Comparison
The spreadsheet is free, flexible and already open. Here's where it takes upkeep.
With enough setup a spreadsheet can flag blanks, colour dates and link to files. The catch is that someone has to build those rules, keep them working and open the file.
| What matters | The spreadsheet | Verixad |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | winsFree | From £59.99/month |
| Setup | winsNone, since it already exists | Minutes to sign up, and the import brings the sheet in |
| Flexibility | winsAny column you like, instantly | Structured records, with the flexibility limited on purpose |
| Knowing what's MISSING | A blank cell stands out only if someone built a rule to flag it, and a certificate with no column for it stays invisible | Each property carries its required certificates, and a certificate with nothing on record is flagged as loudly as an expired one |
| Remembering for you | Highlight rules can colour a date, but only someone who opens the file sees it, and on leave or a busy week nobody may | Live expiry status, and once you switch reminders on, a weekly summary and a morning email on days something is urgent |
| From problem to fixed | Chasing the engineer and filing the evidence happen outside the sheet, so someone has to remember to update it | Gap → dated action → contractor instructed (email drafted) → certificate read on return → record closed |
| More than one person | Works well as one shared online file; emailed or downloaded copies drift apart, and limiting who sees which rows takes extra setup | One live record, with roles and access set property by property for each person |
| The certificate files themselves | A cell can link to a file, but someone has to add each link and keep it working when folders move | Drop in the PDF or a photo and the type, dates and property are read for you, then confirmed by you |
| When a landlord asks | Filter, copy and tidy the rows for that landlord each time | A live report for each owner that you can print or send as a drafted email |
| When something goes wrong | Excel's change history shows who edited which cell when everyone works in the shared workbook, though not the evidence behind a changed date | Activity is kept on the record next to the evidence, and deleted records stay recoverable for 60 days with who and when |
| If you leave | winsIt's your file (genuinely a strength) | Export your records from Settings any time, and real deletion on a schedule you can see |
For a handful of properties and one careful person, the spreadsheet may be enough. Switch when keeping it up takes more time than the subscription costs.
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