity and registration limits
□ View event registrations
□ Track event attendance
□ Send event reminders to attendees
□ Export attendee lists

---

Finance

Location: Admin › Finance Required Permission: transactionsAccess

Key Features

View housing transactions
Track payments and balances
Manage charge codes
Export financial data
Integration with SIS billing systems

Finance Management

□ View transaction history
□ Review resident payments
□ Check outstanding balances
□ Export financial reports
□ Configure charge codes in Setup
□ Monitor SIS integration sync status

---

Recruitment (HR Module)

Location: Admin › Recruitment Required Permission: hrAccess Feature Flag: HR

Key Features

Post student employment positions
Manage job applications and candidates
Schedule interviews
Track hiring pipeline
Custom application forms

Recruitment Tasks

□ Create job role template
□ Create job posting
□ Configure application form
□ Set up interview stages
□ Configure candidate buckets (status categories)
□ Set up dispositions (final hiring decisions)
□ Review applications
□ Update candidate status
□ Schedule candidate interview
□ Submit interview feedback
□ Make hiring decision
□ Export candidate data

For detailed guidance, see 📄 How the HR/Hiring Module Works.

---

Reports

Location: Admin › Reports Required Permission: reportingAccess Feature Flag: REPORTING

Key Features

Generate custom reports
Scheduled report delivery
Standard report templates
Export data in multiple formats

Reporting Tasks

□ Run standard reports
□ Create custom report
□ Schedule automated report delivery
□ Export report data (CSV, Excel, PDF)
□ Configure report parameters and filters

---

Packages

Location: Admin › Packages Required Permission: Basic admin access Feature Flag: PACKAGES

Key Features

Track incoming packages for residents
Scan packages for distribution
Notify residents of package arrivals
View scan logs and history

Package Management

□ Scan incoming package
□ Assign package to resident
□ Send pickup notification
□ Mark package as picked up
□ View package overview and statistics
□ Review scan logs
□ Export package data

---

Visitors/Guest Management

Location: Admin › Invitations (or Visitors) Required Permission: viewGuestManagement Feature Flag: GUEST_MANAGEMENT

Key Features

Manage visitor invitations
Track guest check-ins and check-outs
Configure visitor policies
Review visitor history

Guest Management Tasks

□ Create visitor invitation
□ View invitation details
□ Approve or deny visitor requests
□ Track visitor check-in status
□ Export visitor data

---

Advanced Features

The following features provide powerful automation and analysis capabilities for housing management.

Auto-Assignment

Location: Admin › Applications (via bulk action menu) Required Permission: assignAuto

Auto-Assignment Configuration

□ Select approved applications for auto-assignment
□ Choose assignment algorithm (Standard or Experimental room-focused)
□ Specify building priority order for fill strategy
□ Configure respect for preferred roommate groups
□ Review auto-generated placement proposals
□ View assignment confidence scores (0-100%)
□ Accept or reject individual proposals
□ Bulk accept/reject multiple proposals
□ Review assignment failed items with failure reasons
□ View ruleset used for auto-assignment
□ Finalize accepted assignments

Algorithm Selection: The Standard algorithm finds the best fit for every applicant individually. The Experimental algorithm prioritizes filling all rooms in order, which may result in sub-optimal individual fits but better overall building fill rates.

Roommate Groups: Enabling "Respect Preferred Roommate Groups" may result in more sub-optimal pairings and failed assignments, but keeps self-selected groups together when possible.

Rulesets

Location: Admin › Setup › Rulesets Required Permission: manageRules

Ruleset Management

□ Create new ruleset
□ Edit existing ruleset
□ Configure hard rules (must be satisfied)
□ Configure soft rules (should be satisfied)
□ Set rule priorities and ordering
□ Assign ruleset to housing cycle

Inventory Rules (Person to Room/Bed Matching)

□ Create IMATCH rules (match person with tag to inventory with tag)
□ Create IFORBID rules (prevent person with tag from inventory with tag)
□ Create NOT_IFORBID rules (prevent person without tag from inventory with tag)

Roommate Rules (Person to Person Matching)

□ Create PMATCH rules (match person with tag to roommate with tag)
□ Create PFORBID rules (prevent person with tag from rooming with tag)
□ Create NOT_PFORBID rules (prevent person without tag from rooming with tag)

Hard vs. Soft Rules: Hard rules are strict constraints that prevent assignments if violated. Soft rules contribute to compatibility scoring and prefer certain matches over others, but violations don't block assignments entirely.

Rule Conflicts: Too many hard rules can make assignments impossible. If you see many "Assignment Failed" items during auto-assign, review your hard rules and consider converting some to soft rules.

Housing Cycle Rollover

Location: Admin › Residents (via bulk action menu) Required Permission: assignManual Feature Flag: CYCLE_ROLLOVER_V2 (for simplified workflow)

Rollover Configuration Options

□ Select residents to rollover to future cycle
□ Choose target housing cycle
□ Rollover bed selections/assignments
□ Copy application answers (requires matching templates)
□ Copy application tags without answers
□ Copy public roommate questionnaire answers (requires matching templates)
□ Rollover meal plan assignments
□ Rollover student staff assignments (requires ROLLOVER_STUDENT_STAFFERS feature)

Rollover Review and Execution

□ Review detailed rollover eligibility status
□ View status indicators (OK, Gap in Residency, Template Mismatch, etc.)
□ Identify residents that cannot be rolled over
□ Review failure reasons (Residency Ended, Bed Taken, Term Overlap, etc.)
□ Perform bulk rollover for eligible residents
□ Perform individual rollover with custom options
□ Monitor background processing for large batches (>20 residents)
□ Retry failed rollovers with adjusted settings

Student Staff Rollover (requires STAFF_ROLLOVER feature)

□ Select student staff to rollover
□ Configure tenure start and end dates
□ Review rollover issues and conflicts
□ Unselect staff with issues before proceeding
□ Execute staff assignment rollover

Batch Processing: Rollovers affecting more than 20 residents are processed in the background. You'll receive a notification when the operation completes, and can monitor real-time progress on the rollover review page.

Template Matching: Application answers and roommate questionnaires can only be rolled over if the source and target cycles use identical form templates. If templates don't match, you can still copy tags without form answers.

Occupancy Graphs

Location: Admin › Inventory › Buildings › Occupancy Required Permission: invOccupancy

Full Occupancy Graph (Gantt Chart)

□ View horizontal Gantt chart of bed occupancy over time
□ Filter by building, room type, bed type, price range, features
□ Search for individual rooms
□ Show/hide unavailable beds
□ Adjust date range (presets or custom dates)
□ Sort by building, suite, room, or bed
□ Scroll horizontally to view more dates
□ Scroll vertically with auto-loading pagination
□ Click available slots to assign residents
□ Drag applicants onto available bed slots
□ View resident details by clicking occupied cells
□ Export full occupancy spreadsheet (.xlsx)

Aggregate Occupancy Graph (Line Chart)

□ View occupancy trends over time as line chart
□ Select date range (presets or custom)
□ Toggle between beds view and rooms view
□ Toggle between raw numbers and percentages
□ View occupancy totals card (when using raw numbers)
□ See total beds/rooms, occupied count, open count, occupancy rate
□ Zoom in/out on graph
□ Pan left/right through timeline
□ Export as CSV with date and building columns
□ Export graph image as PNG
□ Export full occupancy report (background job)

Graph Performance: For better performance with the Gantt chart, use filters to reduce visible beds and select smaller date ranges. The default 31-day range balances detail with responsiveness.

Direct Assignment: The Gantt chart isn't just for viewing—you can directly assign residents by clicking available slots or dragging applicants onto the calendar. The assignment modal pre-fills bed and date information for quick placement.

---

Setup & Configuration

Location: Admin › Setup Required Permission: manageAccess (for Setup section access)

The Setup section contains all system configuration and administrative settings. Different sub-sections require specific permissions.

Charge Codes

Required Permission: transactionsAccess

□ Create charge code
□ Edit charge code details
□ Configure billing rates
□ Set charge categories
□ Map codes to SIS integration

Roles & Permissions

Required Permission: manageAdmins

□ Create new admin role
□ Edit existing role
□ Assign permissions to role
□ View role details and assigned users
□ Configure role-based access controls

Critical Setup: New admin users need BOTH portal access AND an assigned role. Simply granting admin access without a role will result in limited navigation visibility and functionality.

Forms

Required Permission: manageForms

□ Create new form (application, bio, feedback, interaction, etc.)
□ Edit form questions and fields
□ Configure form logic and branching
□ Preview form
□ View form responses (individual, spreadsheet, summary)
□ Manage form invitations
□ Export form data
□ Configure form types by category

Housing Cycles

Required Permission: appHousingCycle

Basic Cycle Configuration

□ Create new resident cycle
□ Create non-resident cycle (requires NON_RESIDENT_CYCLES feature)
□ Copy existing cycle (requires CYCLE_COPY feature)
□ Edit cycle name and display name
□ Set residence start and end dates
□ Configure external term code for SIS integration
□ Set applicability tags (And/Or/Exclusion logic)
□ Configure require link to apply setting
□ Allow room re-assignment toggle

Application Settings

□ Set application phase dates (begin and end)
□ Configure auto-accept applications toggle
□ Set maximum applicants to submit limit
□ Allow room browsing for non-approved applications
□ Require both parties in phase for room swap
□ Assign application ruleset
□ Select application forms

Roommate Settings (requires NEW_PHASES_VIEW)

□ Set minimum/maximum roommates allowed
□ Configure public bio template
□ Create multiple roommate phases with dates
□ Set default roommate count per phase
□ Configure phase applicability tags

Room Selection Settings (requires NEW_PHASES_VIEW)

□ Allow room re-assignment after selection
□ Show room costs in student portal
□ Show buildings toggle
□ Show room types toggle
□ Create multiple self-selection phases
□ Configure lottery type (Random, Free-For-All, Priority-Based)
□ Set inventory preview settings and dates
□ Configure max reselection attempts and days

Room Selection Lottery

□ Configure lottery per assignment phase
□ Set lottery priority rules
□ Exclude specific students from lottery
□ View lottery activity logs
□ Optimize assignment phase membership

Room Swap Settings (requires RESIDENCY_ROOM_SWAP)

□ Set room swap release date
□ Create multiple room swap phases
□ Configure reject hard rule violations toggle
□ Set phase applicability tags

Move Management

□ Create moving groups (move-in and move-out)
□ Set group capacity
□ Allow moving group rescheduling
□ Configure staff early/late check-in buffer days
□ Set required fields for check-in
□ Configure group phases and dates

Documents & Forms

□ Select cycle documents (required and optional)
□ Assign animal forms (requires ANIMALS feature)
□ Add additional forms to cycle

Meal Plans

□ Select available meal plans
□ Select available flex point plans
□ Create meal plan phases (requires NEW_PHASES_VIEW)
□ Set default meal plan per phase
□ Configure proration settings
□ Set phase applicability tags

Finance & Costs

□ Configure automated costs
□ Set bed type cost overrides (requires OVERRIDE_BED_TYPE_COSTS)
□ Configure housing fees (requires CYCLE_FEES)

Room Condition Reports

□ Select RCR flow
□ Configure RCR auto-create toggle
□ Set RCR SLA (service level agreement) days

Integration Settings

□ Set transactions effective due date
□ Set transactions invoice date (Ethos)
□ Configure transactions egress start date
□ Set meal plan assignments egress start date
□ Configure occupancies egress start date

Release Dates (requires CYCLE_RELEASE_DATES)

□ Set housing selection release date
□ Set residency information release date
□ Set meal plans release date
□ Set room swap release date

Phase Calendar (requires NEW_PHASES_VIEW)

□ View visual timeline of all phases
□ Review color-coded phases by type
□ Check for phase overlaps

Cycle Copy Feature: When copying a cycle, the system resets external ID and external term ID fields, which must be reconfigured for SIS integration. All other settings carry over from the original cycle.

For more information, see 📄 Understanding Housing Cycle Rollovers.

Rulesets

Required Permission: manageRules

□ Create new ruleset
□ Configure housing assignment rules
□ Set up roommate matching criteria
□ Define hard rules (must-match requirements)
□ Define soft rules (preferences)
□ Configure ESA and accessibility accommodations
□ Test ruleset logic

System Configuration

Required Permission: manageTenantOptions

□ Configure tenant-wide settings
□ Set system preferences
□ Customize portal branding
□ Configure student-facing options
□ Manage compliance settings (FERPA, WCAG)

Profile Fields

Required Permission: manageTenantOptions

□ Create custom profile field
□ Configure field types (text, dropdown, checkbox, etc.)
□ Set field visibility (admin-only vs. student-visible)
□ Manage field requirements
□ Configure field validation rules

Field Management

Required Permission: viewFieldManagement Feature Flag: FIELD_MANAGEMENT

□ Configure which fields display in resident portal
□ Show/hide cancelled or transferred residencies
□ Customize field visibility by context
□ Manage field display settings

Integrations

Required Permission: integrationsAccess

□ View integration logs
□ Configure integration settings
□ Set up SIS sync (Banner, Colleague, etc.)
□ Configure sync frequency
□ Map custom fields to SIS data
□ Perform manual data import (requires integrationsManualImport)
□ View Ethos dashboard (requires viewEthosDashboard + devSuperpower)
□ Manage API keys (requires viewHcApiKeys + HC_API_KEYS flag)
□ Review agent logs
□ Troubleshoot sync errors

Integration Troubleshooting: Common sync issues often relate to custom field mapping or sync frequency settings. Check integration logs regularly and verify that all custom fields are properly mapped between Housing.Cloud and your SIS.

Inventory Management (Setup)

Required Permission: invAccessManagementPage

□ Configure building communities
□ Create furniture types
□ Manage inventory item types
□ Configure inventory variations (sizes, models)
□ Set up room part types

Document Templates (Signables)

Required Permission: manageSignables

□ Create document template
□ Configure signature requirements
□ Edit template content
□ Assign documents to housing cycles
□ Track completion status

Task Management (Setup)

Required Permission: tasksManage

□ Configure task categories
□ Create task templates
□ Set up automated task workflows
□ Configure task assignment rules

Meal Plans Management

Required Permission: viewMealPlans

□ Configure meal plan settings
□ Create new meal plan
□ Edit meal plan details
□ Set meal plan pricing
□ Create flex points options
□ Assign meal plans to residents
□ View meal plan assignments

---

Understanding Statuses Throughout the System

Housing.Cloud uses status indicators throughout the admin portal to track the lifecycle and state of different entities. Understanding these statuses helps you quickly assess where items are in their workflow.

Application Statuses

Location: Admin › Applications

In Progress (STARTED): Application initiated but not yet submitted by applicant
Under Review (SUBMITTED): Application submitted and awaiting admin review
Approved (APPROVED): Application approved; student can proceed with room selection
Resident (RESIDENT): Student has been assigned a bed and is now a resident
Waitlist (WAITLIST): Application approved but no bed assigned; student is on waitlist
Rejected (REJECTED): Application has been rejected by admin
Cancelled (CANCELLED): Application cancelled by admin or applicant
Archived (ARCHIVED): Application archived and no longer active

Residency Statuses

Location: Admin › Residents

Assigned (ASSIGNED): Bed assigned but move-in hasn't occurred yet
Incoming (INCOMING): Residency started (per cycle dates) but resident hasn't checked in
Current (CURRENT): Resident is actively living in assigned bed
Move In Scheduled (MOVE_IN_SCHEDULED): Move-in date/time has been scheduled
Move Out Scheduled (MOVE_OUT_SCHEDULED): Move-out date/time has been scheduled
Moved Out (MOVED_OUT): Resident has officially checked out
Transferred (TRANSFERRED): Resident transferred to different bed/room within same cycle
Canceled (CANCELED): Residency was cancelled
Early Termination (EARLY_TERMINATION): Residency terminated early before scheduled end date
Overstay (OVERSTAY): Residency ended but resident never checked out

Room Condition Report (RCR) Statuses

Location: Admin › Inventory › Room Condition Reports

Unsubmitted (UNSUBMITTED): RCR created but not yet submitted by resident/RA
Inspection Late (INSPECTION_LATE): RCR not submitted by required SLA deadline
Submitted (SUBMITTED): RCR submitted and awaiting admin review
Review Late (REVIEW_LATE): Admin review not completed by SLA deadline
Admin Review Required (ADMIN_REVIEW_REQUIRED): RCR requires admin intervention (disputed items or validation)
Complete (COMPLETE): RCR fully reviewed and all items resolved
Archived (ARCHIVED): RCR archived for historical records

Task Statuses

Location: Admin › Tasks

Draft (DRAFT): Task created but not yet officially opened
Open (OPEN): Task is open and ready to be worked on
In Progress (IN_PROGRESS): Task is actively being worked on
Need More Info (NEED_MORE_INFO): Task blocked waiting for additional information
Closed (CLOSED): Task completed
Cancelled (CANCELLED): Task cancelled and no longer active

Inventory Statuses

Location: Admin › Inventory

In Service (no status): Bed/room is available and ready to assign
Assigned (ASSIGNED): Bed has been assigned to a resident but not yet occupied
Occupied (OCCUPIED): Bed is currently occupied by a resident
Blocked (BLOCKED): Bed/room temporarily unavailable (maintenance, inspection, etc.)
Out of Service (UNAVAILABLE): Bed/room permanently out of service

Communication Statuses

Location: Admin › Communications

Draft (DRAFT): Message saved but not yet sent
Pending (PENDING): Message queued for delivery
Success (SUCCESS): Message successfully delivered
Error (ERROR): Message delivery failed

Status Color Coding: Throughout the admin portal, statuses use consistent color coding: Green indicates success/active states, Yellow indicates warnings or pending states, Red indicates errors or critical states, Blue indicates informational states, and Gray indicates inactive or neutral states.

Status Filtering: Most list views allow you to filter by status. Use the status tabs (for residents) or status filters (for applications, tasks, RCRs) to quickly find items in specific states.

---

Comprehensive Tag System

Location: Admin › Setup › Tags Required Permission: manageRules

Tags are a flexible, hierarchical labeling system for organizing and categorizing entities throughout Housing.Cloud. Tags provide the foundation for rules-based assignment logic, filtering, and reporting.

Tag Management

□ Create new tag with name and color
□ Edit existing tag properties
□ Choose from 10 predefined colors
□ Assign tag to category for organization
□ Configure tag visibility (Public vs. Private)
□ Set tag applicability (where tag can be used):
□ Profiles/Applications - assign to students
□ Inventory - assign to buildings, rooms, beds, furniture
□ Tasks - use in task categorization and rulesets
□ Deprecate tags (hide from new assignments but keep existing)
□ Activate deprecated tags
□ Delete unused tags (only if zero usage)
□ View tag usage statistics across all entities

Tag Category Management

□ Create tag category
□ Set category name, color, and display priority (High, Medium, Low)
□ Mark categories as "Exclusive" to enforce one-tag-per-entity rule
□ Organize tags within categories for better structure
□ Edit existing categories (except fixed system categories)
□ Delete empty categories

Assigning Tags to Entities

□ Assign tags to student profiles (requires profileTagsEdit permission)
□ Assign tags to housing applications (requires appTag permission)
□ Assign tags to inventory items (requires invTags permission):
□ Buildings
□ Suites
□ Rooms
□ Beds
□ Furniture types
□ Room types
□ Drag and drop tags between profile and application sections
□ Remove tags by clicking the X on tag chips

Bulk Tagging Operations

□ Select multiple entities (profiles, applications, inventory)
□ Open bulk tag editor
□ View "Tags on All" section (tags assigned to all selected entities)
□ View "Tags on Some" section (tags assigned to subset)
□ Add tags to all selected entities
□ Add tags to specific subset of selected entities
□ Drag tags between "All" and "Some" sections
□ Remove tags from multiple entities simultaneously
□ Select specific targets for "Some" tags
□ Save changes with confirmation summary

Tag Usage Throughout the System

□ Use tags in rulesets for roommate matching (PMATCH, PFORBID rules)
□ Use tags in rulesets for inventory assignment (IMATCH, IFORBID rules)
□ Filter profiles by tags in resident/applicant views
□ Filter applications by tags
□ Filter inventory items by feature tags
□ Set applicability tags for housing cycle phases (control who can access phases)
□ Target tenant updates by tags (show updates to specific groups)
□ Filter residents by profile and application tags
□ Use tags in auto-assignment building priority
□ Create reports filtered by tags

Tag Applicability: When creating a tag, you must select at least one applicability type. This controls where the tag appears in dropdown menus. A tag for student preferences like "Early Riser" should have "Profiles/Applications" checked. A tag for room features like "ADA Accessible" should have "Inventory" checked.

Exclusive Categories: Mark a category as "Exclusive" to enforce that entities can only have one tag from that category at a time. This is perfect for mutually-exclusive attributes like gender identity, class year, or housing assignment priority. When you assign a new tag from an exclusive category, any existing tag from that same category is automatically removed.

Tag Deletion Restrictions: Tags can only be deleted if they have zero usage across all entity types. If you need to delete a tag that's in use, first remove it from all profiles, applications, and inventory items, then delete it from tag management. Alternatively, you can deprecate the tag to hide it from new assignments while preserving historical data.

Public vs. Private Tags: Public tags are visible in both the admin portal and student portal. Private tags are only visible to admin staff and don't appear in the student-facing portal. This visibility setting doesn't affect tag functionality in rules or assignments—it only controls what students can see. Use private tags for internal administrative categorization.

---

What's Next

After reviewing this checklist and understanding available features:

Work with your super admin to ensure you have appropriate role assignments and permissions
Identify which features your institution uses and which require feature flag activation
Create a prioritized implementation plan for onboarding
Document your institution-specific workflows and configurations
Schedule training sessions for staff on relevant sections

Onboarding Complete? Once you've reviewed this checklist and configured essential features, you're ready to manage day-to-day housing operations. Bookmark this guide for reference as you explore advanced features.

---

Need Help?

If you encounter issues while working through this checklist, please provide the following information when contacting support:

Which section or feature you're trying to access
Your assigned role and permissions
Any error messages or unexpected behavior
Whether the issue affects only you or all admins at your institution
Screenshots showing what you see versus what you expect