RentHQ Software Blog

As per last month, a lot of enhancement suggestions have continues to roll in, and more of them have been completed. This is what was release in version 3.9.0.

- A lot of suggestions were made regarding adding column XYZ to screen ABC. And all these suggestions wanted different columns. If I added every column to every screen that was suggested the screen could become cluttered with columns other people might not want. So instead you can now choose which additional columns you want to add to your screens. This has been done by adding a 3 dot button to the top right of certain screens. Not all screens have these additional columns. By clicking the 3 dot button you can choose which columns to add or remove again. This applies to the computer it was created on, so different people in the same office can choose to show the columns they want to see.


- A change has been made to the transaction import screen. You can start an import, then move to a different menu and come back to the import again, and it will be the same as when you left it. This means you wont have to start all over again. Thanks to Nicola for the suggestion.

- A new custom message has been created, allowing you to add a new message into the body of all tenant invoices, including extra charge invoices. Go to Functions/Setup/Options and then click on the Messages tab to enter the tenant invoice message. This message could contain payment instructions or bank account details. Thanks to Richard for the suggestion.

- You can now record a transaction in the cashbook screen, selecting a closed property, but only when the closed property has a tenant who is marked as 'Closed - Allow Transaction Entry'. Note that the closed properties will appear at the bottom of the property list. Thanks to Garth for the suggestion.

Thanks again for all the suggestions we have received.

The latest update, version 3.8.9 on the login screen, has the following enhancements.

When creating an inspection, you can now choose to either select the property or the tenant. If you select the tenant, the associated property will be automatically selected for you. If you choose to select the property, the list of available tenants will be limited to only those tenants currently occupying the selected property. You will still need to select a tenant, as they are the one responsible for the property. This can save time for those property managers with a lot of properties, who cant remember which tenant occupies the property they want to inspect. Thanks to Michelle for the suggestion.

The length of an extra charge description has been increased from 50 characters to 250 characters. This will provide more room to enter a detailed description of what the tenant is being charged for. Various reports which print these descriptions have been modified to accommodate the larger content. When required, the text will wrap across multiple lines. Thanks to Roger for this suggestion

A whole host of changes have been made in the latest release of RentHQ based on user feedback.

You can now send a TXT/SMS message to contractors for work orders. This is in addition to the ability to email the job to the contractor. This is great for contractors who are on the go and don't have time to stop and check their emails. Thanks to Nicole for the suggestion.


You can now add a disbursement reference to the owner details screen. This reference will then get exported when generating a bank import file for banks that support it. The reference is found on the owner details screen, disbursements tab. Thanks to Lee for the suggestion.

A new Australian BAS (Business Activity Statement) report has been created. This is similar to the New Zealand GST Calculation report, but designed with our Australian friends in mind. This report is found on the Reports screen under 'Analysis Reports'. Thanks to Maya for the suggestion.

The attachment list for Tenants, Owners and Work Orders now has an additional 'Online' column. This indicates if the tenant or owner is able to view these files from their online portals. Not available on mobile apps. Thanks to Lee for the suggestion.


On the Extra Charge list screen, there is a new column to show the extra charge number. Not available on mobile apps. Thanks to Garth for the suggestion.

When completing a property inspection, there is the ability to create new work orders directly on the inspection results screen. This saves time going backwards and forwards between the inspection screen and the work orders screen.

This has now been enhanced further with the ability to also take a photo and attach it to the newly created work orders.

When the photo is taken, 2 copies of the photo will be created. The first copy will be attached to the inspection itself. The second will be attached to the work order.

As shown in the images below for both mobile and desktop, a new button labelled 'Take Photo for this Work Order' now exists below each new work order being created. Therefore if you are creating multiple work orders, you can attach the new photo to the correct work order.



This functionality is not available in off-line mode.
Thanks to Marian for the suggestion.

All of the tenancy agreements you can generate through RentHQ has the ability for you to add your own additional clauses. Up until now, you would need to copy and paste these each time a new agreement is created.

This has now been changed.

When you create an agreement for the first time for a property, the additional clauses will default to the clauses save with the last agreement created, regardless of which property that agreement was for.

When you then go to generate another agreement for the same property, it will default to the last clauses saved for that specific property.

In other words it will first attempt to use the clauses previously use for the same property, and failing that it will use the last clauses used for any property.

Thanks to Garth and Nicola for the suggestion and feedback.

At RentHQ, I am committed to making this the best property management software tool available. To achieve this goal, I invite all users to actively participate in shaping the future of our platform by offering their valuable feedback.

To facilitate this collaborative effort, we have launched a brand-new "Suggestions" web page. This web page enables you to contribute your own ideas on how RentHQ can be enhanced to better serve your needs. It also allows you to browse and endorse suggestions made by other users. Your endorsements serve as a clear signal to us about the priority of specific improvements.

Sharing your thoughts is easy – simply complete our online suggestion form with areas in which you believe RentHQ could perform better for you. Whether it's a minor annoyance or a significant enhancement, we genuinely want to hear from you about any aspect that can be improved.

You can access the Suggestion webpage by following this link:
https://www.renthq.net/suggestions

Join us in shaping the future of RentHQ. Let's make it an even more valuable tool for everyone. Your feedback is the driving force behind our continuous improvement efforts. Thank you for being a part of our journey.

Have you ever been curious about how many photos property managers or landlords typically take during an average inspection? To satisfy my own curiosity, I delved into the RentHQ data and conducted a sample analysis. In the graph below, I've plotted the data, with the horizontal axis representing the average number of photos taken per inspection, and the vertical axis indicating the number of RentHQ clients who capture that specific number of photos. Numbers are rounded up to the nearest 10 It's intriguing to observe that there are a few outliers who go above and beyond, taking well over 100 photos per inspection. Remarkably, the highest average goes up to an astonishing 157 photos per inspection. Conversely, the most popular category stands in stark contrast, with an average of fewer than 10 photos per inspection. Surprisingly, 40% of clients fall into this category, showing a preference for capturing minimal photos. Digging deeper, I found that a significant 90% of all clients take 50 photos or less on average. Moreover, half of all clients take less than 15 photos per inspection, indicating a general trend towards limited visual documentation. This data sheds light on the photo-taking habits of property managers and landlords, showcasing the diversity in their approach to inspection photography.

The tenant is the person best placed to inform you of any work that needs doing on your rental property.

With the latest update, the tenant can now log their own work orders via the tenants login. Of course it is still up to you to decide whether to proceed with the work order or not after reviewing it.

Via the tenants portal login, there is a new menu option for tenants called 'New Repair Request'


The resulting menu option requires the tenant to describe the problem, and optionally attach files such as photos.


This should save you time, and keep your properties in better condition.

The realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents an emerging technology that, when harnessed judiciously, has the potential to enhance our daily lives and simplify various tasks.

In this spirit, RentHQ has embarked on its journey to embrace AI. You now have the opportunity to leverage AI for the enhancement of your property descriptions, essential for marketing your rental properties. The eloquence of your property description could significantly impact the time it takes to secure your next desirable tenant.

To utilize this innovative feature, navigate to the property details screen and input a basic property description encompassing all pertinent property details. Subsequently, activate the new AI feature by clicking the 'AI' button next to the description, allowing AI algorithms to rephrase your property description. You retain the choice to either adopt the newly generated description or discard it.

For a comprehensive demonstration, we have prepared a training video, available for viewing below.

We have created an update to the inspection schedule report, designed to provide you with greater control and convenience. Our enhanced filtering options empower you to tailor the report according to your specific needs.

Now, you have the flexibility to filter the report by various criteria, including:

Business Entity: If you manage multiple business entities, you can easily view inspections for a particular entity, streamlining your workflow.

Property Manager: Select a specific property manager to focus on their assigned inspections, enhancing your oversight and management capabilities.

Building: Drill down into inspections for a particular building, allowing for more precise reporting.

Specific Properties: You can also handpick specific properties of interest, customizing the report to match your priorities.

This powerful set of filtering tools enables you to refine your inspection schedule, ensuring that you're only viewing the properties that matter most to you. Say goodbye to information overload and hello to a more efficient and effective inspection management experience.