How to Start a Chat

Who can do this: Staff, board members, and property managers with access to the Communication / Inbox area.

1. Open the Inbox

From the main navigation, go to the Communication / Inbox page. Your existing chats appear in the Messages panel on the left.

2. Click "New"

Click the New button (plus icon) above the Messages list. A composer panel opens, docked to the bottom-right of your screen.

3. Choose a property and add recipients

Select the property, then start typing in Search recipients.... Matches show each person's name, whether they're an URBI app user or an invited contact, and their role or unit. Click anyone to add them: they appear as a removable pill above the search box, and you can keep adding more people.

Recipient picker with two people already added:

If you don't see a resident you expect in the results, see "Troubleshooting."

4. Add a subject and your message

Fill in the Subject field, then type your message in the message box below it.

5. Set Private Messages and Read-Only (optional)

Below the message box, two toggle buttons control how the chat behaves:

• Private Messages: turn on to send an individual 1:1 chat to each recipient instead of one shared group thread.
• Read-Only: turn on to stop residents from replying (staff and property members can still reply).

Leave both off for a normal group conversation everyone can reply to.

Toggle row, both off (default):

6. Send

Click Send. The button stays disabled until you've added at least one recipient, a subject, and a message.

Your new chat now appears in the Messages list, and for group chats, everyone you added can see and reply to it (subject to the Private Messages and Read-Only settings you chose).