A key part of a property manager’s job is managing the moving-in process when new tenants buy or rent in their building. First impressions count for a lot, and the more that you can do to make recent arrivals feel welcome from their first day in their new home, the better your working relationship with them will be. Happy tenants are also more likely to stick around, which means less of your time spent advertising and arranging viewings for vacant properties.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of things property managers can do to make moving day easier for new tenants, but it should hopefully give you a few ideas to get started with.
Ensure tenants receive copies of important documents.
It’s handy for new tenants to have all the documents they need in one place, so to help out you could leave a binder at the property with copies of their lease, details of utility providers (and where to find the meters), security information including the building fire plan, and a map of the property including parking lots, facilities and access points.
You should also add contact details for onsite maintenance and security personnel, and list opening hours for the property management office if applicable. If you have a resident’s newsletter, leave a recent copy out for them, along with a comment form so they can give feedback on how they found the moving-in process.
Share recommendations about the local area.
Part of settling into a new neighborhood is getting to know the best spots for dining out, shopping, gyms, and leisure activities, but there’s no harm in giving your new tenants a head start by making some recommendations of your own. On the first day especially, most tenants will appreciate details of the best local places for takeout or food delivery, especially if their kitchen isn’t set up yet. You could also partner with local restaurants to offer money-off coupons to new arrivals.
Offer to loan household tools and products.
One of the most frustrating things about moving house is that when you’re unpacking and you need a pair of scissors, a screwdriver, or a sweeping brush to solve some urgent task, you realize all your equipment is packed away in one of the many identical boxes. To help new tenants out, property managers can keep a collection of useful tools, cleaning products, refuse sacks, and other common household items which you can loan them for the day.
Explain your building’s access control system.
You’ll want to find a quiet few minutes to give the new tenants a walkthrough of the access control system you have in place, and ensure that they understand how everything works. There’s nothing worse than getting stuck in the lobby of your new building on move day because you forgot a code or left your badge in the car and you don’t have a number for the property manager. And If you have additional facilities on site, such as a gym, pool, or clubhouse, make sure that you’ve explained the access procedure for each.
Set up smart locks ahead of time.
If possible, it’s best to collect any data you’ll need to add new residents to your access control system ahead of moving day, so you can have access cards or badges ready for them on arrival, or set up their apps remotely if you’re using smartphone-based access. If you’re using PIN, voice recognition, or fingerprint-based locks, and it isn’t convenient for them to make a site visit before the move, you should try and arrange to meet them on arrival to get them set up—it will be much more convenient if they have full access to the property at the start of the day in order to manage their move.
Send an SMS with a list of useful numbers.
Moving day is always stressful, and there’s a lot that can potentially go wrong. One way you can prepare for any problems that arise is to keep a list of contact details for local tradespeople, so if the new residents realize they need a trash pickup at short notice, or a plumber to fit their new dishwasher you can advise them on who to call. It’s a good idea to add these contacts to your info pack so the tenants have them available for future use.
For added convenience, send over the most important contact numbers via SMS—that way, tenants don’t need to type or copy them into their phones, they’ll have a direct dial link right there in the message.
How to make moving day even easier for your new tenants
With the rise in adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as security cameras, virtual assistants, and even kitchen appliances, smart locks have moved from being a relative novelty to an expectation, especially among younger generations of tenants
Implementing a smart access control system that includes smart locks can make the process of onboarding new tenants and dealing with departing residents much simpler—removing the need to hand over physical keys or cards, allowing you to grant and revoke access remotely, and improving the overall security and convenience of the process from both a manager and a resident perspective.
Lockly offers a range of keyless entry systems designed for multi-family homes and apartment complexes, with quick and easy installation and lifetime support and warranty. To find out more, view our product page here.
