With automation becoming more and more commonplace in software, it’s no longer necessary for landlords to do every task by hand. Property management software can make even the most tedious work feel easy.
So how do you get started with automation? The first step is to check which features on your property management software can be partly or fully automated. This might require some experimenting, but you will get the hang of it in no time.
Here are five tasks all landlords can and should automate with property management software.
1. Rent Collection
Rent collection tops the list for automation. With property management software, rent collection can be almost fully automated.
If you’re used to manual management, you know how time-consuming it can be to track down cash or checks from all of your tenants by the due date. You also need to deposit payments at the bank and write receipts by hand.
Instead of these inconveniences, property management software lets tenants automate their payments with AutoPay. As a result, they won’t have to worry about late fees, and you’ll be much freer on rent collection day.
2. Maintenance Requests
Maintenance requests are an integral function of property management software. Tenants need a way to indicate that they have problems with their utilities, appliances, or amenities so they can get the help they need as fast as possible.
Instead of accumulating maintenance requests in your inbox, where they can easily get buried, allow your software to automate them.
Most platforms have a built-in maintenance portal. When tenants log in, they can submit tickets, add photos or videos of the problem, and automatically be connected with a maintenance person who can handle the issue. Landlords can also be automatically notified when a request has been resolved.
3. Tenant Communication
Routine reminders about rent payments, lease renewals, or other information can easily be automated. With property management software, you can increase productivity by automating all regular communication.
For instance, you can designate a rent reminder to be pushed to all tenants who haven’t paid rent by a certain date. This prevents tenants who have paid from receiving messages they don’t need, while providing helpful reminders to the tenants who may have forgotten.
Automated communication means fewer late payments and increased efficiency for everyone involved.
4. Scheduling Showings
Automation can also help landlords in the rental advertising phase.
Suppose a prospective tenant wants to set up a time to view the property. Finding a date and time when both of you are available can be near impossible, especially if you both have day jobs.
Fortunately, there are tools at your disposal designed to solve challenges exactly like this one. For instance, consider viewing each other’s Google calendars, where you can see all the times everyone is available. There are plenty of other online scheduling calendars that allow everyone with an invitation link to enter their availability.
Scheduling tools can save you a lot of back and forth, so that potential renters can get in to see your properties sooner rather than later.
5. Late Fees
Late fees are another function easily automated by property management software. It’s not always easy to hold your tenants accountable, especially when you empathize with their situation. However, you never want to teach your tenants that late fees are empty threats.
Property management software allows you to set automatic late fees for any tenants who are late on rent. You can also designate a grace period if you’d like your tenants to have an extra day or two the first time they’re late.
With automated late fees, you can avoid awkward conversations and excuses while holding your tenants accountable at the same time.
Make Rental Success Automatic
Busy landlords don’t have time to worry about repetitive or laborious tasks. To keep time spent on these tasks to a minimum, use all the tools at your disposal to automate as much as possible. Automatic payments, communication, and scheduling can save you and your tenants loads of trouble.
If you haven’t done so already, investing in property management software is the first step. With features designed specifically for landlords, software lets you streamline your rental business and make success truly automatic.
