- Landlord
- Tenant
Innago Rental Business Guide
Innago Helps Mobile Parks Rental Business Double Revenue
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0
Innago Customer Since
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150
Units Managed
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$35000+
Helped JoLeigh's business 2x yearly revenue
Executive Summary
In 2009, JoLeigh realized the cash flow potential of mobile home rentals and used them as the focus of her rental business. Fast-forward to 2023, and JoLeigh now has 150 units in two different locations.
When she started out, JoLeigh struggled with manual systems and a lack of centralization that made operations difficult.
She had paper copies of receipts, contracts signed by hand, and no automation.
The lack of technology was an issue that also made it hard to track metrics and trends with any kind of specificity.
She relied on a manager to take care of day-to-day operations, but that ended when she discovered the manager had embezzled money from the company. Without management support, JoLeigh quickly felt overwhelmed.
She began using Innago in October 2020. At first, she experienced difficulties because of her greater comfortability with old processes and her initial lack of technological savvy navigating software like Innago.
But, with the constant support of Innago’s team, the software ended up transforming her business.
Key Learning Points
JoLeigh’s rental business lacked efficiency and automation.
- Innago made her business more efficient and automated tasks like rental payments and late fees.
JoLeigh’s rental business only brought in about $35,000 per month in revenue before Innago.
- After teaming with Innago, JoLeigh’s business doubled its average monthly revenue.
JoLeigh’s rental business systems were cumbersome. She described her old systems and processes as a “trainwreck” compared to life with Innago.
- Her business used to use paper contracts and physical copies of records, but Innago allows her tenants to sign leases online, view payment history, and easily gather documentation to prove eligibility for food stamps/government assistance programs as needed.
- Her business used to conduct maintenance without strict organization, but Innago shows all maintenance orders/issues on the platform, and JoLeigh can see the entire history of maintenance details on specific units.
- Her business used to “fly blind,” but Innago allows her to see rate increases and growth easily.
- Her business used to deal primarily in cash payments and physical receipts, but Innago makes it easy to scan cash payments into the system because JoLeigh still has a few tenants that prefer older payment methods. The ease of scanning and uploading receipts lets her track everything online still.
- Her goal is to eventually transition every tenant to online payments because they’re so convenient and efficient.
BACKGROUND
“I wasn't aware of the exact requirements; we simply required an improvement over our existing situation.”
When she first started her business, JoLeigh was doing everything manually.
Tenants would pay with cash and money orders. Every contract was printed on paper and signed by hand. She stored everything in manilla folders and filing cabinets.
Overall, managing offline was time-consuming and error prone.
While none of this is necessarily uncommon for smaller rental businesses, especially years ago, these practices have many downsides. It’s easy to lose paperwork or misplace physical copies of items.
Payment in cash is harder to keep track of. JoLeigh was aware of these issues but didn’t have the bandwidth to look for a better alternative that would save her time and effort.
"I operated all these years by paper and often wonder what would’ve happened if there was a fire or they were misplaced.”
Upon reflection, JoLeigh felt rattled by the risk:
To make matters worse for her business, JoLeigh discovered that her (now former) manager had embezzled money from the company.
This sent her business into a tailspin. Tasks like pulling a tenant’s phone number now required extensive searches through paperwork and files. And without management support, JoLeigh quickly felt overwhelmed.
“I didn’t know what we needed; we just needed something that was better than what we had.”
- JoLeigh
JoLeigh’s eldest son offered to help her improve her business. He conducted some research and found property management software. He knew that technology could make a massive difference for her business.
Innago was the primary software he found compelling because of its feature-rich software and the fact that it’s free for landlords.
When JoLeigh first learned about Innago, she was less than enthused. She didn’t need added responsibilities taking up her already packed calendar. She also didn’t want to shake things up. Even though her business had pain points, she had been working a certain way for a long time and felt comfortable with her processes.
THE SOLUTION
Revenue doubled from $35,000 per month to $70,000 after JoLeigh started using Innago for her rental business.
At first, JoLeigh was hesitant to embrace Innago. The bad experiences with her former manager, her reliance on old systems and processes, and her skepticism about the technology all played a part in her doubt about the platform’s potential.
Things changed once she learned what the software could do and began implementing it across her business.
She says that
“the transition is easy once you understand the platform.”
- JoLeigh
Innago revolutionized her business in countless ways. It continues to surprise her and make her life easier. JoLeigh characterizes her time before Innago as “flying blind.” With Innago, she has easy access to detailed information on tenants, rent payments, financial reports, her business’s financial health, and so much more.
“I cannot explain how good Innago is. It’s filled in so many gaps I didn’t even know my business had.”
- JoLeigh
Her prior systems resulted in murky financial records that, while still accurate, were difficult to glean any valuable insight from. Therefore, she rarely had a quick and clear vision as to where funds were at any given time. This made it easier for her manager to take advantage. With Innago, she finally gained clarity, enabling her to easily and (most importantly) quickly account for every penny.
Prior to Innago, JoLeigh didn’t analyze business trends or have a clear idea of where she could improve her business. Now that she can see year-over-year trends and figure out the source of issues, it’s easy for her to adjust and enhance her business.
“Once we started going through it, Innago was a breath of fresh air.”
- JoLeigh
Innago’s mobile application 
Provides JoLeigh with instant access to everything she needs no matter where she is.
This proves useful time and time again.
For example, while visiting one of her properties, JoLeigh noticed a tenant working on his car on the property, which was a violation of the lease agreement. She approached him and pointed out that he was breaking his lease agreement. He denied it. She pulled up the lease agreement on her phone, scrolled to the clause, and showed it to him right away. He immediately backtracked and stopped working on the car.
“Innago has helped streamline everything.”
- JoLeigh
Furthermore, JoLeigh loves that she can see a tenant’s entire payment and rent history all in one place.
She doesn’t need to search through countless files and papers to find information anymore. With just a few clicks, she can track down vital information like payment dates and receipts.
“If you’re serious about your business and want to know where you’re at, you’re going to automate.”
- JoLeigh
JoLeigh understands why many smaller rental businesses hesitate to adopt software. It can be daunting at first and old processes seem more comfortable. Her experience with Innago changed her views, though.
Contact Innago
Tanvir Sattar
(513) 715 8813
sattar@innago.comTanvir joined Innago 6 years ago and works on Business Development, Marketing, & Strategic Partnerships. Outside of Innago, Tanvir loves kicking the soccer ball around.
About Innago
Innago is a free, easy-to-use property management software solution, designed to save you time and money. Our mission is to make managing communities simple, accessible, & affordable for managers of any size.
