Solutions/Mini apartment buildings
Mini apartment building management: automatic meter readings, door codes tied to the lease
TingStay lets owners of mini apartment buildings and monthly rentals stop reading meters room by room: readings are collected automatically and go straight into a bill with a QR code, and access is tied to the lease term.
What takes the most time
- Reading meters room by room every month
- It takes a whole day, readings get written down wrong, and when tenants question a bill there is no evidence.
- Collecting many small payments
- Each room pays on its own schedule, transfers arrive without a reference, and it is hard to match who has paid.
- Getting keys back at move-out
- Former tenants may still have a key or an old code.
- Deposits are hard to track
- It is unclear whose deposit you are holding and how much, and deductions at move-out lead to disputes.
- Strict checks on electricity prices and fire safety
- Charging tenants the wrong electricity price can mean a fine of up to 30 million VND. Buildings with many rental units face frequent fire safety inspections.
- Vacant rooms go unnoticed
- A tenant moves out mid-month, nobody checks, and the unit keeps using power and takes longer to relet.
How TingStay handles it
Automatic meter readings
Meters in the unit report readings to the system; for meters without a data output, the system reminds you to enter them by hand.
Bills with QR codes
Rent per cycle, power and water by reading, services; the QR transfer code has the reference pre-filled.
Separate deposit ledger
See whose deposit you hold and how much; deductions at lease termination are recorded with a reason.
Door codes tied to the lease
Access is valid for the lease term and revoked immediately when the lease is terminated.
Track paid and outstanding
Reminders for tenants when payment is due, a separate receivables ledger, reports by building.
Bills and payment reminders sent automatically via Zalo OA with the Channel connections add-on.
- See plans
Suggested plan
Start plan: power and water per billing cycle, bills, QR payment, deposits and payment tracking.
Also in TingStay
- Inspection at move-out, record damage
- Instant smoke, heat and water leak alerts
- Automatic load cut when the unit is empty
- Bills and payment reminders via Zalo OAAdd-on
- Tenant app: view bills, report incidentsAdd-on
- Automatic bank transfer reconciliationAdd-on
In practice
A month of renting without reading meters
Mini apartment buildings run on a monthly cycle. The most time-consuming work is closing meter readings and collecting payment, and the system now does most of it.
Lease signing day
New tenant moves in
The deposit is recorded in a separate deposit ledger. The door code is valid for exactly the lease term.
Every day
Readings come in automatically
Meters in the unit report readings to the system. For any meter without a data output, the system reminds you to enter it by hand.
End of month
Readings closed automatically
Opening and closing readings are recorded for each unit, with no need to go floor by floor.
Start of next month
Send bills with QR codes
Rent per cycle, power and water by reading, services. The QR code has the amount and transfer reference pre-filled.
During the month
See who has paid and who owes
Payments are recorded per unit. Unpaid units go into the receivables ledger for reminders.
At move-out
Lease termination
The door code is revoked immediately. Deposit deductions are recorded with a reason, so there is nothing to argue about.
Suggested setup
What each mini apartment unit needs
Monthly tenants want a stable place to live, and owners want the best return. The Operations Kit is enough to meter power and water, issue door codes and control the AC remotely.
Hardware, one-time payment
Operations Kit
30.3 - 46.6 million VND per unit
Includes installation, excludes VAT. The final price depends on project size.
Also needed
- Power and water meters with RS485Required for automatic meter readings.
- TTLock door lockKeep the existing lock if it is a TTLock.
Software, paid monthly or yearly
Start plan
149,000 VND per unit per month
Paid yearly: 1,250,000 VND per unit per year.
Start plan: power and water per billing cycle, bills, QR payment, deposits and payment tracking.
Getting started
From site survey to launch, measured in days
Site survey
An engineer visits the unit and checks the existing electrical panel, air conditioners, door lock and power and water meters.
1 day
Design and quotation
Choose the kit, the panel layout and the positions of keypads and sensors. The quotation is based on the actual number of units.
2 hours
Installation
Mount the control enclosure, run the bus cable and wire the devices in step with the interior fit-out. Once the infrastructure is ready, one installation crew finishes each unit in no more than 1 day.
Up to 1 day per unit
Configuration and testing
Register the unit on TingStay, load the scenes, test every device and the loss-of-internet case.
Same day as installation
Handover and training
Train the operations team on the Console and the apps, and hand over the device documentation.
Half a day
Reference project
Mini apartment building for rent in Hanoi
Design and quantities agreed
The building consists of independent rental units. Each unit is a separate control point, on the same hardware platform as TingStay.
- Each unit has its own RCU Lite and power supply; no unit shares wiring with another.
- 4-button keypads at the entrance, the bathroom door and the bedside, one scene per button.
- Presence sensor in the bathroom, so the lights switch on and off automatically.
- Corridors and the basement run on a separate system for common areas.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a way to avoid reading meters room by room?
Yes. When the unit has power and water meters connected to the TingEdge, TingStay receives readings automatically and uses them for the end-of-cycle bill. The owner sets the unit prices and the calculation method.
Does TingStay decide the electricity price for tenants?
No. TingStay only measures and provides the data. Power and water unit prices, bill templates and calculation methods are decided by the owner according to the agreement and current regulations.
Can monthly tenants use an app?
Yes, with the Guest app add-on: tenants view bills, pay by QR transfer, report incidents and unlock the door by phone during the lease term.
What electricity price can I charge tenants?
The residential retail electricity tariff: tiered allowances based on the number of occupants if the lease is 12 months or longer and all occupants are declared, or the tier 3 price if the lease is shorter than 12 months. Charging more can lead to a fine of 20 - 30 million VND. TingStay measures the exact consumption of each unit; the owner sets the unit price.
What fire safety requirements apply to mini apartment buildings for rent?
Under the 2023 Housing Law, multi-storey buildings with multiple units for rent must meet fire safety requirements, building codes and fire engine access. TingStay adds smoke, heat and water leak alerts to the phone of the manager; it does not replace a code-compliant fire alarm system.
Can my existing power and water meters be connected?
Yes, if the device has an RS485 port. Mechanical meters or meters without a data port need to be replaced, or the readings entered by hand each month.
How are individually rented rooms counted?
Each room with its own lock that is rented separately counts as one unit, with its own TingEdge. That keeps power and water, door codes and rent separate for each tenant.
Can I keep the door lock I already have?
Yes, if it is a TTLock lock. In the first phase TingStay integrates with TTLock; for other brands you need to replace the lock or wait for TingStay to add the integration.
How much does each mini apartment unit cost?
Hardware in the suggested setup (Operations Kit) costs about 30.3 - 46.6 million VND per unit, paid once, including installation, excluding VAT, the door lock and the power and water meters. The Start plan software is 149,000 VND per unit per month, or 1,250,000 VND per unit per year when paid yearly.
Related guides
Start with a few units, scale once you see the results
NEXT HOME engineers survey your units, propose the hardware setup and install TingStay for your first cluster.