New Customer Onboarding Checklist for Property Managers

Determine if the lead is a single-family home or a 10-unit apartment building to calculate the $500-$1,000 onboarding fee correctly.

Use an AI receptionist like SkipCalls to answer owner inquiries while you are at property showings so you do not lose a $2,400/year recurring management fee to a competitor.

Ask the owner if units are currently occupied or need immediate $1,000-$3,000 tenant placement services.

Confirm how often they want updates—some owners want weekly reports, while others only want to be called for repairs over $500.

Request the last 12 months of utility bills and tax records to set accurate pro-forma budgets.

Get the signed contract detailing your 8-12% monthly fee and authority to sign leases on the owner's behalf.

Ensure you have tax IDs and ACH info to send owner draws at the end of each month.

Ensure you are named as 'Additionally Insured' on the landlord's policy to protect your business from liability.

Read every page of current leases to understand security deposit obligations and renewal dates.

Verify the age of the property and ensure federal lead disclosures are signed for buildings built before 1978.

Take 50-100 photos of the property condition to protect against future security deposit disputes.

Document that all life-safety devices are functional before you take over legal responsibility for the unit.

Label and test every key, then move them to a secure lockbox or digital key tracking system.

Label the shut-off valve so you can give tenants clear instructions during a midnight flooding emergency.

Ask the owner for their preferred plumber or HVAC tech, or assign your own trusted vendors to the property.

Send a formal notice to all tenants explaining where to pay rent and how to contact you.

Explain that a dripping faucet is standard, but no heat in winter is an emergency that justifies a 2 AM call.

Send login credentials for AppFolio or Buildium so tenants can set up recurring ACH rent payments.

Route after-hours calls through SkipCalls so the AI can filter out non-emergency lockouts from actual flood emergencies.

Meet tenants in person to build rapport and identify any hidden maintenance issues before they get worse.