Frequently Asked Questions

The Control Surface works with both Gmail and Google Workspace accounts using secure Google OAuth. Click "Connect Gmail" on the marketing page, authorize read-only access through Google's consent screen, and we'll automatically detect your property manager within 30 seconds. If your company uses Google Workspace with a custom domain (e.g., you@yourcompany.com), it works the same way. No password is ever stored on our servers.

The Portfolio Discovery scans your Gmail metadata (sender names, email address, and subject lines only) to identify your property management company. Within 10 seconds, we detect all properties in your portfolio and show you the volume of property management emails you've received. This preview is completely free. You can then import this property list and get the full in-depth case creation for a property of your choosing for free.

A full scan & AI synthesis of 200 emails typically takes 4-6 minutes. Scanning happens in the background so you can continue browsing. If you subscribe, your entire portfolio is scanned and fresh emails are discovered daily. We scan your properties in the cloud so you don't have to wait on the site for the scan to complete.

No manual data entry required. The Control Surface uses AI to automatically detect property addresses from your email subject lines. We identify your property manager's emails and extract unique addresses, which you can review and confirm before import. We even catch spelling errors your property manager might make.

The Control Surface works best for rental property investors who use third-party property managers. The system analyzes communication between you and your manager to extract maintenance requests, vendor work, and lease information. Self-managers may not see full value without manager correspondence.

You need a Gmail or Google Workspace account that receives emails from your property manager. This includes personal Gmail accounts and business accounts on custom domains powered by Google Workspace. The Control Surface handles everything else automatically; no property addresses, manager contact info, or historical records are required upfront. Just connect your Google account and we do the rest. If you use a non-Google email provider (Outlook, Yahoo, etc.), contact us at support@thecontrolsurface.com to request support for your company or provider.

Yes, as a paid subscriber you can add properties anytime from your dashboard using the "Add Property" button. You can also re-run the Portfolio Discovery scan to detect newly acquired properties. Subscribers get automatic daily syncing for all addresses.

Yes. The Control Surface works with both personal Gmail accounts and Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) accounts with custom domains. Many property investors and LLCs use Google Workspace for business email, and the connection process is identical. Your Google Workspace admin may need to allow third-party app access if your organization restricts OAuth connections.

The Control Surface requests read-only access to your Google email (Gmail or Google Workspace). During the initial discovery scan, we scan only metadata (sender and subject lines). For imported properties, we use AI to read and summarize email content to extract maintenance details, costs, and vendor information. We never access emails unrelated to your confirmed properties.

We store AI extracted data (summaries, costs, dates, vendor names) but not full email content. Original emails remain in your Gmail account. We extract structured information like "HVAC repair - $450 - ABC Heating" rather than copying entire email threads.

Yes, all data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.3 and at rest using AES-256 encryption. Google OAuth tokens are encrypted before storage. Our infrastructure runs on Google Cloud with enterprise-grade security certifications including SOC 2 compliance.

Absolutely. Visit Google Security Settings (myaccount.google.com/security) and remove The Control Surface from your connected apps. You can also delete your The Control Surface account from your dashboard settings, which removes all stored data and immediately revokes our access to your Gmail account.

Never. The Control Surface does not sell, share, or transfer your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes. We share data only with essential service providers (Stripe for payments, Google Cloud for hosting) under strict data processing agreements.

The Control Surface adheres to Google API Services User Data Policy including Limited Use requirements. We use Gmail data exclusively to provide our stated services. We do not use your data to train AI models or for advertising purposes.

Your Portfolio subscription is annual, so you retain full access until your paid period ends. After that, your account reverts to Scout tier (one property). All your data remains intact - nothing is deleted. You can delete your account anytime from Settings. Cancelling your subscription does not delete your data, that is in your control.

The Control Surface starts by scanning emails from the property manager you confirm during setup to discover your properties. From there, it incorporates emails about those confirmed properties from any relevant sender, including co-owners, vendors, and insurance companies you may manage independently of your property manager. But it only looks for emails related to your confirmed properties. Out of the dozens of emails you receive each week, everything unrelated is ignored. We also proactively block categories of email that should never appear, such as investment company solicitations, brokerage statements, and personal correspondence. The founder receives about 55 emails per week and only about 10 are property-related. Seeing personal emails in the product is a failure case we actively work against on our own inbox, so the filtering we build for ourselves is the same filtering that protects you.

We analyze your Google email (Gmail or Google Workspace) for patterns indicating property management correspondence: keywords like "work order," "rent statement," "lease renewal" combined with consistent sender domains. The system ranks potential managers by email volume and presents top matches for your confirmation.

Google's Gemini AI reads each email and extracts structured data: maintenance type, cost estimates, vendor names, dates, and resolution status. The AI understands property management context, distinguishing between "quote for $500" versus "invoice for $500 paid."

The Control Surface connects the dots between related emails automatically. When the same vendor handles a repair from initial request through completion and invoice, those emails become one unified case. You see the full story - not scattered fragments - so you can track what happened, who did it, and what it cost.

The Activity Feed shows your last 20 property management emails at a glance. Each entry displays the sender, AI-generated summary, detected costs, and tags - plus a direct link to open the original email in Gmail. It's a quick way to see recent activity without digging through your inbox.

The Control Surface recognizes the full turnover lifecycle in your emails: notice to vacate, property listings, applications, lease signings, and move-in confirmations. Each turnover is tracked as a timeline so you can see where every unit stands - from first notice through keys-in-hand - without digging through email threads.

Yes, we extract text from PDF attachments including invoices, inspection reports, and lease documents. Large files (over 5MB) and scanned images without text layers are skipped. Tax documents (K-1s, 1040s) are automatically filtered out as well. If adding these in is important to you, contact us at support@thecontrolsurface.com

Once per day automatic daily syncing. The system checks for new emails from your property manager each evening after their work day ends and processes them in the background. New cases appear in your dashboard the next time you log in.

Four tiers designed for rental property investors of all sizes: The Scout (free, 1 property) lets you validate the product. The Investor ($99/year, 2-50 properties) is perfect for independent rental property investors - at just $8.25/month, one avoided duplicate repair bill pays for your subscription. The Operator ($299/year, 51-150 properties) serves serious portfolios with dedicated support and custom exports. Enterprise (150+ properties) offers volume pricing - contact us (support@thecontrolsurface.com) and we will help you get set up with the appropriate plan.

The Scout gives you full access to one property - this isn't a trial, it's the complete product. You get email scanning, AI extraction, case organization, vendor tracking, and the Activity Feed. Upgrade to The Investor when you're ready to unlock your full portfolio with daily syncing, cross-property insights, and multi-year history.

Cancel anytime from Settings in your dashboard. Your Investor or Operator access continues until the end of your current billing period. After that, your account reverts to The Scout tier with access to one property. We offer a 14-day money-back guarantee for new subscribers.

We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) through Stripe's secure payment processing. We do not store credit card numbers on our servers. Annual billing only; no monthly option currently available.

We offer a 14-day money-back guarantee if you don't find value in The Control Surface.

The Control Surface analyzes property management correspondence: maintenance requests, work orders, vendor invoices, inspection reports, lease documents, rent statements, turnover notices, and general property communications. Marketing emails and spam are automatically filtered out. We ignore your emails that aren't related to property management.

We automatically build a vendor directory from your emails: plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, roofers, handymen, and other service providers. Contact information, company names, and email frequency are captured. You can manually update roles if AI misclassifies someone.

The Control Surface identifies costs mentioned in your emails & PDF invoices so you can stay aware of money flowing through your properties. We extract amounts from invoices, quotes, and work orders. However, we're not an accounting system - always check your property manager's portal for official accounting records.

You only see what matters. The Control Surface automatically filters out newsletters, marketing emails, and duplicates. Only genuine property management correspondence makes it into your dashboard, keeping your cases clean and focused on real maintenance, leasing, and vendor activity.

The scanner looks for business email domains with property management keywords. If your manager uses Gmail/Yahoo (public domain), they may not be detected. Try the "None of these match" option and manually enter your manager's email address for a direct scan.

There are two stages. Portfolio Discovery (detecting your property manager and properties) scans email metadata only and finishes in under 30 seconds. The Deep Scan (reading content, extracting costs and vendors, building cases) takes a few minutes per property, so a 20-property portfolio will take longer than a 3-property one. The important thing: you don't need to wait. Deep scans run entirely in the cloud. Close the tab and come back whenever you like; your cases will be ready when you return.

Property detection relies on addresses appearing in email subject lines. If a property isn't detected, add it manually from the dashboard using the "Add Property" button. Enter the street address exactly as your manager writes it in emails.

If you see an error in the AI extraction, please let us know at support@thecontrolsurface.com and we'll work to resolve it. Your feedback helps us improve the extraction accuracy for everyone.

This usually means your Gmail session expired. Log out from the Settings menu, then log back in through "Connect Gmail." If the issue persists, visit Google Security Settings and remove The Control Surface, then reconnect with fresh authorization.