Understanding Locations in Aptly

Locations are the foundation of how your data is organized in Aptly. Every location is synced directly from your property management software, ensuring your data stays consistent and up to date across systems.

Locations represent the different levels of your property management structure. These can include (but are not limited to):

Each of these exists as its own board in Aptly, allowing you to manage workflows and data at every level of your operation.

Locations in Aptly follow a structured hierarchy that mirrors your property management software:

Top Level

Mid Level

Lower Levels

This hierarchy ensures that all data flows logically from the top down, making it easier to track relationships between owners, properties, and residents.

Vendors exist slightly outside of this hierarchy. They function as their own category and are most commonly used in work order boards for maintenance and service workflows.

The Units board is one of the most important location levels.

💡 Think of a unit as any rentable location.

If it can be rented, it will exist as its own unit in Aptly.

This level allows you to manage processes at a highly granular level—whether that’s leasing, maintenance, or marketing.

Each level of the hierarchy serves a different purpose:

All marketing data originates at the unit level and feeds directly into the Listings page.

The Listings section provides:

👉 You can manage every active listing from one place, instead of jumping between unit cards.

Card titles are synced directly from your property management software.

✅ Always update titles in your property management software instead

Locations and process boards serve different purposes.

Mirroring them reduces effectiveness and can create confusion.

When adding custom fields:

Field order impacts usability and clarity for your team.

Automations can be powerful—but should be used thoughtfully on location boards.

⚠️ Especially important if you have two-way sync enabled

👉 Best practice: Use automations sparingly when they modify core data fields.

You can customize how search works on each board:

Path:

Advanced Settings → Board Options → Quick Search

Examples:

After updating:

Make key information visible at a glance:

This helps your team quickly scan important details without opening cards.

Card badges highlight important dates directly on the card.

How to set it up:

Examples:

💡 This is especially helpful for tracking how long a unit has been vacant.

Locations in Aptly are designed to mirror your property management system while giving you the flexibility to manage workflows at every level.

When used correctly, they allow you to:

Keeping your structure clean and following best practices will ensure your data stays accurate, synced, and easy to work with.