How the Matchouse Chat System Works

The Matchouse chat system is one of the platform’s most powerful features. It’s designed not just for messaging, but for real collaboration across property and service transactions. Whether you're renting a property, hiring a service professional, or managing a property deal with multiple parties — Matchouse chat keeps everything in one place.

Last updated 8 months ago

Understanding Message Requests and Offer Invites

Matchouse is designed to facilitate smooth, transparent collaboration between users. Whether you're offering services, listing a property, or seeking help, understanding how Message Requests and Offer Invites work is essential to managing communication efficiently.

1. 📨 What is a Message Request?

A Message Request is when a user shows interest in your listing, service offer, or profile and wants to start a conversation with you.

Who can send them?

  • Buyers, Tenants, or Service Seekers can send requests to Estate Agents, Landlords, or Service Professionals.

  • Estate Agents or Professionals can also receive message requests based on their active listings or offers.

When does it appear?

  • When a user clicks "Connect" or tries to message someone after discovering a listing, offer, or public profile.

  • For Service Professionals and Estate Agents, these messages are triggered when your offer matches a user’s request.

💡 Note: To reply to a service request message, the agent or professional must first purchase the corresponding lead.

2. 🎁 What is an Offer Invite?

An Offer Invite happens when a user posts a job, property need, or service request, and Matchouse automatically matches it with relevant professionals or agents based on:

  • Services and locations set in Lead Settings

  • Smart profile-matching (availability, user intent, relevance)

When matched, the professional or agency is invited to respond to the opportunity — this is called an Offer Invite.

Key Actions:

Action Who Does It Purpose

Post a Service Request

Buyer, Tenant, or Landlord

Seek help for property/legal/repair services

Get Matched

Estate Agent or Professional

Receive invite to view the request

Accept Lead

Estate Agent or Professional

Pay to unlock chat, submit offer or collaborate

3. 📚 Real-Life Scenarios

Scenario 1: A Buyer Wants to Arrange a Mortgage Consultation

  • User: Anna, a first-time buyer

  • Action: She posts a service request for a mortgage advisor in Manchester.

  • System: Matchouse finds 3 mortgage advisors in her area and sends them offer invites.

  • Advisor: James gets an invite in his Leads section. He reviews the job and purchases the lead to join the chat and help Anna.

Scenario 2: A Landlord Seeks a Lettings Agent

  • User: David, a landlord with a 2-bed flat in Leeds.

  • Action: He submits a service request for a fully managed lettings service.

  • System: Several verified estate agents receive invites. David receives messages only from those who purchase the lead.

  • Agent: Emma purchases the lead, sends her offer through the chat, and secures the job.

Scenario 3: A Buyer Hires a Solicitor and Forms a Group Chat

  • User: Sarah, a buyer matched with a property

  • Action: After negotiating with the agent, she hires a conveyancing solicitor.

  • Result: Sarah invites the solicitor into the existing property chat. Now, agent + buyer + solicitor are all in one thread, managing the transaction collaboratively.

4. 🔐 Who Can Join Chats After Invites?

Role Can Accept Service Request Invite? Can Join Property Chat After Being Hired?

Service Professional

✅ Yes (after buying lead)

✅ Yes

Estate Agent

✅ Yes (after buying lead)

✅ Yes

Landlord / Buyer / Tenant

🚫 N/A

✅ Can invite others

Admin/Moderator/Member in Agency

Depends on Chat Settings

✅ Yes if role access is granted

5. 🛠️ Internal Team Chat Capabilities

Estate Agencies and Professional Business Accounts can create internal group chats:

  • For collaboration within their team (e.g. Accounts, Maintenance, Sales)

  • Only accessible internally — not visible to other users

  • Great for delegating or tracking tasks by role (admin, moderator, member)

Role-Based Chat Permissions

Agency or business admins can control who from their team:

  • Can auto-join service-related chats

  • Has access to specific chat groups

  • Can respond to incoming leads

🌟 Example: A property maintenance team might include a member (junior technician), a moderator (team lead), and an admin (account manager). Only the admin might have chat access for incoming repair requests.

6. 🔍 Where to See Message Requests & Offers

What You’re Looking For Where to Find It

New message requests

Dashboard > Messages

New service invites

Dashboard > Leads

Active property offers

Dashboard > Properties

Team chat groups

Dashboard > Messages (Internal tab)

7. 🧩 Tips for Success

  • ✅ Respond promptly to invites to improve trust

  • ✅ Set up Lead Settings and Locations to get relevant matches

  • ✅ Monitor your inbox and app notifications to never miss a lead

  • ✅ Keep your service descriptions and categories updated

  • ✅ Agencies: configure chat roles early to streamline workflows

❓FAQs

Can professionals reply to chats without paying?

No. For service request leads, professionals and agents must purchase the lead before they can chat with the user.

Can users be part of multiple chats?

Yes. Service seekers, buyers, landlords, or tenants can invite multiple professionals into a single group chat, turning it into a collaborative workspace.

Can I delete a message request?

Not at the moment. You can archive or mute the conversation instead.

💡 Need Help?

Tap the live chat icon anytime for support, or explore more guides in the Messaging, Offers & Communication section.