Why your society needs community marketplace
Residents already trade furniture, find tenants, and hire tutors — but a single "FOR SALE" message in the main society group drowns out AGM reminders and maintenance notices.
Pain point 1: Governance chat mixed with classifieds
The same WhatsApp group carries bye-law votes, water shutdown alerts, and someone's old sofa. Committee messages get buried; residents mute the group and miss official notices.
Fix: Keep buy/sell/rent in Marketplace (/marketplace) — governance stays on the Notice
Board and polls.
Pain point 2: No moderation when something is inappropriate
External brokers, duplicate spam, or misleading rent ads sit in chat until someone complains offline.
Fix: Residents report via report_listing; status becomes pending_review and lands in the
admin queue. Committee uses moderate_listing to approve or remove — with an audit trail.
Pain point 3: Stale "available" posts
A flat marked "on rent" in a six-month-old message still gets calls — neighbours waste time.
Fix: Owners mark sold or remove listings; expired items can move to expired so buyers see current stock only.
Pain point 4: Strangers in society-only deals
Open Facebook groups and broker chains are not limited to verified flat owners in your CHS.
Fix: Only society members with claimed flats post and browse — same trust layer as voting and the member directory.