KnockFirst

Early access Kitchener · Waterloo · Cambridge

Get repairs booked and entry notices sent without chasing anyone.

KnockFirst texts your trade, gets a visit time, and sends your tenant a notice of entry that meets Ontario's 24-hour rule. When anyone goes quiet, the job moves to the top of your list.

Try the live demo Get early access

The demo runs in your browser with made-up data. No signup, and nothing is sent.

1
tap from you in the example repair
9
texts sent without you typing one
2
days of written notice for the tenant

Without it

One dead fan took five days of phone tag.

The repair takes twenty minutes. Getting a trade and a tenant to agree on a time, with legal notice, takes the week. KnockFirst runs that exchange by text and sends the reminders itself.

  1. Tenant texts you. The bathroom fan is dead.
  2. You text the handyman.
  3. No reply. You text him again.
  4. He can come tomorrow at 2. That's too late for a notice, so you call the tenant.
  5. Voicemail.
  6. You call again from the driveway.

How it works

One tap from you, nine texts from KnockFirst.

Here is that dead fan again, from report to fixed, with KnockFirst running it. The middle column is everything you did.

Your tenant reports it

They open a link, pick the problem and the room, and add a photo. They never install an app or make an account.

  1. Megan

    Reported: Bathroom fan is dead (Bathroom). Photo attached. Agreed to get notices by text.

  2. To Megan

    We got your report: Bathroom fan is dead. We'll text you when a visit is booked.

You pick a trade, and they say yes by text

One text with one link. If they're quiet for a day they get a single reminder, and after two days the job is back at the top of your list.

  1. You

    Send to Sam

    To Sam

    Sam, a job for you: Bathroom fan is dead at Unit 2, 48 Example Ave. Can you take it?

  2. Sam

    Accepted the job.

  3. To Sam

    Thanks. When can you go to Unit 2, 48 Example Ave? Pick a day and a window.

The visit is booked and the notice goes out

The trade picks a day and a window. Your tenant gets written notice with the reason, the day and the time, without you typing it.

  1. Sam

    Booked a visit: Wed 18 Nov, 1 pm to 4 pm.

    To Megan
    Notice of entry Wed 18 Nov 2026, between 1 pm and 4 pm Repair: bathroom fan is dead. Sam, Demo Handyman.
  2. To Sam

    Booked: Wed 18 Nov, 1 pm to 4 pm at Unit 2, 48 Example Ave. The tenant has been given notice.

  3. To Megan

    Reminder: Demo Handyman comes today between 1 pm and 4 pm.

    To Sam

    Today: Unit 2, 48 Example Ave, 1 pm to 4 pm. Bathroom fan is dead.

It's done, and it's on the record

The trade reports back from the same link. Every text, time and answer is kept against the unit.

  1. To Sam

    How did it go at Unit 2, 48 Example Ave? Tap to say it's fixed, or what it needs.

  2. Sam

    Finished: Bathroom fan is dead. Photo attached.

    To Megan

    Demo Handyman says this is fixed: Bathroom fan is dead. Not right? Reply to this text.

That was one repair. The demo has seven, and a plumber who never answers. Send a job, skip to Wednesday and see which repairs moved without you.

Open the live demo

Ontario's entry rules

Every visit is booked inside the entry rules.

A trade can only pick times the law allows, so you never have to check a visit yourself. These four rules come from sections 26 and 27 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006.

24 hours or more

A visit a day or more away sends your tenant written notice the moment the trade picks a time.

8 am to 8 pm

Trades can only choose windows inside the legal hours, and no window is longer than four hours.

Reason, day and time

Every notice says why someone is coming, on which day and in which window, and who it will be.

Sooner needs a yes

A same-day visit is only booked after your tenant agrees by text. No answer, and the trade is asked for a later time.

Around the visit

Reminders, owner approvals and a record for every unit.

Stalled jobs rise to the top

Your list shows who each job is waiting on and for how long. A job nobody has answered rises to the top with the reason beside it.

Owners approve from a text

When a repair turns out bigger, the trade sends what's needed and the quote. The owner taps yes or no, and the return visit gets its own notice.

A record for every unit

Who was told what, and when, kept per unit. If a repair is ever questioned, you print the page.

Early access

Get on the list.

Tell us a little about your rentals. We'll email you when a spot opens, and your answers decide what gets built first.

Questions

Before you sign up.

Do my tenants or trades need an app?

No. They get a text with a link and tap a button. The only person who signs in is you.

Is a text a valid notice of entry?

The Act asks for written notice. KnockFirst records your tenant's agreement to get notices by text, sends the notice by text and email, and gives you a printable copy for anyone who wants paper on the door.

Does it replace my property management software?

No. It works on its own beside whatever you use now, including a spreadsheet.

Does it handle invoices or payments?

KnockFirst handles the visit. When a trade quotes a bigger repair, the owner approves it from a text and the amount is recorded on the job. Invoices and payments stay where you keep them now.

What about emergencies?

Ontario allows entry without notice in an emergency. A report of no heat or water coming in is flagged to you straight away, and the call is yours to make.

What will it cost?

Pricing isn't set yet. Tell us how many units you look after and we'll work it out with the first landlords and managers who try it.

When can I use it?

We're starting with a small group of landlords and property managers in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. Sign up and we'll email you when a spot opens.