Understanding Contact Types and Categories

Contacts get misclassified: distinguish Contact Categories and Contact Types

When contacts feel hard to manage, the issue is usually mixed use of labels and roles. Use Contact Categories to apply clear labels, and rely on Contact Types to reflect roles the system assigns. This approach keeps searches, filters, and reporting clean and accurate.

Define Contact Categories and apply labels

Contact Categories are labels you set on each contact. Use them to describe the contact’s relationship to your business. Choose one category from the dropdown when you create or update a contact.

• Contact
• Company
• Creditor
• Owner (Client Accounting/Trust Accounting only)
• Owner Group (Client Accounting/Trust Accounting only)
• Bond Authority (Client Accounting/Trust Accounting only)

Assign Contact Categories step-by-step

1. Open Contacts and select the contact record you want to update.
2. Open the contact details and find the Contact Category dropdown.
3. Select the category that best matches the contact’s relationship to your business.
4. Select Save to apply the category to the contact.

The screenshot below shows the Contact Category dropdown on the contact details page.

Understand Contact Types and system-assigned roles

Contact Types are set automatically based on how you use the contact in the platform. The system updates these roles as you link the contact to Tenancies, maintenance, or billing. You do not select these types yourself.

• Tenancy Contacts: All contacts attached to a Tenancy, including Primary, Guarantor, Account Holder, and Tenants.
• Maintenance Contacts: Contacts set as Contractors on maintenance Work Orders.
• Preferred Supplier Contacts: Contacts marked as preferred suppliers and linked to specific Properties.
• BPAY Creditor: Contacts set as BPAY Creditors for properties, available only to Australian Trust Accounting customers.
• Insurance Contacts: Contacts listed as the Broker on a Property Insurance policy.
• Invoices: Contacts assigned to Invoices for billing.

The system displays the Contact Type wherever the contact is linked. These roles update dynamically and help you filter and search for contacts involved in specific tasks or transactions.

Regional Terminology Note: We use Asia-Pacific/European terms in this article for consistency. We use Tenancy (North America may say Lease) and Work Order (North America may say Purchase Order). You may also see both Client Accounting and Trust Accounting referenced depending on your region. For more details on regional terms, see the Regional Terminology Guide.