Information checked as of October 13, 2026.
Bringing a virtual assistant into a real estate operation involves more than sending a task list. You also need to decide what information they can view, which actions they can take and when they must request approval. Without that agreement, a straightforward assignment can turn into repeated access requests or unnecessary exposure of documents.
This guide outlines a practical review of accounts and files for small teams. The goal is to give administrative support a clear scope while keeping commercial and professional decisions with the people responsible for them.
Why review access this year?
The SBA calendar included a resource-partner activity scheduled for October 7, 2026 addressing small-business digital risks. It is an educational reference, not evidence that your business has experienced an incident.
The Australian government portal cyber.gov.au published and reviewed guidance on October 7, 2026 recommending private passwords and multifactor authentication. These are general good practices; the guidance does not establish legal obligations for U.S. companies.
The NIST CSWP 50 public draft, dated April 14, 2026, provides context for very small businesses. The consulted source still identifies it as a draft, so it should not be presented as a certification or final standard.
Start with the work, not the password
Describe a specific activity: organizing messages, recording received documents or following up on a request. Then connect that activity to the information needed to complete it.
For each assignment, write down:
- The expected result and who reviews it.
- The documents or conversations required.
- Permitted actions and those requiring approval.
- The channel for reporting a blocker or question.
An assistant recording that a document arrived does not necessarily need to edit its contents. Someone preparing a message need not approve a commercial condition. Defining those differences helps you select permissions before granting access.
Keep ownership and accounts under control
Use the invitation or collaboration mechanisms your platform supports and ask the technology owner to confirm their scope. Avoid turning the owner's personal account into an account used interchangeably by several people.
The business should retain control of ownership, recovery and administration of its resources. Review with the administrator how to create or authorize individual accounts and remove access when it is no longer needed. Availability depends on the service and organizational policies.
Do not send passwords or verification codes through a work chat to quickly resolve a failed invitation. If access is not working, investigate the permission or policy causing the problem. The official cyber.gov.au guidance supports keeping passwords private and using multifactor authentication; your technical owner should review the specific implementation.
If you use Gmail, understand delegation
Current Gmail documentation explains that delegates can read, send and delete messages, but cannot change the password. Delegating an inbox therefore does not provide read-only access.
For work accounts, Google says delegation depends on the organization and its administrator. Do not assume that inviting any external address is sufficient. Confirm eligibility and scope first. This is a platform example, not an integration MVA promises to provide.
Share documents for a defined purpose
If your team uses Google Drive, its official sharing guide distinguishes viewer, commenter and editor roles. It also notes that folder permissions are inherited by the files inside. Check the parent folder before concluding that a document is restricted.
Prepare a workspace appropriate to the assignment and check its recipients. Confirm available options and external-sharing restrictions with the administrator. Avoid broadening access to an entire folder simply to resolve one request.
Separate follow-up from approval
A short procedure can identify who receives a document, checks its completeness and authorizes its delivery. In a real estate transaction, these roles are not interchangeable.
For example, an assistant can record that a page is missing and request it using an approved message. Interpreting clauses, accepting changes and making legal or financial decisions remain the responsibility of the appropriate professionals.
Define what happens when an unusual request appears: a recipient change, a request for sensitive information or altered payment instructions. The team should pause that action and use the agreed confirmation channel. An administrative procedure does not replace specialist review or guarantee that incidents will be prevented.
Review the scope with a simple example
Before using actual client information, work through a fictional example containing no sensitive data. Check that the person can find the required file, identify its version and deliver the expected result.
Record difficulties such as insufficient permission, duplicate documents, unclear instructions or a missing approver. Adjust the scope using those observations rather than granting extra permissions for convenience. The review should establish both what the collaborator needs to do and the boundaries they must respect.
Plan for the end of the collaboration too
Record which resources were shared and who administers each one. When an assignment changes or a collaboration ends, use that record to review and withdraw the relevant authorizations with the administrator.
Confirm who will continue outstanding work, where the working version is kept and which communications need follow-up. Do not delete business documents to solve an access-removal issue. Information retention and applicable obligations require company policies and appropriate advice.
Getting started with My Virtual Assistant
MVA presents administrative support, document organization and client follow-up. To explore that support, prepare a specific activity, approval rules and access questions for your team to resolve.
Contact My Virtual Assistant to discuss the assistance scope. Confirm responsibilities, channels and tools before starting. Do not assume technical capabilities, results or features that have not been agreed.
Educational information; it does not replace individual cybersecurity or legal advice, or your organization's specific policies.
Sources and data dates
Accessed and checked: October 13, 2026.
- SBA: resource-partner awareness activity: announced event date, October 7, 2026; no editorial date displayed.
- cyber.gov.au: fundamental controls for small businesses, published and reviewed October 7, 2026.
- NIST CSWP 50, initial public draft dated April 14, 2026.
- Google: Gmail delegation and Drive sharing, current documentation without visible editorial dates, checked during this review.
- MVA: services, no editorial date displayed; checked October 13, 2026.
