🎯 Goal
Set organisation-wide defaults across four areas in one place: Disposal options (building types, use classes, interest schedule defaults), Requirement options (Find Matches, follow-up reminders, sectors), Marketing defaults (text fields, floor unit columns), and Metrics (measurement standards, default rent/size/charge).
❓ Why
Default settings shape what users see first when they create disposals, requirements or marketing content. Setting these properly removes friction and gives your agency consistency across teams. Each settings area saves independently, so you can update one card without disturbing the others.
Who can use these settings?
Available to organisation admins at agency-type organisations.
Users with access to the Settings app.
Not available to non-admin users or landlord organisations - Kato redirects them to the home page if they open the URL directly.
🔍 Overview
Four settings areas, each split into individual cards that save independently:
Area | Cards |
Disposal Options | Available Building Types · Available Use Classes · Interest Schedule Defaults |
Requirement Options | Find Matches Defaults · Follow Up Reminder Default · Sectors |
Marketing | Default Marketing Text Fields · Default Floor Unit Columns |
Metrics | Available Measurement Standards · Default Metric Settings |
Items marked with * are Kato system defaults. You can still remove them if they're not relevant. Team-level settings can override organisation-level defaults where both exist.
📊 Disposal Options
1. Open Disposal Options
Go to Settings → Disposal Options
2. Available Building Types
In the Available Building Types card, search or browse the options
Select or clear building types
Keep at least one selected
Select Save changes
3. Available Use Classes
In the Available Use Classes card, select or clear use classes
Keep at least one selected
Select Save changes
4. Interest Schedule Defaults
Default status applied to:
New matches
Portal enquiries
Match requests
In Interest Schedule Defaults, choose a default for each dropdown.
Select Save changes.
📊 Requirement Options
1. Open Requirement Options
Go to Settings → Requirement Options
2. Find Matches Defaults
Controls whether Find Matches shows:
Your instructions, or Market intelligence only
In Find Matches Defaults, choose the default behaviour
Select Save changes
3. Follow Up Reminder Default
Controls how many days pass before Kato creates a follow-up reminder for new requirements.
Choose the number of days
Select Save changes
4. Sectors
Controls which sectors teams can use when classifying applicants and requirements.
Select or clear sectors
Keep at least one selected
Select Save changes
📊 Marketing Defaults
1. Open Marketing Defaults
Go to Settings → Marketing
2. Default Marketing Text Fields
Controls which text fields appear first in brochures and listings.
Select the fields to prioritise
Keep at least one selected
Select Save changes
3. Default Floor Unit Columns
Controls which columns appear by default in brochures, microsites and shortlist exports.
Select or clear columns
Keep at least one selected
Select Save changes
📊 Metrics
1. Open Metrics
Go to Settings → Metrics
2. Available Measurement Standards
Controls which measurement standards teams can use when recording floor areas and creating marketing materials.
Select or clear standards
Keep at least one selected
Select Save changes
3. Default Metric Settings
Sets the default Size, Rent and Charge metrics for new disposals and requirements. Teams can override these at record level.
Choose values from each dropdown
Select Save changes
❓ Saving changes
Each card saves independently. The Save changes button stays disabled until you make a change. After a successful save, the button disables again until another change is made.
❓ Troubleshooting
Issue | What to do |
Save changes is disabled | Make a change and keep at least one option selected in any required list |
You cannot access a settings area | Confirm you're an organisation admin at an agency-type organisation |
A validation message appears | Select at least one option (building type, use class, sector, measurement standard, text field or floor unit column) before saving |
✅ You've done it when…
The Save changes button is disabled in the card you just updated (a sign your change has been saved).
New disposals and requirements show the values you defaulted.
Brochures, microsites and shortlist exports use your preferred columns and text fields.
Find Matches defaults to the behaviour you set.
💡 Common mistakes & pro tips
Clearing every option in a required list. Each list needs at least one selected - the save will be blocked.
Forgetting to save between cards. Each card saves independently - editing four cards then leaving means losing them all.
Removing system defaults without checking impact. The
*system defaults can be removed, but they're there for a reason - check before clearing.Expecting team settings not to override these. Team-level settings can override organisation defaults where both exist.
Confusing organisation defaults with record-level overrides. Metric defaults set here apply to new records; teams and users can still override at the record level.
💬 Need Help?
📞 0203 772 8898