The Building Reaches Out First

Expectation. The building shall anticipate lifecycle needs before the resident has to ask — communicating deadlines with lead time, handling data with transparency, and ensuring that no resident is disadvantaged by the design of the lifecycle process itself.

Required.

• Renewal communication is initiated by the building no fewer than 90 days before lease expiry. The communication includes the expiry date, available renewal options, proposed terms, and a response deadline that provides adequate time to decide. The communication is an invitation to consider options, not a deadline imposed without preparation.
• When a credential, authorization, or registration approaches expiry — parking permit, amenity access tied to a lease term, a household member's temporary credential — the resident is notified before the expiry, not after.
• The building publishes what personal data it collects, why, how long it retains data after move-out, and how the resident can request access, correction, or deletion. The published retention period is consistent with applicable data protection requirements. The data policy is accessible through the interface.
• A resident who cannot use the digital interface for lifecycle actions — due to language barrier, accessibility need, or device limitation — has access to an alternative method that results in the same outcome.
• After a high-impact lifecycle event — a move-in that required troubleshooting, a billing correction, a system failure during onboarding — the building initiates follow-up SUP.CA to confirm the issue is resolved. Follow-up is initiated by the building, not requested by the resident.

Recommended.

• When demand for move-in or move-out dates exceeds capacity — common at month-end — the building communicates availability and alternatives, rather than assigning dates without consultation.
• When a resident's lease is approaching expiry and no renewal action has been taken, the building sends a reminder at a second interval — so the resident has more than one opportunity to engage.
• The building provides the resident with an exportable record of their occupancy data — payment history, documents, and correspondence — at or after move-out.

In practice.

A resident's lease expires on July 31. On May 1 — 91 days before — a notification appears: lease expiry approaching, renewal options available, review and respond by June 15. The resident opens the interface and sees: 12-month renewal at current rate, 6-month renewal at adjusted rate, month-to-month option. They have 45 days to decide. They were not ambushed.

A resident's parking permit is tied to their lease term. The lease renews on August 1 but the parking permit was issued separately and expires July 31. Fourteen days before expiry, the resident receives a notification: parking permit expiring July 31, renewal required. The resident renews. They did not discover the expiry by finding the parking gate locked on August 1.

A resident moves in on a Saturday. The parking credential does not work. The building detects the failure, contacts the resident, and resolves it by Sunday morning. On Monday, a follow-up message: parking access confirmed working — let us know if anything else needs attention. The building checked back. The resident did not have to chase.

A resident moves out. They request an export of their payment history for tax records. The building provides a downloadable file covering the full occupancy period: dates, amounts, descriptions, receipts. The resident's financial record of living in the building is portable.

An elderly resident does not use a smartphone. Their lease renewal is handled through an alternative method — a phone call with a named contact, followed by written confirmation delivered to their unit. The renewal is recorded in the system with the same status as a digital renewal. The resident's inability to use the interface did not prevent them from renewing.

Failure modes.

Renewal ambush. The lease expires in three weeks. The resident had no idea. The office sends a renewal notice with a 10-day deadline and a rent increase. The resident was going to renew — now they are considering leaving on principle. The building's failure to communicate early turned a renewal into a confrontation.

Silent expiry. A resident's gym access is tied to their lease term. The lease renews but the gym authorization does not auto-extend. The resident discovers the lapse when they are denied entry at the gym door. No notification was sent before the expiry. The gap existed because the systems were not linked and no one communicated the mismatch.

Data opacity. A resident asks what personal data the building holds about them. The office has no published policy, no data inventory, and no process for responding. The resident's question goes unanswered for weeks. The building collects data across ten systems and cannot account for what it holds.

Interface-only lifecycle. The building's renewal process is entirely digital. A resident with limited vision cannot navigate the interface. No alternative is offered. The resident's lease lapses because the building designed a process that excluded them.

Test.

1. Set a lease expiry 90 days in the future. Confirm: the building initiates renewal communication at or before the 90-day mark.
2. Set a credential expiry. Confirm: the resident is notified before the expiry.
3. View the building's data policy in the interface. Confirm: it states what data is collected, retention periods, and how to request access or deletion.
4. Attempt to complete a lifecycle action through an alternative method (phone, in-person). Confirm: the action succeeds and is recorded in the system.
5. After a move-in issue is resolved, confirm: the building initiates follow-up without the resident requesting it.