How to let tenants see what they owe, without endless WhatsApp messages
Updated 28 Oct 2026
Give every tenant read-only access to their own statement: what they were charged, what they paid and what they still owe. They stop asking "how much do I owe?", you stop sending screenshots, and both of you look at the same numbers.
The "how much do I owe?" problem
When the only copy of the account is in the landlord’s notebook or spreadsheet, every question about a balance becomes a message, a screenshot and sometimes an argument. Tenants who can check for themselves pay more accurately and ask less.
What a tenant should see, and what they should not
| Tenants see | Tenants do not see |
|---|---|
| Their lease: rent, due day and dates | Your bank or wallet account numbers |
| Every charge, including their share of utility bills | The full utility bill or other tenants’ shares |
| Every payment, with its method and transaction number | Your expenses and private notes |
| What is paid, still owed and overdue | Your other properties and tenants |
Inviting a tenant
Most tenants in Egypt would rather get a WhatsApp message than an email, so offer both. In Aqari, open the tenant and choose to invite them:
- By email: Aqari sends the invitation to the tenant’s address. (Your own email needs to be confirmed first.)
- By link: Aqari gives you a link to send yourself, on WhatsApp or anywhere else. It is shown only once, and a new invitation replaces the last.
The tenant accepts by signing in with Google or with an email and password, using the email address you invited. Nothing to install: it opens in any browser, and tenants never pay.
Reminders
Reminder emails are off until you turn them on in Settings. Then tenants with an email on record get one heads-up shortly before a charge is due (3 days by default) and one notice once it has been unpaid past a grace period (3 days by default). Nothing is sent for charges already paid, and each notice is sent only once.
Flatmates sharing a lease
When several tenants share one lease, choose how they owe it. Together: they owe everything jointly, any of them can pay any part, and each sees the whole statement. Each their own part: everyone owes an equal part or a set percentage of every charge, sees only their own part and payments, and one tenant’s credit never covers another’s debt.
Questions
Do tenants have to sign up?
Only if you invite them. Without an invitation you keep the books on your own, and nothing changes for the tenant.
Do tenants pay anything to use the portal?
No. Tenants never pay.
Can a tenant change the records?
No. The portal is read-only: the tenant sees their statement, and only you add charges or record payments.