Property Management Tools for COVID-19 Readiness

No matter what is going on in the world, our mission remains to support property managers in every way we can—so that they can dedicate their time and attention to what matters most.

There are undoubtedly unanticipated challenges ahead that COVID-19 will bring upon your business operations. The good news is that we are already seeing the power of knowledge sharing, community, and technology help us get through this together.

The following post highlights the features of Propertyware for you, our customers, that can be quickly put into action.

We realize this is a small piece of the puzzle that you are currently faced with solving, but in light of everything, we hope some of the information below will help bring this shifting day-to-day a little more online and a lot more within your control. We’ll continue to update this list and others as we find more resources that can help you manage “a new normal” during this time.

Managing Owner, Tenant and Vendor Communication and Payments Online

Tenant Portal

• For whom: Your tenants
• For what: A tenant portal for mass communications, online payments, online service requests, conversations and document sharing.
• Why it helps: Encourages social distance. A tenant portal supports 100% digital communication from tenants’ phones or computers to you.
• How to use it: Provide up-to-the-minute mass communication giving them a direct line to reach you. Allows tenants to both pay online and submit service requests in real time.

Text Messaging (Available for Plus & Premium Plans)

• For whom: You and your tenants, owners and vendors.
• For what: Fast communication, getting text messages out to your tenants, owners and vendors quickly.
• Why it helps: Encourages social distance and is 100% online through Propertyware.
• How to use it: Share important notices, documents and updates with tenants utilizing the text messaging platform.
• How to get started: Enable text messaging in your account and invite tenants to participate in text messaging through Propertyware. If you do not have text messaging, please contact your sales representative or email sales@propertyware.com.
• Ways to communicate with your tenants: Email, community bulletin and conversations within the portal and text messaging.

Online Payments

• For whom: You and your tenants and owners.
• For what: Collecting rent and fees, plus distributing owner draws, vendor payments and owner contributions.
• Why it helps: Eliminates the need for personal contact to make payments and owner contributions or distributions. The funds transfer is initiated through smartphone or computer. Tenant payments can be set up as recurring.
• How to use it: Tenants and owners can set up their payment accounts through the portal and initiate payments. Vendor account information is added to the Vendor profile under the ePay/Banking tab. Owner account information is added to the owner contact record under the ePay/Banking tab.
• How to get started: If you do not have online payments set up, contact your sales representative or email sales@propertyware.com.

Owner Portal

• For whom: You and your property owners.
• For what: Allow owners to view real-time financials, work orders, and all activities on their respective properties, as well as share documents, statements and conversations with your owners. Owners also have the ability to contribute money to their properties electronically, ensuring there is no delay in payment to your business or vendors.
• Why it helps: Maintains complete social distance. Digital access to financials and communications, as well as to electronic payment options, allows the business to operate fluidly and share information as they normally would.
• How to use it: Share access with owners to provide visibility and reduce phone calls.
• How to get started: Enable owner portals within Propertyware.
• Ways to communicate with your owners: Through the community bulletin within the portal, conversations, text messaging and email.

Tenant & Owner Emails

• For whom: Your tenants and owners.
• For what: Communicating important messages in mass with owners and tenants.
• Why it helps: Keeps them in the loop on important announcements and communications. Keeps the volume lower on your temporarily limited phone resources.
• How to use it: http://propertyware.force.com/KB2/articles/Instructional/Send-Email-To-All-Active-Owners/?q=mass+email+to+tennats&l=en_US&fs=Search&pn=1, http://propertyware.force.com/KB2/articles/Instructional/Email-All-Tenants/?q=mass+email+to+tenants&l=en_US&fs=Search&pn=1

Managing your Applications and Lease Signings/Renewal Signings

Online Applications

• For whom: You and your applicants.
• For what: For applicants to apply for your units from anywhere through any mobile device.
• Why it helps: All actions can be taken by the applicant, and you are notified in real time when an application is submitted. No need to meet in the office or at property—100% digital.
• How to use it: Utilize the modern rental listing widget and application portal to allow applicants to apply online for a specific property.
• How to get started: Customize the modern rental listing widget and application portal within Sites.

eSignature (Plus & Premium Subscriptions)

• For whom: You, applicants, and residents.
• For what: Applications, Leases, Lease Renewal Agreements and any document requiring signatures.
• Why it helps: Eliminates in-person contact for the signing of leases. Allows applicants to sign a legally-binding application or lease electronically, without required physical interaction between the property management company and the applicant or tenant.
• How to use it: Put in place customizable templates with required electronic signature tags and execute documents from anywhere. ESignature application settings are located in the Sites module.
• How to get started: If you not subscribed to eSignature, contact your sales representative or email sales@propertyware.com.
• Link to helpful information to get started: http://propertyware.force.com/KB2/articles/How_To/eSignature-Mail-Merge-PDFs/?q=esignature&l=en_US&fs=Search&pn=1

COVID-19 is unlike any challenge that we’ve seen before, and over the coming weeks, there may be new situations that arise as this pandemic unfolds. We'll be in touch with additional insights and recommendations to put technology into practice, along with ways that we are seeing property managers work through it all.

On Wednesday April 1, Join Propertyware VP Inaas Arabi and RealPage VP/Deputy Chief Economist Jay Parsons for the live webcast, COVID-19: Impact on Single Family Rentals. You can register here: https://propertyware1.wpengine.com/webcasts/covid-19-impact-single-family-rentals/

We are also adding live COVID-19 Q&A sessions to our instructor led training starting this Friday 3/27 and the following Fridays, 4/3 and 4/10.  Log into your account to access Propertyware University and register.