How Allotmin works

Allotmin keeps your membership and plot data in one place so you can see who holds which plot, who has multiple plots, and who is waiting.

• 1
  Add and edit members. Enter each member’s name, email, phone, and membership dates. You can organise members into groups (e.g. by site or role) to make filtering and emails easier.
• 2
  Create your plots. Add every plot with a reference (e.g. plot number or code), optional site or area, and status. You can bulk-import plots from a spreadsheet if you already have a list.
• 3
  Assign plots to members. From a member’s profile, assign one or more plots. Allotmin supports multiple plots per member and shows which plots are taken or available at a glance.
• 4
  Bring your spreadsheet with you. If you’re moving from a spreadsheet or another system, save it as a CSV and upload it as it is. Allotmin matches the columns by name in any order, tells you which it skipped, flags anyone who looks like a duplicate, and shows you everything before saving.

A clear, ordered waiting list reduces disputes and saves time. Allotmin lets you maintain the list, reorder when needed, and even let people join and check their position online.

• 1
  Add people to the list. Add applicants with their contact details and the date they joined the list. You can search and filter the list so you always know who’s next.
• 2
  Reorder when necessary. Move entries up or down with a single click. When a plot becomes available, you can see the next person in line and update the list without retyping.
• 3
  Offer public signup (optional). Generate a unique signup link so applicants can add themselves to the waiting list. They receive a reference number and can later check their position online, which cuts down on “where am I on the list?” enquiries.
• 4
  Promote to member when ready. When you offer a plot, remove the person from the waiting list and add them as a member, then assign the plot. Your history stays in one system.

Allotment websites can be troublesome to maintain and update — let Allotmin take care of it. Allotmin builds a proper website at your own address, with your photos, notices, documents and contact details, by filling in a few boxes. There is no hosting to buy, no domain to renew and nothing to keep updated.

• 1
  Turn it on and choose your address. Switch the website on in settings and pick the name it sits at — yourallotment.allotmin.co.uk. A Website tab appears where you build it. Nothing is public yet.
• 2
  Add your photos and a few words. Upload a main photo of the site, your logo and a gallery — straight from your phone if you like, since they’re shrunk automatically before they send. Write a short piece about the allotment, add your contact details and an address for the map. Pick one of six colour schemes; every one has been checked for readability, so you can’t choose a bad one.
• 3
  Post notices that look after themselves. Write next month’s AGM notice today and give it a date: it appears on the day. Add an end date and it takes itself down when it’s past. Nothing to remember and nothing to tidy up afterwards.
• 4
  Put your documents where people can find them. Your constitution, site rules, tenancy agreement or the minutes of the last AGM — tick Show on our website next to anything in your document library and visitors can download it themselves. Untick it and the links stop working straight away; the file stays in your library either way, so nothing is lost. Up to 20 documents per site.
• 5
  Preview it, then publish. Build the whole thing quietly and look at it yourself first — nobody else can see it until you press publish, and you can take it down again at any time without losing a word. Once it’s live it carries a proper certificate, gets listed with search engines and shows a tidy preview when someone shares it on Facebook or WhatsApp.
• 6
  Let visitors join the waiting list themselves. Check the box in your website’s settings area to add a “Join the waiting list” button to your website. Your members’ details never appear on the website — it only ever shows the words and photos you put there.

Track rent and other charges per member, open a new billing year when you’re ready, and record who has paid so you can chase arrears and run reports.

• 1
  Open a rental year. When it’s time to bill (e.g. for the new season), open a new rental year in Allotmin. The system takes a snapshot of current members and their plots so you bill the right people.
• 2
  See who owes what. Each member’s charge is shown with their plot details. You can handle members who leave or join mid-year and adjust the snapshot if needed.
• 3
  Record what comes in. Mark a member as paid, or record a part payment and see exactly what is still owed. Switch on automatic reminders and Allotmin emails late payers on a schedule you set, and each member can check their own balance from a private link.
• 4
  Keep a clear history. Past years remain visible so you have an audit trail and can answer questions about previous payments without digging through spreadsheets.

Rent is rarely the only thing an association bills for, and not every member pays the same. Charges and concessions go on the same yearly invoice as rent, each as its own line, so members can see exactly what they are paying for.

• 1
  Set up a charge. Add a water levy, a membership sub or a delivery, as a fixed amount per member or per plot, for every plot holder or just one group.
• 2
  Choose whether it repeats. A yearly charge is added automatically each time you open a billing year. A one-off can be added to the current year whenever you need it.
• 3
  Give money off to those who qualify. A concession is a fixed amount or a percentage, given to a group such as “Over 60s” or to one member by hand. Choose whether it comes off rent, other charges, or both. It never takes a bill below zero.
• 4
  Members see why. Every charge and concession shows as its own line on the member’s invoice, on their balance page, and in the invoice breakdown you can email them.

Track the physical items you issue to members — gate keys, shed keys, anything with a deposit against it — and the money held for each, kept completely separate from rent.

• 1
  Define your deposit types. Set up types like “gate key” or “plot deposit” with a default amount and whether it’s refundable. A type can track individual numbered items, or simply hold money.
• 2
  Add your items. For item-based types, add a whole batch in one go (e.g. “keys 1–30”) so your inventory is ready before you start issuing.
• 3
  Issue, return and forfeit. Issue a deposit straight from an item’s row or the type’s “take a deposit” form. When it comes back, mark it returned and record whether the refund was paid; if it isn’t coming back, confirm and forfeit.
• 4
  Keep track at a glance. See totals held, items out and anything forfeited this year on the deposits dashboard and on each member’s own Keys & Deposits tab — always separate from your rent figures.

Communicate with members and applicants without leaving Allotmin. Send one-off emails or use templates, attach documents, and target specific groups such as unpaid members or plot holders.

• 1
  Use the messaging centre. From the email section you can compose a new message, choose who receives it (e.g. all members, unpaid members, a specific group, or plot holders), and add a subject and body.
• 2
  Attach documents. Upload and store key documents (rules, policies, renewal forms) in Allotmin. When sending an email, you can attach one or more of these so everyone gets the same file without separate emails.
• 3
  Create email templates. Save common messages (e.g. “rent due”, “plot offered”, “waiting list update”) as templates. Reuse them and personalise with the member’s name so emails feel consistent and professional.
• 4
  Send from your organisation. Configure a “from” address (e.g. secretary@youraa.org.uk) in settings so emails come from your association. Recipients see your organisation’s identity and can reply to the right place.

Walk the site on your phone and record the condition of every plot as you go. Each inspection is kept against the plot as a permanent record, and you can email the holder about any issues with a single tap — no clipboard or spreadsheet required.

• 1
  Start a site walk. Open the inspections section on your phone to see a card for every plot. The “outstanding only” filter is on by default, so plots drop off the list as you check them and you always know what’s left. You can set how often a plot is due for re-inspection (e.g. every 7, 14, 30, or 90 days).
• 2
  Mark each plot as you walk. Tap ✓ Satisfactory for a plot that’s fine, or ⚠ Issue to record a problem. For an issue you can pick from quick problem tags (e.g. overgrown, untended), add notes, attach a photo, and adjust the date.
• 3
  Email the holder about issues (optional). When a plot has a problem, you can email the member straight away or later from the saved inspection. Add an editable “please address these issues by…” deadline if you wish. The email is logged against the member’s correspondence so you have a record of what was sent.
• 4
  Keep a full history per plot. Every inspection is bonded to the plot, so reassigning it later never rewrites the past. View a plot’s full inspection history at any time, see the latest outcome on each card, and remove an accidental duplicate if needed.

If you manage more than one site, Allotmin keeps each one completely separate — while staying on a single account.

• 1
  Add a site. Add a second site from the account menu whenever you need one. Nothing changes for single-site associations until you do.
• 2
  Switch in one click. Use the site switcher in the account menu to jump between sites. Allotmin remembers the one you last worked in.
• 3
  Everything kept separate. Each site has its own members, plots, waiting list, billing year, inspections, correspondence, keys & deposits and documents — and its own public sign-up link and its own website.
• 4
  Share what makes sense. Email templates are shared across all your sites by default, or you can pin one to a single site when it’s site-specific.

Everyone on the committee can sign in to the same association with their own email address and password, so nobody shares a login and you can always see who recorded what.

• 1
  Invite people. From Settings → People, enter a name and email address and choose a role. They get an email with a link to set their own password. The link works for a week, and you can send it again or withdraw it.
• 2
  Choose what each person can do. Owners can do everything, including inviting people and closing the account. Committee members can do everything else. Viewers can look at everything but change nothing.
• 3
  Limit someone to one site. If you look after more than one site, you can limit a person to theirs. They only ever see that site, and the site switcher disappears for them.
• 4
  Change your mind at any time. Change a role, hand ownership to someone else, or remove a person. Anyone removed is signed out straight away, and everything they recorded stays. Up to ten people per association.