Reference Guide: ButterflyMX Role Assignment Guide

Understanding Admin Roles

ButterflyMX offers different levels of administrative access. For a full, detailed breakdown of the admin role permissions, see this article. Here is a high-level overview of the different admin roles: 

• Property Admin: manage all property access and app permissions. Each property must have at least one but no more than two users with this role. Property Admins are the only role that can add other Community Admins.
• Community Admin: manage property access and app permissions for people (staff and tenants) with more restrictive roles at the property. Community Admins can only add other Unit Admins and Front Desk Attendants.
• Unit Admin: manage which tenants belong to their specified unit, typically in commercial buildings with office admins
• Front Desk Attendant: In the Front Desk Station app, these staff members manage visitor access and communicate with tenants.

👥 Adding an Admin

Ensure you have Property Admin permissions and that the person belongs to your building; if they don’t, you’ll need to add them first. To add them, go to the “Tenants section in the ButterflyMX OS, choose “Add tenant, and complete the form. If there is no unit actually occupied by property staff, they’re typically assigned a placeholder unit such as “00 (Staff).

• If you are the only Property Admin and are leaving the management team, please make sure you assign a second Property Admin before you leave

When the person belongs to your property, you're ready to assign a role.

1. Log in to the ButterflyMX OS

2. Click into your building

   

3. Navigate to Administrators in the left sidebar

   

4. Click Add Admin
5. On the next screen, make sure the “Administrator type" role shows the role you want to assign.
6. In the User menu, choose the person for the role. You can type all or part of their name to quickly filter the list.
7. If you are assigning a Unit admin role, you must also select one or more units for this person to manage.
8. When you’re done, use the Save button at the bottom. You’ll see confirmation at the top of the page that the new role was added.

🗑️ Removing an Admin

When an admin leaves your team or no longer needs access:

1. Go to the tab for the role you want to remove. Find the person and use the Remove link after their name
2. If they also no longer need access to the building, ensure they are moved out of the Tenants section as well

💡 Best Practices

• Use the principle of least privilege: Give admins only the access they need
• Regular audits: Review admin accounts quarterly and remove inactive users
• Document roles: Keep a record of who has admin access and why
• Immediate removal: Remove admin access as soon as someone leaves your team
• Unique accounts: Never share admin login credentials between multiple people
• Training: Ensure new admins understand their permissions and responsibilities
• Use Unit Admins wisely: In commercial properties, empower tenants with Unit Admin access

🔐 Security Considerations

• Remove admin access immediately when staff members leave
• Encourage all admins to use strong, unique passwords
• Review access logs regularly for unusual admin activity
• Limit the number of Property Managers to essential personnel only
• Use staff accounts instead of Community Admin for front desk personnel
• Periodically verify that all active admins still need their access level