Improve Tenant Communication Using Property Management Software

The key to any relationship is communication—the landlord-tenant relationship continues to prove this sentiment to be true. To find, attract, and retain good tenants, proactive and clear communication as a landlord is your greatest asset. The success of your rental business just might hinge upon it. Whether it be confusion about rent or a question about the lease stipulations, dialogue between you and your tenants can save you valuable time and money in the long run.

Whether you’re a DIY landlord or a seasoned professional, property management software is a useful tool to communicate with renters effectively, allowing you to improve tenant relationships and, in turn, better your rental business.

In this article, we cover just how important tenant communication really is for landlords and how to leverage software to help you prioritize communication this year.

Communication is Key

As a landlord, good communication keeps your tenants happy. For example, let’s say you scheduled maintenance for a broken washing machine in two weeks’ time. However, when the time rolls around to fix it, someone on your maintenance team calls in sick and can’t complete the request on time. Innago’s maintenance portal provides you a simple way to chat with your tenants directly, letting them know that their needs are being taken care of as quickly as possible.

Great communication can ensure your tenants:

• Understand the lease requirements.
• Know how to send in maintenance requests.
• Are reminded about inspections and scheduled maintenance.
• Feel supported and able to express any concerns.

To make sure your tenants feel taken care of, always:

• Keep lines of communication open.
• Have a designated platform you communicate on.
• Follow up within 24 hours.
• Listen to problems with empathy.

Being proactive when it comes to communication is crucial to being sure your tenants are informed and feel well taken care of.

Streamline Tenant Communication With Property Management Software

Ready to learn just what software has to do with tenant communication? Read on to find out how the right tools can make a big difference in when, where, and why you communicate with your tenants.

Communication History

As a landlord, you manage not just your properties, but also the people that rent them from you. Having a paper or, better yet, a digital trail of communication between you and your tenants is crucial. Property management software stores this history for you, allowing you to keep track of all conversations with your tenants and stay organized.

Additionally, property management software stores your leases, maintenance history, and other critical documents for you, keeping you and your tenants on the same page.

Late Fees

Enforcing late fees presents one of the worst communication problems for landlords. Your late fee policy is likely spelled out in the lease, but oftentimes your tenants aren’t going to refer back to it when a late rent situation arises. When exactly does the late fee apply? Does it compound the longer rent is late? Do tenants have to pay the late fee before making other payments?

Software solves this problem completely. Not only are late fees applied automatically when rent is late, but your software will inform your tenant for you that one has been applied to their account. Your software can also enforce the late fee on your behalf–preventing tenants from making future payments until they take care of the fee. How convenient is that? Now, you don’t have to police late fees, and tenants will be less likely to reach out to you with special requests if they know a “third-party” is automatically enforcing it. It’s out of your hands.

The Lease and Other Key Documents

It’s the tenant’s responsibility to read and understand the lease. However, a few months into renting, it’s easy to forget what the lease stipulates. Alongside providing a tenant with a printed copy of their lease agreement, with property management software, you can also provide them a digital one. This ensures that your tenants will always have access to any lease information they need.

If your tenants are in violation of the lease, politely inform them before an issue comes to a head. Whether it be payment due dates, maintenance, or parking rules, a brief conversation with the lease in hand works well to clear things up.

Mobile App

Having a mobile app is a game changer. With Innago’s mobile app, you can communicate directly with tenants without providing them your personal phone number. This keeps all your conversations in a single location that you can easily refer back to. Additionally, a mobile app allows you to manage maintenance requests and perform many other key functions.

Automation

Many times, late rent payments or bad renter behavior can make you sound like a broken record. With Innago, you can send rent reminders to your tenants every month, so never have to worry. Your tenants will also be reminded when late fees begin to pile up, when their lease is expiring, and when a maintenance request has been fulfilled.

With Innago, your tenants will also have their own portal where they can easily access past rent payments, view their lease, and send in maintenance requests. The automation of these repetitive tasks allows you to focus more on person-to-person contact with your tenants outside of reminders.

Auto-Pay: Never Worry About Late Rent

For mid-size to larger portfolios, rent collection is the most popular and, arguably, most effective feature that property management software offers. What makes rent collection in software most desirable is its automation. When tenants opt in for automatic payment, the rent comes in on time, every time. Your tenants never have to worry about dropping off a check, and you never have to worry about an awkward conversation about late fee penalties.

Why Communication is Easiest with Innago

As individual landlords or real estate investors, making tenant communication a priority will pay major dividends in the short term and long term. Property management software is a great way to make sure your communication is the best it can be.

With Innago, you can:

• Send automated rent reminders to tenants.
• Chat with tenants.
• Enforce late fees.
• Give your tenants access to all their rent payment records, at their fingertips.

What’s more: Innago is not only a communication tool. It’s your hub for all things rental management. You can use Innago to:

• Utilize tenant screening tools.
• Access advanced accounting tools.
• Send scheduled maintenance reminders.
• Respond to maintenance requests.
• Organize your rental business with real estate accounting.
• Access exclusive market reports and analytics on Innago Insight.

Between a centralized location for key documents, a flexible mobile app, and automation that saves you time and money, effective software will take your business to the next level.

FAQs

What’s the best property management software for landlords?

With online rent collection, automated rent reminders, and expense reporting, the best property management software for landlords is Innago, a completely free and robust solution to your property management needs.

Where can I find free tenant management software?

If you’re a small landlord just starting out, hiring property managers or paying for expensive software isn’t in your budget. The best free property management software for 2026 is Innago, a platform designed specifically with small landlords in mind. Compared to the pricing of other platforms, you can’t beat free.

Where can I find a property management software price comparison?

After compiling reviews from sites like G2 and Capterra, we created a comprehensive price comparison to help you decide which property management software is best for your rental properties.