SimpliHome is most useful when it proactively surfaces what you need to know — not when you have to remember to check. Notifications and reminders are how it does this.
But not all notifications are equally welcome. This guide covers what SimpliHome can notify you about, how to control it, and how to find the right balance between useful alerts and noise.
#Types of Notifications
SimpliHome sends two types of notifications:
In-app notifications — appear in the notification bell within SimpliHome. You see them when you log in or open the app.
Email notifications — sent to your registered email address. These arrive in your inbox whether or not you've checked SimpliHome recently.
Most notification types can be toggled independently so you can choose which channel (or both) you prefer for each type.
#What SimpliHome Can Notify You About
#Bills and Renewals
Reminders are sent ahead of upcoming bill renewal dates.
- When: Configurable — typically 30 days, 14 days, and 7 days before renewal
- Who: All Circle admins receive bill renewal reminders
- Covers: All bills with renewal dates in SimpliHome (energy, broadband, insurance, etc.)
This is the most valuable notification type — missing a renewal window for energy or insurance can be costly.
#MOT, Road Tax, and Vehicle Insurance
Reminders for vehicle renewal dates.
- When: Configurable — 30 days, 14 days, and 7 days before expiry
- Covers: MOT expiry, road tax renewal, and vehicle insurance renewal dates
- Who: Circle admins
#Calendar Event Reminders
Reminders before upcoming calendar events.
- When: Configurable per event — 15 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day before, etc.
- Who: All Circle members who can see the event
#Task Assignments
Notifications when a to-do list task is assigned to you.
- When: Immediately on assignment
- Who: The person the task is assigned to
#Weekly Household Summary
A weekly email summary of what's happening across your Circle.
- When: Typically sent Monday morning
- Covers: Events this week, upcoming bills, pending tasks, and household activity
- Who: Configurable per user
#Circle Activity Notifications
Alerts when Circle members take notable actions — creating posts, adding notes, etc.
- When: Immediately on action
- Who: Configurable
#Configuring Your Notification Preferences
Go to Settings → Notifications to manage your preferences.
Each notification type has:
- A toggle for in-app notifications
- A toggle for email notifications
- Sometimes a timing preference (how far ahead to send)
Recommended setup for most users:
| Notification type | In-app | Email | |------------------|--------|-------| | Bill renewals | On | On | | Vehicle renewals | On | On | | Calendar events | On | Off (unless you don't check the app daily) | | Task assignments | On | On | | Weekly summary | Off | On | | Circle activity | On | Off |
The reasoning: bills and vehicle renewals are high-stakes enough to warrant email. Calendar events are usually known about in advance. Task assignments benefit from email so the person doesn't miss them. The weekly summary is a useful Monday morning email but doesn't need an in-app notification too.
#Renewal Reminder Timing
For bills and vehicle renewals, the lead time matters.
30 days: Gives you time to shop around and compare providers. Ideal for energy, broadband, insurance.
14 days: Useful for a second reminder if you didn't act on the first.
7 days: Urgent — act now. This is a safety net.
Most users find a 30-day first reminder and a 7-day final reminder is the right balance. The 30-day alert gives breathing room; the 7-day alert ensures nothing slips through.
Adjust timing in Settings → Notifications → Renewal Timing.
#The Weekly Summary Email
The weekly summary is one of SimpliHome's most useful features once your household data is populated. Sent on Monday mornings, it covers:
- Events this week — what's on the calendar
- Bills due this month — upcoming renewals with days remaining
- Pending tasks — to-do items due this week
- Vehicle renewals — any MOTs, tax, or insurance due soon
- Household activity — a brief digest of what happened last week
It's a 60-second read that ensures you start each week knowing what's coming across all areas of household management.
Enable the weekly summary email in Settings → Notifications and give it a few weeks — it becomes a household institution.
#Unsubscribing From Individual Email Types
If a particular notification type is generating too much email:
- Go to Settings → Notifications
- Find the specific notification type
- Toggle Email off (leave In-app on if you still want it in the app)
You don't have to turn everything off — just the specific types that don't suit you.
#Managing Notifications for the Whole Household
Each household member manages their own notification preferences. As Circle Owner or Admin, you can't change another member's notification settings — but you can encourage them to configure their own.
For key reminders (bill renewals, vehicle MOTs), make sure at least one admin in the household has email notifications enabled. This ensures critical reminders reach someone even if others have opted out.
#In-App Notification Centre
Click the notification bell in the main navigation to see your recent in-app notifications.
Notifications are listed with:
- What happened (e.g., "Your Sky broadband renews in 14 days")
- When the notification was generated
- A link to the relevant record
Clicking a notification takes you directly to the bill, vehicle, or task it refers to.
Mark notifications as read by clicking them. You can view older notifications by clicking View All.
#Tips for Notification Management
Start with everything on, then reduce. It's easier to turn off notifications that are too frequent than to miss important ones because you turned them off too aggressively at setup.
Check your email's spam folder after setting up SimpliHome. Some reminder emails may end up in spam initially. Mark them as not-spam and future emails will arrive in your inbox.
Use in-app for awareness, email for action. In-app notifications are for general awareness. Email is for things you need to act on — bill renewals, task assignments, urgent reminders.
Set up the weekly summary email. Even if you're active in the app all week, the Monday summary is a useful structured briefing. Most users who enable it keep it permanently.