Landlord Onboarding Checklist

In the fast-paced world of property management, landlord onboarding is one of those things that is unfortunately overlooked by countless real estate agencies and brokerage firms. There is a ton of information out there when it comes to effectively onboarding new tenants, but this is just one side of the coin.

Signing a property management agreement to represent a landlord is an exciting moment, especially if you are a small agency. You have completed the screening process, and it is now the beginning of what will hopefully be a long and trusting relationship. However, without a solid landlord onboarding process, you risk experiencing unnecessary difficulties during the time that you represent the property owner.

In this workflow, you’ll be guided through a simple and effective way to onboard a landlord you have just begun representing.

It is designed to be a continuation of the landlord screening workflow that we recommend you run through if you haven’t already. 

Ready to start working with a new client? Let’s get started!

To kick things off, make sure you’ve documented all of the landlord’s personal contact information and organized signed forms in your property management software.

Record some basic details about the landlord using the form fields below.

Pro tip: You can automate this using Salesforce and the Workflow Run Link.

Approver details

Certain tasks in this checklist require approval from the relevant personnel in your team, namely you manager, before you can proceed. Please enter the approvers details in below.

Following the completion of the landlord screening workflow, there will be a number of documents in your possession that will need to be gathered.

These will likely include:

Organize all documentation relating to the listing/property management agreement agreement in both a physical and digital folder 

You can automate the creation of a digital folder in Google Drive for each tenant using Zapier. Find out how. 

Before getting into the serious stuff, it’s important that you establish a close, friendly relationship with the landlord to build trust.

By completing the tasks in this section you can feel confident in knowing that you are off to a good start. 

This is a great way to provide the landlord with all the information they may need or want to refer to.

If the packet is in e-book format, email it to the landlord by creating a shareable link.

The packet should at least include:

Property management agreement: {{form.Property_management_agreement_2}}

Most questions would have already been answered during the landlord screening process; however, once the landlord has received the welcome packet, they may have some additional questions about how the relationship will move forward.   

Common questions include:

• How will you be advertising my properties?
• What is your process for screening prospective tenants?
• How often will you be conducting property inspections?
• What happens if I’m not happy working with you?

Make sure the landlord feels comfortable with the arrangement before you begin advertising and showing properties to prospective tenants. 

Before you begin advertising the properties, make sure you have discussed pricing with the landlord, agreed upon any immediate measures to add value, and detailed all property information in your management software. 

It’s now time to review the pricing of each property and discuss with the landlord if there is any room for optimization. 

Even simple, low-cost measures such as repainting, changing fixtures, or installing new doors can make a notable difference to the final price. 

For some quick inspiration, check out 15 ways to increase the value of a property that you can evaluate with the landlord. 

This is an approval task. You cannot move forward in this template until the relevant personnel approves each property’s pricing.

When entering property details into your management software, be sure to include the following for each property:

Now that all of the information is safely stored in your system and the landlord feels completely comfortable with all aspects of the agreement, you can begin advertising the properties and do what you do best! 

Be sure to utilize all of the marketing channels you have at your disposal. 

Set up a payment record system to keep track of all income consisting of:

• Rental income 
• Management fees
• Property maintenance fees

It’s important to maintain a close relationship with your clients so that they always feel like they are in-the-loop and know what’s going on.

The extent to which you should communicate with a particular landlord is something you will have gauged from the moment they expressed an interest in being represented by you. Some appreciate being updated constantly, while others prefer to be left alone for the most part. 

Regardless, it is your responsibility to make sure that they feel comfortable with how you are managing their properties. 

Establish a feedback loop with the landlord by sending monthly summary reports. 

These should at least include:

• Summary of interest from prospective tenants
• Prospective tenant profiles
• Tenant screening process (status update)
• Calculated recommendations for property maintenance/enhancement

If there are any serious or pressing issues to discuss, set up a phone call or in-person meeting in addition to providing a written description.

• Bigger Pockets – Onboarding a New Property Management Client
• MWM Real Estate – Agents Lease Transactions
• Residential Agents – Landlord Information

• Kaycee Wegener – Property Manager’s Guide to Maintaining Proper Records

• Erin Eberlin – Learn How to Enhance the Value of Your Property
• Alex Middel – 40 Apartment Marketing Ideas Guaranteed To Get More Renters
• Images – Pixabay

• Landlord Screening Checklist
• Tenant Onboarding Checklist
• Real Estate Sales Process
• Real Estate Listing
• Pre-Listing House Cleaning Checklist
• House Viewing Checklist
• Home Inspection Checklist
• Home Staging Guide