Setup Guide

Get your agency up and running on Realform in under 10 minutes. From creating your account to sending your first form for signing — here's everything you need to know.

1. Getting Started

Create Your Account

Visit realform.com.au and click Get Started or Sign In. You'll be prompted to create your agency account by providing your name, work email, and agency name. Use your agency's official email domain — this helps keep your account tied to your organisation.

Verify Your Email

After signing up, check your inbox for a verification email from Realform containing a 6-digit code. Enter this code on the verification page to activate your account. The code expires after 10 minutes.

Tip: If you don't see the email within 2 minutes, check your spam folder. You can request a new code from the login page.

Set Up Your Agency Profile

Once verified, you'll land on your agency dashboard. From here you can configure your agency's details:

  • Agency name — as it should appear on forms and certificates
  • ABN / ACN — for compliance and commission reporting
  • Office address — displayed on form headers and legal documents
  • Contact phone and email — used as the default on outgoing forms
  • Brand logo — optional, appears on certificates and email notifications

First account = Agency Admin. The person who creates the account is automatically the agency admin. Admins can manage staff, templates, and agency settings. You can promote other staff to admin later.

2. Inviting Your Team

After setting up your agency profile, invite your property managers and support staff. Go to Settings → Team in your dashboard and click Invite Staff.

Adding Staff Members

Enter the email address of each staff member you want to invite. You can add multiple people at once by separating emails with commas or adding them one at a time. Each invitee will receive an email with a link to set up their password and join your agency.

Understanding Roles

Realform has two staff roles:

  • Admin — Full access to all agency settings. Can invite and remove staff, create and edit templates, view all form requests across the agency, manage billing, and configure agency profile settings. Each agency should have at least one admin.
  • Staff — Can create form requests, send them for signing, and manage their own documents. Staff members cannot access agency settings, manage templates, invite new users, or view other staff members' submissions unless explicitly shared.

Tip: Give admin access to at least two people in your agency. That way if one admin is unavailable, someone else can manage settings and invite new team members.

You can change any staff member's role at any time from the Settings → Team page. Changes take effect immediately — no need for the staff member to re-login.

3. Setting Up Templates

Templates are the backbone of your form requests. Realform gives you two ways to work with them.

Use Built-In Templates

Realform comes with pre-built, VIC-compliant authority forms formatted to ADL specification:

  • Exclusive Selling Authority — standard residential sales agreement
  • General Selling Authority — non-exclusive sales agreement

These templates are ready to use out of the box — no setup required. Just select one when creating a form request.

Upload Custom PDFs

If you need forms beyond the built-in templates — for example, state-specific forms for NSW or QLD, or custom agency agreements — you can upload your own PDFs:

  1. Go to Templates → Upload New in your dashboard.
  2. Select your PDF document. Ensure it's a clean, text-based PDF (not a scanned image).
  3. Name your template so your team can easily identify it.
  4. Set it as active so staff can use it in form requests.

Defining Field Positions

After uploading a PDF template, you'll enter the Field Positioning Editor. This is where you define where auto-filled values and signature blocks appear on the document:

  • Text fields — place markers for vendor name, property address, fee values, dates, and other dynamic content.
  • Signature fields — define where the vendor, agent, or witness signs.
  • Date fields — auto-populate the signing date or effective date.
  • Checkboxes — pre-fill standard options like GST applicability or exclusive rights.

Important: Field positioning only needs to be done once per template. After setup, every form request using that template will automatically apply your defined field positions. Staff don't need to reposition fields each time.

Once your template is configured, save it. It will appear in the template library for all staff members to use.

4. Creating Your First Form Request

With your templates ready and your team onboarded, you're ready to create your first form request.

1

Select a Template

From your dashboard, click New Form Request. Choose the appropriate template — for example, "Exclusive Selling Authority" for a standard residential sales engagement.

2

Fill in Vendor Details

Enter the vendor's name, email, phone, and property address. This information populates the form automatically based on your template's field positions.

3

Enter Commission & Fees

Input the agreed commission structure — management fee, letting fee, advertising costs, and any special conditions. Realform auto-calculates GST, subtotals, and the total commission as you type. No manual maths, no spreadsheets, no errors.

4

Review Auto-Filled Fields

Before sending, preview the completed form to verify all values are correct. The preview shows exactly what the vendor will see, with all fields filled in according to your template positions. Make adjustments if needed.

Note: All commission and fee data is preserved in the signed document. This means your signed form doubles as a permanent record of the agreed fee structure — useful for reconciliation at settlement or end-of-month.

5. Sending for Signature

Once your form request is ready, it's time to send it to your vendor for signing.

Review Before Sending

Realform shows you a full preview of the completed form before it goes out. Check that:

  • All vendor details are accurate (name spelling, property address, email)
  • Commission figures and GST are calculated correctly
  • Signature fields are positioned where expected
  • Date fields show the correct values

Send the Form

When everything looks good, click Send for Signing. Realform will:

  1. Generate a secure, one-time signing link for the vendor
  2. Send a professional email notification to the vendor's inbox
  3. Log the "Sent" event with a timestamp in the audit trail
  4. Update the form request status to Pending on your dashboard

Tip: Send the form request from your own email address if possible. Vendors are more likely to open an email from a familiar name than from a generic system address. You can customise the email message before sending.

What the Vendor Sees

The vendor clicks the signing link and lands on a clean, distraction-free page. They don't need to create an account or install any app. They are asked to:

  1. Enter a one-time code sent to their email (identity verification)
  2. Review the completed form on screen
  3. Tap or click the signature field to sign

Most vendors complete the signing in under 60 seconds on any device — phone, tablet, or desktop.

6. Managing Signed Documents

After the vendor signs, everything is stored and organised for you. Here's what you get.

Document Dashboard

Your dashboard shows all form requests at a glance — pending, signed, and expired. Filter by date, staff member, or property. Click any document to view its full details.

Complete Audit Trail

Every action from creation to signing is logged with precise timestamps and IP addresses:

  • Form created by (staff name, date/time)
  • Form sent to (vendor email, date/time)
  • Signing link opened (date/time, IP address, device type)
  • Identity verified (date/time, OTP confirmation)
  • Document signed (date/time, IP address, device type)

Export the full audit trail as a report for your records or compliance review.

Certificate of Authenticity

A tamper-evident Certificate of Authenticity is automatically generated for every completed signing. It confirms:

  • The signer's verified identity
  • The exact date and time of signing
  • Document integrity (no changes after signing)
  • Compliance with Australian electronic transactions legislation

Download the certificate instantly from the document detail page. It's admissible as evidence in dispute resolution or compliance audits.

Commission Reports

All fee data entered during form creation is preserved in the signed document and available for reporting. From your dashboard:

  • View commission summaries per landlord or property
  • Run reports across your entire portfolio
  • Export data for end-of-month reconciliation with your accounting system

7. Tips & Best Practices

Field Positioning Tips

  • Place fields where they fit naturally. Use the Field Positioning Editor to align auto-fill fields with the original PDF layout. The closer your fields match the printed form, the more professional the result.
  • Test before going live. Create a test form request with sample data and send it to yourself before using a template with real vendors. This catches positioning issues before they affect real transactions.
  • Use consistent field sizing. Keep text fields large enough to accommodate the expected data. Vendor names and property addresses need more space than short fields like dates or dollar values.

Template Versioning

  • Don't edit active templates mid-use. If you need to update a template that's currently in use, create a new version rather than editing the existing one. This ensures in-progress form requests aren't affected by layout changes.
  • Use descriptive template names. Include the form type, version date, and jurisdiction (e.g., "Exclusive Selling Authority — VIC — Mar 2026"). This keeps your template library organised as you add more forms over time.
  • Archive outdated templates. Deactivate old template versions so staff don't accidentally use them for new form requests. Archived templates remain accessible for reference but won't appear in the default selection list.

Staff Permissions

  • Audit staff access regularly. When team members leave or change roles, update their permissions promptly. Staff members should only have the access level they need for their current role.
  • Use staff accounts for everyone. Don't share login credentials. Every team member should have their own account so the audit trail accurately reflects who created, sent, and managed each form request.
  • Train your team on template usage. Even with auto-fill, staff should understand which template to use for each scenario — exclusive vs general authority, sales vs property management. A quick team workshop prevents costly mistakes.

General Tips

  • Check vendor emails before sending. A typo in the vendor's email means the signing link goes nowhere. Verify the email address before hitting "Send for Signing."
  • Follow up on pending requests. If a vendor hasn't signed after a few days, send them a reminder or give them a quick call. Most delays happen because the email got buried, not because the vendor is hesitating.
  • Keep your agency profile up to date. If your agency changes address, phone number, or ABN, update it in Settings. Outdated information on signed forms can cause compliance issues later.

Pro tip: Set aside 30 minutes to walk through this guide with your team. Have each person create a test form request, send it to themselves, and walk through the signing flow. By the end of the session, everyone will be confident using Realform in real client work.

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