🔒 This feature is for Global Admins only. Global Admins can manage the account-level category list and control how properties interact with categories. Property Admins can manage categories at the property level based on the permissions set by their Global Admin.

Global Categories lets Global Admins define and manage work order categories at the account level, rather than configuring them separately for each property. Categories can be applied to all properties or scoped by asset type. Property-level customization can be enabled or restricted depending on your account settings.

1. Access Global Categories

Go to Settings → Account → Categories.

This is the central place to manage your default category list and control how properties interact with categories.

2. Set up your category structure

Before adding categories, configure how categories will be managed across your portfolio under Category Structure.

How categories are organized:

Account-level — One category list applies to all properties regardless of asset type.
By asset type — Categories are scoped to specific asset types (e.g., Office Space, Mixed Use). When you create a category, you choose which asset types it applies to.

What properties can customize:

Setting	What it allows
Add main categories	Property admins can create new top-level categories locally
Add subcategories	Property admins can add subcategories to existing main categories
Hide main categories	Property admins can hide main categories they don't need
Hide subcategories	Property admins can hide subcategories they don't need

You can enable any combination of these. If all options are disabled, property admins cannot make any changes — categories are locked to the global list.

📌 Note: By default, all customization options are enabled. This means categories behave the same way they did before migration, with each property managing its own list.

3. Create the default category list

Once your structure is set, add categories to the global default list.

Click Add category.
Enter a category name.
If you're managing by asset type, select which asset types this category applies to.
Click Save.

The category is now added to the default list and becomes visible on all relevant properties.

Adding subcategories:

Find the main category.
Click Add subcategory.
Enter a name and save.

4. How categories apply to properties

Existing properties — When a category is added to the global list, it becomes visible on all properties that match the asset type (or all properties, if managed at account level).
New properties — New properties automatically inherit the full default category list based on their asset type.
By asset type — If a property's asset type doesn't match a category's assigned types, that category will not appear on that property.

5. Manage categories at the property level

Go to Settings → Property → Categories to see and manage that property's category list.

💡 To view the property-level categories view, select the Property tab at the top of the Settings page, then navigate to Categories.

Depending on your account's customization settings, property admins can:

Hide a category or subcategory — The category is hidden from that property's view only. It remains in the global list and historical records are preserved.
Add a local category — If adding is permitted, property admins can create categories that only exist on that property.

If all customization is disabled, property admins will see the message: "Categories cannot be enabled or disabled due to the global settings."

6. Add a local category with a similar match

When a property admin adds a new category, the system checks for similar category names already in use across the portfolio.

If a match is found:

A Similar category found modal appears.
It shows the matched category name and the reason for the suggestion.
The property admin can either:
- Use the existing category — The local category is converted to a global one and becomes available across all matching properties.
- Add as new — A separate local category is created for that property only.

This helps reduce duplicate categories and keeps your portfolio data consistent.

7. Remove a category from the global list

Removing a category is done at the account level (Settings → Account → Categories). Hiding a category is done at the property level (Settings → Property → Categories) and only affects that specific property.

Hide vs. Remove:

Action	Where	What happens
Hide	Property level	Category is hidden from that property's view only. Global list and historical records are not affected.
Remove	Account level	Category is removed from all linked items and will not be available for new work. If it came from an integration, it will stop syncing to affected properties.

When removing a category at the account level, you will be shown how many properties and Tenant App portals currently use it, and prompted to choose one of two options:

Remove from all properties — The category is removed from every property it is currently assigned to.
Keep on assigned properties — Properties that already use this category keep it as a property-level category. It will no longer be part of the global list.

⚠️ Removing a category cannot be undone. The category will be removed from all linked items and will not be available for new work orders.

Common scenarios

Scenario 1: Standardizing categories across a mixed portfolio
Your portfolio includes office buildings, retail spaces, and mixed-use properties. You manage categories by asset type so that "Loading Dock" only appears on relevant properties, keeping each property's category list clean and relevant.

Scenario 2: Allowing site teams to add local categories
You enable "Add main categories" and "Add subcategories" at the account level. A property admin adds a local category called "Vertical Systems." The system detects a similar category used elsewhere in the portfolio and prompts them to use the existing one — keeping reporting consistent.

Scenario 3: Locking categories for reporting consistency
You need all work orders across your portfolio to use a standardized category list for SLA and escalation reporting. You disable all property-level customization options. Property admins can view categories but cannot add or hide anything.

FAQ

What happens to existing property categories when we migrate to Global Categories?
All existing accounts are migrated to Global Categories with all customization options enabled by default. This means your property categories continue to work exactly as before until you change the account-level settings.
Can a property admin see which categories are global?
Yes. In Settings → Property → Categories, global categories are marked so property admins can distinguish them from locally added categories.
What's the difference between hiding and removing a category?
Hiding is done at the property level and only affects that property — the category stays in the global list and historical records are preserved. Removing is done at the account level and takes the category out of the global list entirely, with the option to remove it from all properties or keep it locally on properties already using it.
If I remove a category from the global list, does it disappear from all properties immediately?
Not necessarily. When removing, you can choose to either remove it from all properties or keep it as a property-level category on properties that are already using it.
Can property admins convert a local category into a global one?
Yes. If a property admin adds a category and a similar match is found in the portfolio, they can choose to use the existing category — which converts the local version to global and makes it available across all matching properties.
What happens to a category from an integration when it is removed?
If the category came from an integration, removing it will stop it from syncing to affected properties.

Thanks for reading! Reach out if you have any questions — we're here to help 😊

Global Categories