Getting Started: Setting Up Your First Portfolio
This guide walks you through setting up your property portfolio in 1st Numbers from scratch. You'll go from empty account to full portfolio visibility in under 10 minutes.
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Start Free TrialStep-by-Step Setup
Create Your Account
Sign up at app.1stnumbers.com/register with your email. You'll start on the Starter plan (free for 14 days, then £39/month). No credit card required for trial.
Add Your First Entity
Go to Entities & SPVs in the sidebar and create your first entity. This can be:
- Personal — if you own properties in your own name
- Company — if you own via a limited company / SPV
- Trust — if held in trust
Set the base currency (GBP for UK properties, USD for US, AED for UAE, NGN for Nigeria, etc.).
Tip: If you have both personal and SPV-owned properties, create separate entities for each.
Add Your Properties
Navigate to Properties → Add Property. For each property, enter:
- Address (city, postcode)
- Purchase price and date
- Current valuation (estimate is fine)
- Currency (GBP, USD, NGN, etc.)
- Monthly rent
- Property type (apartment, house, commercial)
- Status (Active, Void, Sold)
- Linked entity (personal or SPV)
Don't worry about perfection — you can update valuations and details anytime.
Add Financing (Mortgages)
Go to Financing → Add Loan. For each mortgage:
- Link to the property
- Original loan amount
- Current balance
- Interest rate (%)
- Loan type (Interest-Only or Repayment)
- Monthly payment
- Lender name (optional)
- Maturity date (for refinancing tracking)
The system calculates LTV, blended portfolio rate, and DSCR automatically.
Track Income & Costs
Navigate to Income & Costs. Here you can:
- Record monthly rent receipts
- Log maintenance and repair costs
- Track agent fees, insurance, safety certificates
- Mark void periods
This data feeds into your net yield calculation and operating expense ratio.
Tip: If you're just starting, you can estimate typical costs (e.g., 25-30% of rent for operating expenses).
Review Your Dashboard
Go back to Dashboard. You'll now see:
- Total portfolio value
- Total equity (value - debt)
- Monthly cashflow
- Gross and net yield
- Weighted LTV
- 12-month cashflow forecast chart
- Property performance breakdown
Everything updates in real-time as you add data.
Explore Advanced Features
Once your core portfolio is set up, explore:
- Tax Position — estimate income tax, corp tax, and CGT exposure
- Forecasting — model 12-month cashflow with stress testing
- Capital Strategy — run hold vs sell analysis, acquisition modeling, debt vs equity comparisons
- Currencies — view multi-currency exposure normalized to GBP
- Documents — upload tenancy agreements, insurance policies, certificates with expiry tracking
Common Questions
Do I need exact numbers?
No. Start with estimates. The value of 1st Numbers is in tracking trends and comparing scenarios. Precision improves as you add real transaction data.
Can I import data from a spreadsheet?
Not yet — manual entry for now. CSV import is coming in a future release.
What if I have properties in multiple countries?
Perfect use case. Set each property's currency (GBP, USD, AED, NGN, etc.). The system auto-converts everything to your base currency for consolidated reporting.
Can I track multiple SPVs?
Yes. Create one entity per SPV, assign properties to each, and view consolidated or per-entity performance.
Next Steps
Once your portfolio is loaded:
- Set up forecasting to model rent reductions, rate increases, voids
- Use capital strategy tools to evaluate new acquisitions or hold vs sell decisions
- Upload documents to the vault and get expiry alerts
- Explore tax modeling to understand your real post-tax yield
Ready to Get Started?
Set up your portfolio in under 10 minutes. No credit card required for 14-day trial.
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