What Is the Difference Between a PropertyBoss Portal and Your Website?
Many PropertyBoss clients use both a company website and one or more PropertyBoss portals. While these tools may be connected, they serve different purposes and are managed separately.
This article explains the difference and how they work together.
Your Company Website
Your website is your public facing online presence. It is typically used for marketing, branding, and general information.
A website is usually managed by you or your web developer and may include:
- Company information such as services, locations, and contact details
- Marketing content like photos, videos, and announcements
- Leasing information and general forms
- Links that direct visitors to other tools such as online applications or portals
PropertyBoss does not host or maintain your website. Any updates, design changes, or issues with your website need to be handled through your web provider or internal team.
PropertyBoss Web Portals
A PropertyBoss portal is a secure web based tool that connects directly to your PropertyBoss database. These portals are designed for specific users and actions, not marketing.
Examples of public-facing PropertyBoss portals include tenant portals, owner portals, payment portals, application portals, and available listings portals.
An example of an internal PropertyBoss portal is the MaintTech portals.
PropertyBoss portals are used for tasks such as:
- Residents paying rent or submitting work order requests
- Owners viewing financial information
- Applicants completing rental applications
- Prospects viewing available listings
- Maintenance technicians viewing make-ready lists
Unlike a website, PropertyBoss portals are maintained by PropertyBoss. This includes security updates, system functionality, and ongoing support related to the portal itself.
How the Two Are Connected
Although they serve different roles, your website and PropertyBoss portals often work together.
In most cases:
- Your website contains a link or button that points to a PropertyBoss portal
- Clicking that link sends the user to a PropertyBoss hosted URL
- The portal opens outside of your website and runs separately
For example, a "Visit the Resident Portal" button on your website may take a resident to a PropertyBoss portal where they log in, make payments, or submit work order requests.
Even though the portal link appears on your website, the portal itself is not part of your website.
Who Maintains What
Understanding ownership helps avoid confusion when changes or issues arise.
Your website is maintained by:
- Your company
- Your web developer or hosting provider
PropertyBoss portals are maintained by:
- PropertyBoss
- The PropertyBoss infrastructure and support teams
If something needs to change on your website, such as wording, layout, or button placement, that change must be made on the website.
If something is not working inside the portal, such as login issues or portal errors, that is handled through PropertyBoss Support.
Why This Matters
Knowing the difference helps set the right expectations for updates, troubleshooting, and support.
It also helps explain why:
- A portal can function correctly even if a website has issues
- Website changes do not alter portal behavior
- Portal updates may occur without changes to your website
If you are unsure whether an issue is related to your website or a PropertyBoss portal, our support team can help point you in the right direction.
In general, use these guidelines to determine if it is a portal or website problem:
Portal
- A resident cannot log in to the Resident Portal
- An applicant cannot complete or submit an application
- A payment fails or shows an error inside a PropertyBoss payment portal
- Portal users see error messages or blank screens
- A feature inside the portal is missing or not behaving as expected
- Questions about portal permissions, access, or functionality
Website
- A portal link or button on your website is missing or points to the wrong page
- Website pages are not loading, displaying incorrectly, or showing outdated content
- Text, images, or branding on your website need to be updated
- A form on your website is not submitting or behaving correctly
- Layout or formatting issues on mobile or desktop devices
PropertyBoss does not manage client websites and cannot edit website content, design, or hosting configurations. Any changes to how links appear or behave on your website must be made by your website provider or web team.
A Common Point of Confusion
It is common to assume that because a PropertyBoss portal is linked from your website, PropertyBoss also controls the website itself. This is not the case.
In most situations:
- Your website simply points users to a PropertyBoss portal through a link
- Once clicked, the user leaves your website and enters a PropertyBoss hosted environment
- The portal operates completely separate from your website
Because of this separation, the source of the issue determines who can fix it.
Not Sure Who to Contact?
If you are unsure whether an issue is website related or portal related, PropertyBoss Support can help identify where the problem is occurring and advise you on the next step.
- Providing details such as the page URL, error message, or what the user was trying to do will help speed up the process.