Entering New Landlord & Property Info in Appfolio

When we receive an email to onboard a new property, we'll begin by preparing the property management agreement and sending it to the owners for signatures. Once the agreement is fully signed, we'll enter the landlord and property information into Appfolio. This process should take approximately 30 minutes in total.

Entering a New Landlord


  1. First, we need a copy of the signed PMA from the property manager, since we'll be pulling landlord and property information from this document. If you don't have a fully signed copy, then pause until you do.
  2. Once you have the signed PMA, log in to AppFolio
  3. On the main Dashboard page, click 'New Owner'

4. Enter the landlord first & last name, phone number, email address, and mailing address based on the info in the PMA. If there are multiple phone numbers, email addresses, or mailing addresses noted on the PMA, add these in as well. Leave Use owner address as payment address checked as 'Yes'.

5. Federal Tax: Leave this blank for now. Later, when we have their W9, we'll write in their social security number.
6. Accounting Info: Leave the fields as-is
7. Online Payables: Check 'Use Online Payables', and then select 'eCheck'
8. Enter the owner's routing number and bank account number mentioned in the addendum to the property management agreement. Click save.

9. Owner Statement (Enhanced): Check the first 4 checkboxes, leave the 5th checkbox and 'Notes for the Owner' blank.

10. Owner Packet: Check all 4 boxes, leave the GL Account Map field blank, and set Included reports to 'Owner Statement'.

11. Leave 'Owner specific notes' under 'Maintenance Information' blank.
12. Attachments: Label the PMA document 'PMA - {{STREET ADDRESS}}' and then upload to Appfolio.
13. Finally, click 'Save' and then check to confirm that you've received the notification 'Owner was successfully created' at the top of the page. Then you're done entering the landlord! Now we need to enter the property info.


Entering New Property into Appfolio


Next, we need to add the propertie(s) for this owner.


Please note: Duplexes should be entered as a single property with 2 units, not two separate properties.


If the owner has multiple properties (i.e. two houses), then complete this process for each property.


From the Appfolio Dashboard, click 'New Property'


Property Name and Address

  • Property Name: Leave blank, property name is not required.
  • Address: Enter the property address, unit number, City, State, and ZIP. Note: Make sure you enter this info from section 2. Property on the PMA, and not from the owner's mailing address. If this is a duplex, note both units in the 'Address 2' line.
  • Property Type: Most of the time, this will be 'Single Family', but if the property is a duplex, then note 'Multi-Family'.


Property Information

  • Description: Enter the legal description (find this on MLS) from the PMA section 2. Property
  • Site Manager: Leave this blank
  • Year Built: Pull up an old MLS listing of this property, or create a new one from tax records, and enter the year built date.
  • Management Start Date: Enter the 'Commencement Date' from the PMA section 3. Term
  • Management End Date: Leave this blank
  • Management End Reason: Leave this blank
  • Amenities: Leave this blank, we can fill this in later.
  • Leave every other field on this section as-is.

Non-Revenue Status

  • Leave this blank/as-is

Rental Information (Note: If this is a duplex, this field will not appear, the information will be filled out later).

  • Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Square Feet: Check for a previous MLS listing or create a new one from tax records. Enter bed/bath/SF info.
  • Market Rent: If you already have the market rent amount, enter it here. Otherwise, leave blank and we'll fill this in later.
  • Use Market Rent on Ads? Check this box.
  • Application Fee: $75
  • Security Deposit: If you already have market rent, enter the security deposit which is equal to the market rent.
  • Use Custom Inspection Date: Leave unchecked.
  • Last Inspection On: Leave blank
  • Rent Status: Leave blank
  • Legal Rent: Leave blank
  • Utilities Included In Lease: Leave blank
  • Appliances Included In Lease: Enter 'Refrigerator' and washer/dryer if mentioned in the PMA
  • Additional Lease Information: Check if this property was built earlier than 1978. If yes, note 'Built before 1978, this lease will require a lead-based paint addendum.' Otherwise, leave this blank.

Amenities:

    • Cats Allowed: Yes
    • Dogs Allowed: Small Only

Marketing Information (Note: If this is a duplex, this field will not appear, the information will be filled out later).

  • Posted to your Website: No. We will post this to the website when we list the property on MLS later.
  • Posted to the Internet: No. We will post this to the website when we list the property on MLS later.
  • Premium Listing: Off
  • Removed from Vacancies List: No
  • Available On: If you already have this information, please enter it. Otherwise, we'll fill this in when we list.
  • Marketing Title: If you already have this information, please enter it. Otherwise, we'll fill this in when we list.
  • Marketing Description: If you already have this information, please enter it. Otherwise, we'll fill this in when we list.
  • Listing Type: Select if the property is a house, condo or townhouse.
  • YouTube Video URL: Leave blank.


Lease Settings:

Leave all of these fields blank. The PM will cover this when writing the lease.


Owners and Financials

  • Owner: Search for and enter the owner's name
  • Percent Owned: 100
  • Contract Expires: Leave this blank.
  • Payment Type: Net Income
  • Reserve Funds: 1000
  • Vendor 1099 Payer: Treaty Oak Property Management
  • Fiscal Year End: December

Management Fees

  • Commission Type: Percent
  • Management Fee Percent: Check section A. Management fees under section 11. Broker's Fees on the PMA. Enter the percentage noted here.


  • Minimum Management Fee: Leave this at 0. We don't charge minimum management fees.
  • Lease Fee Type: Percent
  • Lease Fee Percent: 100 (Check PMA for the leasing fee)
  • Renewal Fee: Flat. $200

Additional Fees:

  • 4550: Application Fee Income 100, Yes
  • 5670: Late Fee 100, Yes
  • 4410: NSF Fees Collected 100, Yes
  • 5905: Lease Adjustments 100, Yes
  • 5900: Early Lease Termination Fee 100, Yes

Late Fee Policy

  • Effective Date: 1st of every month
  • Base Amount: $50
  • Eligible Charges: Recurring rent only
  • Daily amount/Monthly max: $25/$600
  • Grace period: 3 days
  • Grace balance: $0


Budgets

  • Leave this blank/as-is

Keys

  • Leave this blank/as-is. The Maintenance Coordinator will add info here once the property has been rekeyed with the TOPM key system, after onboarding.

Maintenance Information

  • Maintenance Limit: $0
  • Insurance Expiration: Leave blank for now.
  • Has Home Warranty Coverage: Leave blank for now.
  • Maintenance Notes: Leave blank
  • Online Maintenance Request Instructions: Enter "Would you like to provide permission to access the property? More information on this here: https://bit.ly/2M0q9Oz"

Fixed Asset:

  • Leave this blank/as-is

Property Groups: Select 'All Properties' & click the save button.

Statement Settings: Leave as is

Bank Accounts

  • 1150: Cash in Bank: Treaty Oak Property Management, LLC Trust Account (Keystone Bank)
  • 1160: Escrow Cash: Treaty Oak Property Management, LLC MMA (Keystone Bank)

Photos:

  • If we already have photos of the property which we can use for the listing, upload them here. Otherwise, leave this blank.

Attachments:

  • Label the PMA 'PMA - {Street Name}' and upload the document.

Click 'Save'.

If this is a single family property, then you're done with this process! You can move on to the 'Landlord Next Steps Email'.

If this is a duplex, now we need to add in unit information.


Entering Unit Information


(If this was a single family property, you can skip this section)


  • Click over to the 'Units' tab and click 'New Unit'
  • Place the image
  • Name: Enter the unit i.e. Unit A or Unit B
  • Address: Confirm this is entered correctly.

Unit Information

  • Description: Enter the legal description of the property (find this on MLS)
  • The rest of the fields can be left as-is.

Rental Information

  • Bedrooms, Bathrooms, Square Feet: Check for a previous MLS listing or create a new one from tax records. Enter bed/bath/SF info.
  • Market Rent: If you already have the market rent amount, enter it here. Otherwise, leave blank and we'll fill this in later.
  • Use Market Rent on Ads? Check this box.
  • Application Fee: $75
  • Security Deposit: If you already have market rent, enter that number minus $500. So a property being listed for $2500 will have a $2000 security deposit.
  • Last Inspection On: Leave blank
  • Rent Status: Leave blank
  • Legal Rent: Leave blank
  • Preferential Rent: Leave blank
  • Utilities Included In Lease: Leave blank
  • Appliances Included In Lease: Enter 'Refrigerator' & washer/dryer mentioned in the PMA
  • Additional Lease Information: Check if this property was built earlier than 1978. If yes, note 'Built before 1978, this lease will require a lead based paint addendum.' Otherwise, leave this blank.

Amenities:

    • Cats Allowed: Yes
    • Dogs Allowed: Small Only
    • Amenities: Leave blank.

Marketing Information

  • Posted to your Website: No. We will post this to the website when we list the property on MLS later.
  • Posted to the Internet: No. We will post this to the website when we list the property on MLS later.
  • Premium Listing: Off
  • Removed from Vacancies List: No
  • Available On: If you already have this information, please enter it. Otherwise, we'll fill this in when we list.
  • Marketing Title: If you already have this information, please enter it. Otherwise, we'll fill this in when we list.
  • Marketing Description: If you already have this information, please enter it. Otherwise, we'll fill this in when we list.
  • YouTube Video URL: Leave blank.

Keys:

Leave this section blank.


Maintenance Information:

Leave blank.


Fixed Asset:

Leave blank


Photos:

Upload these if you have them already, otherwise, leave this blank and we'll fill them in later when we list.


Wrapping Up

Click 'Save' and then repeat this for any other units for the property.

Then you're done with this process! You can move on to the 'Landlord Next Steps Email'


Property & Landlord Onboarding

Landlord Next Steps Email

Once the landlord & property information has been loaded into Appfolio, please send out this email to our new client and CC the property manager.

Recipients: Landlord, CC Property Manager
Title: Excited to Work With You + Next Steps - {{PROPERTY ADDRESS}}
Hello (Owner Name),
 
We're super excited to work with you! My name is Abel Ward, and I'll be assisting (TOP STAFF MEMBER NAME HERE) during the onboarding process. As always, if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to either of us.

Our immediate next steps are:
  1. Here is a link to activate your account on Appfolio.com using your email address: https://treatyoak.appfolio.com/oportal/. This is your owner portal and is where you can go to check statements and access other shared documents from Treaty Oak. Additionally, here is a link to helpful tutorials for setting up your portal: https://www.appfolio.com/help/owner
  2. We need to set up your eCheck auto-payments so that we can pay you! We will use the bank account and routing number information you input on your Docusigned PMA addendum to complete this setup for you, so make sure this is accurate information provided. Owner distributions are processed on the 10th of each month, or the following business day.
  3. We need to collect your reserves. Please submit your $1,000 reserves as soon as possible. You can complete this in your owner portal by clicking on the contribution tab. Please click the 'Make Contribution' link here: https://bit.ly/3ZZ5aBJ. Please note that we can't begin working on your property until these funds have been received. This is also where you will go to make contributions in the future for large repairs. Save your login information!
  4. Please email us your proof of insurance, with Treaty Oak Property Management, LLC at 7000 N. Mopac Expy #200 Austin TX 78731 added to your policy as ‘Additional Insured’. *****Please NOTE that Allstate and Farmers will NOT offer this option. They will only offer ‘Additional Interest’, which is not what is required in the property management agreement. If you currently have Allstate or Farmers Insurance (or you have identified that your current insurance will not offer the ‘Additional Insured’ option), please notify us so that our team can coordinate an introduction to our preferred insurance broker to get you signed up on the appropriate Landlord Policy that includes Treaty Oak Property Management as Additional Insured. 
  5. Client Information & Referral Details: Lastly, we would love for you to fill out our Treaty Oak Client Information & Referral Details form. We love celebrating our clients and their special moments! Please take a moment to share a few details with us so we can send you a treat. Treaty Oak Client Information Form
 
If you have a chance to read through our application & approval process, it's available here! Bear in mind that we adhere strictly to this due to fair housing laws. Please let me know if you have any questions about these criteria or this process. https://treatyoakproperties.com/application-approval-process/
 
Our standard lease terms are available here. These are very fair lease terms, but they do protect you heavily. https://treatyoakproperties.com/application-approval-process/#leaseterms
Regarding deposits, we will hold all tenant deposits in escrow until they move out. If any damages are accrued in the property, we will process repair costs from the deposits upon move-out.
 
You can read more Frequently Asked Questions at the following link, but please always reach out to me directly with any questions! https://treatyoakproperties.com/faq/
 
Thanks so much! Really looking forward to working with you!

Following Up
After sending this initial message, wait 3 business days and check in on each of the 5 items to confirm completion.

How to Check for Each Item's Completion:
  1. Owner portal
On the owner page check owner portals. If yes, the owner has created his online account.
2. Bank account settings
Go to the Owner Page and check the 'Online Payables' section. Check if 'Billpay' has been changed to 'eCheck'. If yes, then this is done.
3. Reserves
Go to Owner Page, then click the link 'View Owner Portal', then go to the 'Transactions' tab. Check if owner has made a contribution/transaction of $1000. If yes, then this is done.
4. W9
It should be uploaded on the property page.
5. Proof of insurance
The owner will most likely either email back with an attachment, or email the PM directly. Check your email first, then ask the PM if they've received it. If the proof of insurance isn't available anywhere, then add it to the followup list.

Note: Whenever we receive proof of insurance from the owner Treaty Oak Property Management needs to be added as "Additional Insured" not "Additional Interest".

Difference: Additional interest is the updated copy of insurance means we receive updated policies from clients, while additional insured means Treaty Oak Property Management is an insured party.

Contingency: If a landlord has not completed one or more of the items, we'll then follow up. We will follow up a total of 3 times on the missing items. If after 4 total emails (the initial 'Next Steps' email + 3 total followups) the landlord still has not completed all of them by then, we will let the PM know and have them take over. Wait 3 business days before sending the first follow up, and then wait another 3 business days for each subsequent followup email. Keep your task open and just continually reassign every 3 days.

Use these inputs for the {MISSING ITEM(S)} field. Enter whichever items still haven't been completed.

  1. Entering your banking information into Appfolio.com
  2. Depositing your $1000 reserves via the Owner Portal in Appfolio
  3. Sending over your W9
  4. Sending over proof we've been added to your insurance.

Follow Up Template 1:
{LANDLORD FIRST NAME},

Just following up again with a reminder that we'll need you to run through the following steps:

{MISSING ITEM(S)}

Let us know if you have any questions or need assistance on these, thanks!

{SIGNATURE}

Follow Up Template 2:
LANDLORD FIRST NAME},

I just wanted to send a quick reminder on the following steps:

{MISSING ITEM(S)}

Please feel free to let us know if you have any questions on these!

{SIGNATURE}

Follow Up Template 3:
{LANDLORD FIRST NAME},

Just another quick reminder that we'll need you to complete the following items before we can finish up establishing your account!

{MISSING ITEM(S)}

{PM FIRST NAME} is available as well if you have any questions or need assistance on these, thank you!

{SIGNATURE}

If you've sent 3 followups and the landlord still hasn't completed all 5 tasks, send this template directly to the PM only and then close out your task.
{PM FIRST NAME},

{CLIENT NAME} isn't responsive on the following onboarding tasks:

{MISSING ITEMS}

Could you please reach out to help wrap up? I don't want to bug the client any further so I'll be closing out my task for this and won't send any more followups. Let me know if you'd like me to create a reminder task for you.

Thanks!
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