Managing Developments

Learn how to add and manage your property developments on the Own New platform. Your developments will appear on the public map and be visible to potential buyers and mortgage brokers.

Developments are available to Builder Marketing, Admin, and Owner roles. Builder Marketing users can create and update developments; deleting developments requires Admin or Owner access.

Accessing Developments

1. Log in to your builder account
2. Navigate to Marketing > Developments in the sidebar
3. You'll see a list of all your developments with their status

Adding a New Development

Manual Entry

1. Click the "Add Development" button
2. The form is organised into four tabs along the top:

Essentials — Core information about the development:

• Development Name - The name that will appear on the map
• Description - Marketing description for buyers
• Brand - Select which brand this development belongs to
• Status - Draft, Active, Sold Out, or Archived
• Town/City and Postcode - The development location

Details — Pricing and availability:

• Price Range - From/To prices
• Bedrooms - Min/Max bedroom counts
• Plot Availability - Available, reserved, and sold plot counts

Media — Photos and external links:

• Photo URLs - Up to 6 image URLs. Photo 1 URL is required and a live preview is shown below each URL.
• Development URL - Required link to your development page on your website

Notifications — Lead routing:

• Sales Email - Email for lead notifications (falls back to your organisation's catch-all)
• Broker Assignment - Assign a broker firm to handle leads
• Broker Notification Email - Override the broker's default email for this development

3. Each tab shows a completion indicator:
   • Green tick — all required fields filled and at least one optional field completed
   • Amber dot — some fields filled
   • Red alert — validation errors (shown after submitting)
4. Click "Create Development"

Description, Photo 1 URL, and Development URL are required for manually created developments.

Email CSV Import

If Own New has enabled your builder account for email imports, you can send development updates by CSV.

1. Download the development CSV template
2. Fill in one row per development
3. Send the CSV as an email attachment to the import address supplied by Own New
4. Send from an approved sender domain for your builder account

Each email should include one CSV attachment only. The file is processed automatically and the sender receives a result email.

Mandatory columns:

Optional columns:

Important: Treat each CSV as a complete snapshot for the brand named in DeveloperName unless Own New has confirmed a different setup. Missing developments for that brand may be archived.

If your sender domain, sending partner, or brand names need adding, use the contact form before sending live files.

API / CMS Integration

Have lots of developments? Use the contact form if you have an existing API or CMS feed we can integrate.

Editing a Development

1. Go to Marketing > Developments
2. Click on the development you want to edit
3. Click the "Edit" button
4. Use the tabs along the top to navigate to the section you want to update
5. Make your changes and click "Save Changes"

Tip: If you try to leave the page with unsaved changes, you'll see a browser warning to prevent accidental data loss.

Development Status

Each development has a status that controls its visibility:

Brand Assignment

Each development must be assigned to a brand. The brand name (not your organisation name) is what appears on the public map. This allows you to market developments under different brand names (e.g., "St Edward" instead of "Berkeley Homes").

If you haven't set up brands yet, see Managing Brands.

Broker Assignment

Each development can have a specific broker firm assigned. When a lead comes in for this development, the broker firm is automatically assigned to handle it.

Setting a Broker for a Development

1. Go to Marketing > Developments
2. Click on the development, then click Edit
3. Go to the Notifications tab
4. Under Broker Assignment, search for and select a broker firm — preferred brokers appear first with a star icon
5. Optionally set a Broker Notification Email to override the broker firm's default email for leads from this development
6. Click Save Changes

If no broker is assigned at the development level, your organisation's default broker firm (configured in Settings) is used as a fallback.

Sales Email

You can set a sales email per development to receive lead notification emails:

1. In the development edit form, go to the Notifications tab
2. Enter the email address in the Sales Email field
3. If left empty, your organisation's catch-all lead notification email is used

Photos

You can add up to 6 photo URLs per development. These appear on the Own New public map and development details page. Go to the Media tab in the development form to manage photos.

Each photo URL shows a live preview below the input field so you can verify the image loads correctly. If a URL is broken, you'll see a red "Image failed to load" warning — fix the URL before saving.

Photo requirements:

• Must be publicly accessible URLs (https://)
• Recommended: High quality images (at least 800x600 pixels)
• Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP

Note: If photo URLs become broken (e.g., after website changes), a placeholder image will be shown on the map. Keep your photo URLs up to date for the best presentation.

Finding and Deleting Developments

The list shows totals for all, active, draft, and sold-out developments. Search by development name or location, and use the status filter to narrow the grid.

Admins and Owners can delete a development from its card menu. Deletion is permanent, so use Draft, Sold Out, or Archived when you need to retain the record but remove it from public results.

Best Practices

1. Keep information current - Update prices and availability regularly
2. Use accurate postcodes - This ensures correct map placement
3. Add descriptions - Help buyers understand what makes your development special
4. Link to your website - Drive traffic to your sales pages
5. Use high-quality images - First impressions matter