How I’m keeping things simple while building tools for my rentals

[Parris Taylor]

I’ve been testing out a lightweight assistant (built on Telegram) to help me manage leases, send rent nudges, and coordinate maintenance for my rentals.

My goal from day one: keep it stupid simple.

No portals. No dashboards. No “log in to see status.”

Just a message that says “done.”

But this week, I caught myself sketching out a dashboard again—habitually. And I had to stop and ask: Who is this dashboard really for—me, or the tenants and vendors using it?

That’s when it hit me: Simple systems aren’t simple by default. They’re a daily fight against overcomplication.

So I scrapped it.

Would love to hear from other self-managing landlords or small-time operators: 

- What tools have actually saved you time (not added another dashboard)?

- Any low-tech or no-tech systems that just work?