Do you actually log every tenant text in your PM software?

Question

Honest question for self-managing landlords and small PMs.

A property manager I talked to recently said the hard part isn't the software, it's the discipline. Tenant texts land on his cell, owner emails sit in Gmail, a contractor calls about a leak, and none of it makes it into the system unless he stops and moves it there himself. By Friday, half of it only lives on his phone.

So I'm curious how others handle it: do you log every tenant text and call in your PM software, or does most of it live on your phone and inbox? And if you do keep it all in one place, what habit or setup actually made it stick?

Trying to understand where record-keeping really breaks down for smaller operators, so any honest answer helps.

Marcus Auerbach · Answer

No. But we keep them where they are and never delete any.

If you need them, they are still there. There are good apps to extract text messages and print them in a format that is time stamped and has names - which is what the court wants. For 99% of our tenants we never need them and transferring everything would be a waste, but we can usually tell when a relationship starts going sideways.

More important than logging them in your software is HOW you communicate:

• short,
• clear and
• concise.

short,

clear and

concise.

We try to write every text and email with a judge in mind. You learn that when you put an eviction file together and realize you have to print 60 pages of text messages and then help the judge understand what's going on and not get lost between page 39 and 47. Less is more. Just state the facts. If a conversation or dialog is required then call, just confirm the outcome in a text. "Thanks for the call. Just to confirm, you stated you will drop off rent tomorrow."

Rukhaam Mahar · Answer

BJ, fair question: neither. I'm not a landlord myself. I'm building software for small property managers and asked because this is the part of the week that keeps coming up. "Anything that changes money, access, or a promised repair" is the clearest filter in this thread. How many doors are you managing now?

Rukhaam Mahar · Answer

That's a clear rule, Matthew: whoever takes the call owns the note, and nobody hands over a shift with open promises. Across your 25 doors, roughly how many of those open-issue handoffs happen in a typical week?

Drew Sygit · Answer

If you're a PMC: 1) Use a VOIP system with calls & SMS, that you can load on PC/laptop AND phone. • Require all staff to use ONLY this! • We use RingCentral (also has built-in Slack & Zoom) Require all staff to use ONLY this! We use RingCentral (also has built-in Slack & Zoom) 2) Setup Gmail Collaborative Groups • One for each department or task • Use ONLY these to communicate outside the company • EXAMPLE: Maintenance@, Accounting, Applications, Showings, etc One for each department or task Use ONLY these to communicate outside the company EXAMPLE: Maintenance@, Accounting, Applications, Showings, etc 3) You can then connect VOIP with Collaborative Groups • All our SMS go thru RingCentral to the Collaborative Group • Same for voicemails • You can even set up same for missed calls • When not in office, can access EVERYTHING via app on mobile phone - customers can't tell the diff (except for background noice) All our SMS go thru RingCentral to the Collaborative Group Same for voicemails You can even set up same for missed calls When not in office, can access EVERYTHING via app on mobile phone - customers can't tell the diff (except for background noice) Everything is now saved!

BJ Everson · Answer

Rukhaam, I don't paste every emoji text into software — I do log anything that changes money, access, or a promised repair. Habit that stuck for me on small 1–4s: tenants get one written channel (email or portal), emergencies get a defined after-hours path, and any phone decision becomes a 30-second note the same day (what was decided, who owns it, by when). Saturday calls are the ones that disappear if you wait until Monday. Are you self-managing one door or already past a handful?

Lee Futcher · Answer

Hey @Rukhaam Mahar,

That's a great summary of the thread. "What was decided, who's doing it and by when" might be the most useful line in it.

I'd add one small habit that makes those notes stick: write them the same way every time, as one line with those three parts. Something like "Approved sink repair, Mike's Plumbing, Thursday 2 to 4." When the format never changes, it takes ten seconds to write from a phone, and anyone picking it up later can read it at a glance.

I also like the approach from @Richard F. of steering tenants toward one written channel from move-in. The fewer places a request can land, the fewer notes anyone has to write afterward.

Onward,Lee

Richard F. · Answer

I never allowed texts from tenants (except one deaf tenant), nor direct calls to my cell. My cell number was only made available to Owners and to contractors, so they could reach me at any time. The contractors could also send me pics direct from site when necessary for an approval. Tenants had three options: Email (far preferred), office phone/voice mail which I cleared frequently and at end of day; walk in to our office. We also had an after hours live phone service for emergency calls that would then be forwarded to the proper PM based on updated property list we provided. Emergency calls for 150 units was less than half a dozen per year. Routine service requests would typically be only 1 or 2 per week.

Matthew Tregoning · Answer

Rukhaam, I'd make the person who takes the call responsible for the note, even if they're also the owner. A 30-second entry from the phone right after the call is more realistic than catching up Monday. For after-hours coverage, I'd also require an open-issues handoff before the next person takes over. Someone still needs to own the promised callback when the shift changes.

Rukhaam Mahar · Answer

Thanks all, really useful. The pattern I'm hearing: nobody logs every text, but the ones that change what happens next get a short note. What was decided, who's doing it and by when (Matthew), confirmed back in writing so it holds up later (Marcus), or captured automatically because the phone is tied to the system (Chris).

Question for anyone self-managing: when that call happens after hours or on a Saturday, who actually writes the note, and does it get written?

Matthew Tregoning · Answer

For guest operations, I care most about capturing whatever changes what the next person needs to do. A phone call approving a repair, promising a callback or changing access instructions needs a short note against that property right away. The useful handoff is what was decided, who is doing it and when. I want someone covering the inbox to be able to act without calling me for the backstory.

Do you actually log every tenant text in your PM software?

Do you actually log every tenant text in your PM software?

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