A Guide to Using Property Management Software

Some amazing new property management software platforms are available for landlords, HOA managers, and multifamily property managers to enjoy today.

In fact, these new SaaS-based platforms remove a lot of the tough tasks that result in landlords to outsource management to a property management company. With automation and simplified dashboards, landlords can handle the work with ease.

Professional-level systems such as ManageCasa provide an intuitive software ease users’ difficulties in understanding tasks, information displayed and actions to take.  Most new trainees, especially those without formal property management training need easy-to-understand applications.

New Users May Suffer Fatigue in Taking on Too Much Too Quickly

Any platform can be intimidating and hard to understand for new users which is why all software should be simplified. It’s easier to learn and use.

This is why some support and training are a key part of your property management platform. Work simplification for all users has guided the software’s design from a higher perspective so that all users face less fatigue or confusion in managing their daily tasks. Things are where they should be and less time is needed to accomplish your daily tasks.

It’s wise for landlords to consider how easy it is to use property management technology, since simplicity is the essence of staff satisfaction, confidence, and running a cost-efficient business.

Below is a general primer on the steps needed to set up your property management accounts and the actions you’ll be taking in your day-to-day work. This is an overview. For explicit instructions on conducting data entry, edits, and issuing payments, notices, and amending documents, you’ll need to follow the user guide or ask for support.

You’ll appreciate the help files and support lines you can call when you encounter issues you don’t understand.

The Importance of Modern Software in Property Management

Today’s property management software solution is a hosted, managed digital service delivered through a system known as software as a service (SaaS). Modern companies provide the SaaS software in this fashion to:

• eliminate the need for IT managers and equipment which are costly
• creates a ready-made system for property staff to use
• hosts and operates on the cloud for maximum scalability, speed, and cost reduction
• is usable on a monthly-basis via subscription with fees that vary as usage and property volumes change
• is lightning fast, always on and available via any device
• enables outstanding accounting, payment, maintenance and tenant management

And what the software doesn’t automatically resolve, you can rely on customer service staff at a company (such as ManageCasa) to help users progress with their work. ManageCasa as a note, offers user training. As a user of ManageCasa for example, there are tutorials to help you master the essential, most frequently used tasks. This will be your first go-to-resource.

There is no installation of software since you simply go online and log into a platform account dashboard to set up and manage your clients, properties, and accounts. By following the detailed instructions for setting up an account, you’ll progress through all of the tasks, from setup to processing transactions and running reports.

Logging into Your Account: Overview

Upon logging into your account, you’ll view your dashboard, which normally has a main menu of account categories you’ll be entering or viewing information. And for these to have any meaning, the account has to be set up and data imported, or entered into the system.

Here is a screenshot of the ManageCasa dashboard as an example. The left panel shows major work areas with each having tabs in the top left-hand corner for specific account views and actions to be taken by you.

ManageCasa Property Management Software Interface

4 Steps to Setting up Property Management Software

Let’s simplify the process with these 4 steps of launching an account in the ManageCasa Dashboard interface:

Part 1: Login and set up your business and accounts

• Create your company to prepare your account to collect payments
• Manage your account settings
• Give your team access to your account by adding them as account users
• Add your contacts, properties, leases, and property management terms

Part 2: Verify your business and identity

In this part, the property management software provider needs to verify your business to enable you to collect funds and send out charges to customers. This is a typical process to verify:

• click on the gear icon in the left menu and select Settings
• click Account Verification
• click Create Company
• enter the required information and enter
• the system will report whether it was successfully done

Part 3: Set up your Accounting

• once verified, you move to the next very important stage: setting up your accounting application.
• create your financial data (if your accounting data has been migrated, you’ll see your charts and accounts already populated with data)
• adding data, you can create a new financial transaction which will automatically populate various charts and ledgers.
• you can close out transactions by marking them as paid in your account

Part 4: Get your account ready to collect and make payments

• connect a bank account (add a new bank account and the pertinent information for your company or your owner clients)
• choose the deposit method
• check the verification status after successfully connecting your bank account

Setting up for Association Managers

The process for setting up accounts and inputting information is the same with HOA and CAM businesses, with a few exceptions. The roles and companies might differ but the process of setting up accounts, verifying, setting up bank accounts and assigning user roles is similar. Learn more about HOA management Software and see ManageCasa’s User Help Resource for more detailed instructions for associations.

After the accounts are set up, you’re ready to investigate the full feature set and learn how to use each one.  The best way to learn via your computer is to follow the help files for new users on ManageCasa. They’re simplified and easy to understand.

Key Features of Your Dashboard to Investigate

You’ll find categories in the left panels. These are key areas for you to explore and input data or produce reports.

In the upper left, you’ll find individual tabs to drill down into to review accounts, financial information, lease and transaction status, as well as messages and related documents.

• Tenant and lease tracking:  In these dashboard tabs you’ll be able to view the lease terms, paid status, and other details.
• Maintenance management: Here can view maintenance work in process, who is involved, what the issues are, and whether the work was finalized.
• Accounting and financial reporting: The accounting section provides an overview and detailed description of your receivables, payables, income, liabilities, cash flow, rent roll, invoice details, chart of accounts, ledgers, etc. and the status of all accounts.
• Communication tools (e.g., for tenants, maintenance teams, etc.): The communications system gives you pertinent information on tenants and owners, and association board members and residents.
• Online rent collection and payment processing: Payments are processed automatically from bank accounts or epayments and you can view the transactions and deposits, and enter manual payments made offline.
• Mobile app integration for on-the-go management: A property management mobile app extends functionality to mobile devices for those on the road.
• Security and Compliance:  A SaaS, cloud-powered software takes online data and access security to a new level. Users are assigned identification keys that allow them to access certain resources while not viewing other resources.

If you’re serious about ManageCasa, you can ask for a demo that provides an overview of features to help you gain clarity.

A property management software application is an advanced tool.  It takes some patience and practice to become familiar with all features and functions. If you’re already using a legacy app, the transition will likely be easy, given you know what you’re doing business-wise.

Always remember, that our support pros are ready to help you get past any stopping points you experience in using ManageCasa. Never fear, we’ll help you resolve your issues and grow more comfortable with ManageCasa™.

Review all property management software products and put an emphasis on ease of learning and use, because when business picks up, you’ll appreciate a solution that automates tasks and helps you get the rest accomplished quickly.

Find out more about ManageCasa now.

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