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The following are the Latchel updates for the week of November 2, 2026.
Next Live Webinar: From Answering Everything to Working EverywhereJoin us Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET for our next live webinar session.

Save your seat!

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New Features

  1. Conversations Is Live for All Customers — Plus a New AI Assistant Tab
AI Messaging has finished rolling out, and Conversations is now live for all customers! Here’s what’s new:
  • A new home for your messages: Next to the bell in the top-right nav you’ll find the Conversations icon, where every resident and vendor conversation now lives. The old SMS icon is now a chat-with-support icon that goes straight to our team.
Latchel Support
  • The AI Assistant tab: Want to see what your AI assistant has been doing for you? Go to Account Settings → AI Assistant, or click See everything from your feed. You’ll see messages handled, vendor conversations, time on the phone, and how much happened after hours vs. business hours, so you can see what you didn’t have to be bothered with.
AI Assistant Tab
  • Your vendor call schedule: Also in the AI Assistant tab → Settings, choose which days your vendors get automated calls (Tuesdays and Thursdays only, for example) and narrow the call hours (say 10–4 instead of 10–7). Vendors still set their own time windows, and you can see which ones have.
AI Assistant Settings
AI features are on by default for Autopilot customers as we roll out Autopilot AI. If you’d rather opt out, reach out to success@latchel.com.

AI Messaging: How Conversations Work

Learn how Latchel’s AI handles resident and service provider messages.

AI Assistant Tab

See what your AI assistant handled and set your vendor call schedule.
  1. Tell Our AI How You Want Troubleshooting Done (Beta)
Have a preferred way your residents should troubleshoot a leak, a breaker or a thermostat before a vendor goes out? You can now tell us. The new Troubleshooting Instructions field lets you write your company’s own guidance in plain language. Our AI then works it naturally into troubleshooting during intake, whether the resident calls in or submits through the web portal.
Conversation TS
Find it under Intake Settings → Conversation Settings → Troubleshooting Instructions. For now it applies across your whole company; portfolio- and property-level instructions are coming soon.

Conversation Settings

Customize how Latchel’s AI talks with residents during intake.
  1. Meet Latchel for Slack
Does your team talk maintenance in Slack? Now Latchel can join the conversation. With Latchel for Slack, you can:
  • Ask about a work order in the thread: tag @Latchel and get the status, vendor, appointment and resident without repeating the address
  • Turn a conversation into a work order: “@Latchel create a work order for this” fills in the property, resident and issue from the thread
  • Approve estimates, schedule work and message residents or vendors without leaving Slack
  • See what needs you: /latchel agenda privately lists the approvals, conversations and tasks waiting on you
Latchel acts with your own login and permissions, and it shows you every change before making it. Nothing happens until you click Confirm. Setup takes about two minutes.
Slack commands are included with all Latchel subscriptions. Conversational AI features are available exclusively for Autopilot AI customers.

Add Latchel to Slack

Use Google Chat or Microsoft Teams instead? We’re looking for beta testers! Reach out to success@latchel.com if you’d like early access.
  1. Techs Can Now Call Residents Without Sharing Their Number
Once a technician accepts an on-call alert or work order, they’ll see a new Call Resident button. Tap it, confirm, and Latchel calls the tech first, then connects them straight to the resident.
  • Numbers stay private: the resident sees your Latchel-assigned number, the same one they already use for maintenance. The tech’s own phone number is no longer shown to the resident.
  • Two-party consent: all parties are aware calls are being recorded at all times.
  • Everything is documented: each call is logged and all calls are recorded. Transcriptions and automatic work order updates based on the call are coming soon.
The button stays available for 72 hours after the alert is accepted.
  1. White Label by Community
Do you manage communities with their own brand? You can now turn on White Label for a portfolio. Residents will then see the community’s name, logo and colors instead of your company’s or Latchel’s on their dashboard, maintenance request forms, on-call screens and on-call notifications. Find it in your portfolio’s Portal Settings.

Account Settings Overview: Portal Settings

Customize what residents see in their portal.
Questions about setup? Reach out to success@latchel.com.
  1. Your Call History, Now in the Public API
You can now pull the calls received on your Latchel-assigned phone number through the Public API, up to a month at a time. For each call you’ll see when it came in, how long it lasted, whether it connected, the caller’s number, and the matching resident when there is one. It’s handy for reporting on how many calls Latchel handled for you, and when.

API Docs

Explore the Latchel Public API.

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Resolved Bugs

  1. Fewer Unnecessary Escalations From AI Messaging
What was happening:In the first days of Conversations, some resident messages escalated to property managers when they didn’t need to be. Behind the scenes, an extra safety check was flagging far more messages than it should have.
What’s fixed:AI Messaging now only escalates to you when a request is outside its scope, or when someone asks for a person on a work order you manage. Messages that were escalated by mistake have been de-escalated.

Shoutout!

Shoutout to Real Property Management Colorado for flagging it!
  1. Attach Photos and Files Anytime in Conversations
What was happening:Residents could only attach photos when the chat asked for them. Property managers couldn’t attach files in the new messaging view at all.
What’s fixed:Look for the paperclip. Residents, property managers and our team can now attach photos and files at any point in a conversation.

Shoutout!

Shoutout to Rental Zebra for the request!
  1. Non-Emergency Work Orders Route Correctly for Emergency-Only Plans
What was happening:For some customers on emergency-only coverage, non-emergency work orders were landing in Needs PM Approval instead of being forwarded to you. That also meant some expected new work order emails didn’t arrive.
What’s fixed:Non-emergency work orders are forwarded to you again, as they should be, and any changes you make to a work order right after creating it are still respected.
  1. Automated Calls Now Reach Vendors With U.S. Territory Phone Numbers
What was happening:Vendors whose phone numbers are in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands or American Samoa weren’t getting automated vendor calls.
What’s fixed:These numbers are now handled correctly, so these vendors get automated calls just like everyone else.
  1. Daily Vendor Reminders Now Focus on Current Work
What was happening:With AI Messaging, vendors get a daily text asking about their most pressing work order. For vendors with older jobs that were never closed out, that text could point to a work order from months, or even a year, ago. If the vendor replied, our AI sometimes couldn’t find the job it had just asked about.
What’s fixed:Daily reminders, text replies and AI chats now all work from the same list: open work orders with activity in the last 30 days. Vendors hear about the jobs that matter now, and the AI always knows which job they mean.
Have older work orders that never got closed out? Now’s a good time to complete or cancel them so your open list stays accurate. Connect Claude or ChatGPT to your Latchel account with the Latchel MCP to bulk update old work orders.Follow help guide below to learn how you can setup the Latchel MCP!

Latchel MCP for AI Assistants

Learn how to connect and use Latchel’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) to enable AI assistants to interact with your Latchel account.

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Key Ops Process Changes

  1. Finding the Source of Leaks From Neighboring Units
When water comes from the unit above, below or next door, the fastest fix is reaching whoever can shut it off. What’s changing:
  • When a resident reports a leak from a neighboring unit, our team now asks which unit it’s coming from
  • If that unit is in your portfolio, we call that resident once and ask them to check for a leak and turn off the water, then continue troubleshooting or dispatching
  • If we can’t identify or reach the neighboring unit, we escalate to you with a clear request for the information we need
What this means for you:
  • Fewer leak escalations that you have to sort out yourself
  • No added action required from you
Why this matters:
  • Stopping the water sooner means less damage
  • Neither resident’s details are ever shared with the other
  1. A Clear Plan When Flooding Can’t Be Stopped
What’s changing: If water can’t be stopped (for example, the shutoff valve is broken) and no plumber is available, our team will advise the resident to call 911 so emergency services can help stop the water.
What this means for you:We’ll escalate to you right away, as we do with every 911 situation, so you know what’s happening and what to do next.Why this matters:Uncontrolled water is one of the fastest ways a maintenance issue becomes major property damage. This makes sure the water gets stopped even when no plumber can respond.

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Special Announcements

  1. Live Webinar: From Answering Everything to Working Everywhere
Latchel already answers every resident call, text and message. Now we’re bringing Latchel to wherever you work. Join co-founders Will Gordon and Ethan Lieber on Tuesday, November 10 at 10:00 am PT / 1:00 pm ET for a live look at what’s new:
  • The new Latchel App for iOS and Android
  • Latchel for Slack and Microsoft Teams
  • The upgraded Latchel MCP, which connects your AI tools to Latchel and your other systems
  • A first look at private conversations that update work orders for you
  • Live Q&A, plus how to get early access
Bonus!Register for a chance to win a free month of Autopilot AI! You’ll get extra entries for attending live and for every colleague you refer, and two winners will be picked. Can’t make it? Register anyway, and we’ll email you the recording.

Save Your Seat!

  1. Save These Numbers So Your Team Never Misses an Emergency
When a technician or vendor misses an emergency alert, the cause is almost always their phone. Blocked numbers, spam filters, Do Not Disturb, and apps like Google Voice can quietly filter out automated calls and texts. Make sure your team and your vendors save these numbers as contacts:
  • Your Latchel-assigned number: work order updates, messages and replies. It’s the same number your residents call for maintenance.
  • 206-900-9466: emergency job offers
  • 978-848-4371: Latchel On-Call alerts, if your team uses On-Call
Check the article below to learn more about your Latchel-assigned number!

How to View Your Latchel-Assigned Phone Number

Learn where to find the phone number assigned to your Latchel Account.

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What Should Latchel Build Next? You Decide.

We’re locking our 2027 priorities soon, and this is your chance to influence what we build next. It takes less than 60 seconds — and every response goes straight to the product and leadership teams.

Submit your feedback here!

Your input directly shapes which features ship, improve, or get deprioritized — this is where ideas turn into action.

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Interested in learning more about Latchel’s products? Book a meeting with us.

Get a Demo

Last modified on November 2, 2026