Landlords don’t need to be worrying about systems and processes. Managing a rental property can be a full-time job, and if you’re not well-organized or willing to invest in the right technology, you might find that you’re spending more hours than you’d like on things such as showings and screenings and maintenance and rent collection. Not only is this time-consuming, it’s also frustrating. Tasks pile up. Details get missed. A creeping feeling of chaos ensues.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
Technology has made it easier than ever to automate many of these tasks for landlords, helping you save time and reduce stress. Whether you’ve been renting out properties in Roseville for years or you’re new to this new role, these five automation tips will help you streamline your operations.
Let’s not forget you can also partner with a Roseville property manager. Our expertise in the local market is matched by our access to technology. We can provide consistency, support, and resources that are already in place.
1. Automate Rent Collection
Collecting rent is one of the most essential yet time-consuming aspects of property management. It’s also one of the quickest and easiest ways to introduce some automation into your management process. Are you collecting checks in the mail every month? Taking money orders from tenants? Not only do personal checks introduce a lot of potential for fraud, they’ll also take a few days to clear an account.
Save yourself time in numerous ways by automating the rent collection process to ensure timely payments and avoid the hassle of tracking down tenants who are late with their rent. Platforms offer automated rent collection services for landlords, and they also handle everything from payment reminders to direct deposits into your bank account.
When you automate rent with one of these systems, you can benefit from on-time payments, less administrative work, and easier financial tracking. Offering online rental payments will also increase your tenant satisfaction because it makes this part of the rental process more convenient for them.
2. Implement Smart Home Technology
Maybe you’re not an early adopter and you’re unsure of what smart home tech really is and how it can impact your rental property.
It’s constantly evolving and it’s also incredibly diverse, which means you don’t have to go all-in right away if you’re still getting comfortable with the idea of smart home tech. We can tell you that smart home devices aren’t just for tech enthusiasts; they can also make property management more efficient. Smart locks, thermostats, and security systems can all be controlled remotely, allowing you to manage your property from anywhere. For example, smart locks and digital keypads will allow temporary access codes to maintenance workers or new tenants without having to be on-site. This can save you time. It saves them time, too.
Smart home tech will not only make the rental process easier and more automated, it will also attract better tenants and higher rental values to your Roseville rental property. Enjoy the enhanced security, the remote management capability, and the energy-efficiency that updated technology can provide.
3. Use Property Management Software
Managing multiple aspects of a rental property can be overwhelming, even if you’re only renting out one or two homes. Property management software like AppFolio or TenantCloud can help you keep everything organized. These platforms offer features such as tenant screening, lease management, and maintenance tracking, all in one place. Maybe you feel like you’re too small of an operation to invest in such a large property management platform. That’s understandable, and again – a good reason to partner with a professional Roseville property manager. We already have the technology and the automation in place.
The systems we use deliver centralized management. They promote easy tenant and owner communication. We also get to document everything pretty easily.
4. Automate Maintenance Requests
Handling maintenance requests promptly is crucial for tenant satisfaction. Automate this process using platforms that allow you to receive maintenance requests online, coordinate with vendors immediately, and respond to your tenants so they know what the next steps are. Automatically assigning maintenance tasks to the appropriate service providers is an excellent way to save time, minimize confusion, and ensure that your property remains maintained well.
With an automated system of tracking and responding to maintenance, you will enjoy faster response times, efficient scheduling, and improved tenant satisfaction. You can also build invoicing and payments into your automated maintenance systems, ensuring your vendors, contractors, and service professionals are all paid on time.
If you’ve ever lost track of where you are with a specific repair or you’re not sure whether you’re on a payment schedule for recurring landscaping or pest control services, you know how beneficial automated maintenance services can be.
5. Leverage Marketing Automation
Vacant properties can quickly become a financial burden. Use marketing automation tools to advertise your property across multiple platforms simultaneously. These tools can also schedule open houses, follow up with prospective tenants, and provide detailed analytics on your marketing efforts.
We are always surprised when tenants tell us that they never heard back from a lot of the landlords they contacted when they were in the early stages of looking for a new rental home. Responsiveness is key during the marking process. While your photographs and your listings are of course incredibly important, you need to be prepared to answer the phone, respond to messages, and automate the process by which a prospective tenant schedules a showing, completes an application, and ultimately moves into your property.
By automating your marketing process, you’ll enjoy a wider reach, you’ll streamline your advertising, and you’ll be able to make data-driven decisions because all your efforts are more easily tracked.
Property management in Roseville doesn’t have to be stressful or time consuming. If you decide you want to manage on your own, make sure you invest in excellent property management technology. If you decide that the effort of automation is simply too much to tackle, talk to us about our Roseville property management services. We can take a lot of this off your plate, delivering a tech-driven and relationship-based management experience.
Contact us at Action Properties when you need help with Roseville property management.