Our product development team is constantly innovating, to build a better Alto software experience.
Every time we've added a new feature, we've notified all our users within Alto itself utilising in product messaging.
However, for a full list of the changes on a monthly basis such as new features, any improvements or product fixes to our software, please see the relevant articles in our Release Notes sections of the Help Centre.
New features
To view a log of the latest new features within Alto:
- Sign in to Alto
- Click the Alto icon in the bottom right corner of the screen
- Click Product updates
- A summary list of our Product updates display. Some new feature updates will include links that take you to the relevant page within Alto. Popup messaging and/or guides may then launch to provide you with more information on what's new
Landlord Possessions (Section 8)
This new feature went live on 5th August.
Following the Renters' Rights Act, we've introduced a new Agent/Landlord (Possession) route in the Vacate Property flow, to help you recover possession of a property on behalf of a landlord.
With Section 21 abolished, possession is now a judicial process: you need to select the correct Section 8 ground(s), serve the right notice, track the case through the courts, and keep your evidence together. The Agent/Landlord (Possession) route adds Section 8 specific fields, calculates key dates for you, and gives you a dedicated Property Possession progression to track the case from grounds recorded through to the property being handed back.
With this update:
- A Grounds for Vacate panel lists the Housing Act 1988 grounds, each showing its statutory notice period, so you can select every ground that applies
- Alto calculates the Earliest Court Filing Date automatically from the ground(s) and the Notice Received Date, so you don't have to work out the statutory minimum yourself
- Entering a Hearing Date automatically sets a Court Evidence Due Date 14 days before the hearing
- A Supporting Documents area stores the notice, court paperwork and evidence against the case in one place
- A dedicated Property Possession progression tracks the case, and remains accessible for historical records once the vacate is completed
Note
The Agent/Landlord (Possession) route applies to Assured Periodic Tenancies (APTs) only. It doesn't apply to legacy fixed-term Assured Shorthold Tenancies. Alto records that a Section 8 notice was served, but doesn't produce the statutory Section 8 notice itself - complete and serve that through your existing process. Alto's date calculations are guidance to help you work to the statutory minimums; they aren't a legal check.
For more information, see Landlord Possessions (Section 8).
Improvements
Alto service usage dashboard updated to include Title documents
This improvement went live on 13th August.
As part of our Analytics functionality, the Alto service usage dashboard now tracks your usage of Land Registry title documents, alongside the existing E-Sign and Verification checks tracking.
A new Title documents tab shows the number of title document checks completed, a breakdown by branch, and the top users requesting them. This follows the same approach as the existing E-Sign and Verification checks tabs.
This helps you understand the detail behind your end of month Alto invoice, within your current billing period.
New BACS format - Santander MULTIBACS v2
This improvement went live on 5th August.
We've added a new BACS format to Alto, Santander MULTIBACS v2.
You can now produce a file in this format directly from Alto.
Analytics - Available from added to the lettings model
This improvement went live on 3rd August.
As part of our Analytics functionality, we've added an Available from attribute to the lettings model.
This is the date from the Marketing top tab of the property record, so you can report on when a property is available from.
The attribute is available when creating custom reports and in Alto IQ queries.
Analytics - Works order description added to the property management model
This improvement went live on 3rd August.
As part of our Analytics functionality, we've added a Works order description attribute to the property management model, so you can include the works order description in your maintenance reports.
The attribute is available when creating custom reports and in Alto IQ queries.
Analytics - Viewing Booked date added to the sales model
This improvement went live on 3rd August.
As part of our Analytics functionality, we've added a Viewing Booked date attribute to the sales model.
The date a viewing is booked for was already available. This adds the date the viewing was booked on, so you can report on both.
The attribute is available when creating custom reports and in Alto IQ queries.