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How to connect ChatGPT to your rental property software

DoorKeeping team

4 min read

In ChatGPT you add your property software as a custom MCP server: give it a name, paste its connector address, set up sign-in, accept the risk warning and install it. Then you start a chat and call it by name. OpenAI keeps changing where these menus live, so follow the labels, and before you trust it with anything, test one read question and one change that should ask you first.

Before you start

You need three things: a ChatGPT plan and workspace that allow custom MCP servers, the connector address of your property software, and an owner login for that software. Account and workspace policies decide who may add a custom server, so on a Business or Enterprise workspace an admin may have to allow it. OpenAI's connection guide says exactly this: account and workspace policies apply to adding and using custom MCP servers.

The steps

OpenAI's current guide describes this flow, read on 2026-10-30. Earlier versions of ChatGPT used the names Settings, Apps and Connectors, and developer mode; the words change, the sequence does not.

  1. Open the plugins or apps page in ChatGPT and choose the plus button, then Add custom MCP server.
  2. Enter a name and a short description you will recognize, such as "Rental portfolio".
  3. Under Connection, enter the server address. It is a public https address that ends in /mcp. For DoorKeeping that is https://doorkeeping.com/mcp.
  4. Set up authentication. For a rental connector this is OAuth, so you sign in on the software's own page and tap Allow.
  5. Read the risk warning and choose I understand and want to continue.
  6. Create it, review the list of discovered tools, and install.
  7. Start a new conversation, type @, and pick the connector.

Why there is a risk warning

A connector gives the model tools, and the model decides when to call them from your words and from whatever text it reads along the way. That is the reason for the warning. MCP's architecture page defines tools as executable functions an AI application can invoke to perform actions. The protocol describes what a tool is; it does not decide how careful the server is about money. That job belongs to the software on the other end.

So the useful question for any rental connector is: what is the worst a wrong tool call can do? If the answer is "read the wrong report", that is a nuisance. If it is "send a notice" or "pay a bill", you want the software to stop and wait for you.

A five minute test before you rely on it

OpenAI's guide tells developers to test write actions that need confirmation and to check authentication errors. You can do the owner's version of that:

  1. Ask a read question you already know the answer to, such as "How many units do I have and how many are vacant?" Compare it with the software.
  2. Ask for a change that should be small and safe, such as logging a repair. Confirm the chat shows you a draft first.
  3. Ask for something that must not happen by itself, such as "send the pay or quit notice to unit 4". Confirm it does not send, and tells you where to approve.
  4. Disconnect the connector and ask the first question again. It should fail.

Example a made-up owner of a duplex runs step 3 and ChatGPT replies that it drafted the notice and that sending it needs the owner's tap in the software. Nothing was sent, which is the result the owner wanted. Had it said "sent", the owner would remove the connector and ask the vendor why.

ChatGPT or Claude for rentals?

Both speak MCP, so the same property software can connect to either and you do not have to pick one for good. What differs is the menus, the plan limits and how each app presents tool approvals. Try the same test questions in each and keep whichever you find easier. Your records live in the software, not in either chat.

How DoorKeeping handles it

DoorKeeping's server is https://doorkeeping.com/mcp, with OAuth sign-in. Its connect page lists the steps for ChatGPT, the same Allow screen where you choose the portfolio, and every tool with its type: reads, drafts you confirm, and items that wait for your Accept on doorkeeping.com. ChatGPT can reject an item in the approvals queue but cannot accept one.

Sources

  1. OpenAI: Connect your MCP server to ChatGPT, read Oct 30, 2026
  2. Model Context Protocol: Architecture overview (tools, resources, prompts), read Oct 30, 2026
  3. DoorKeeping: Connect Claude or ChatGPT (steps and tools list), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

Where is developer mode in ChatGPT?
OpenAI has moved and renamed these menus more than once. Today's OpenAI guide starts from the plugins page and the Add custom MCP server button. If you see Apps and Connectors with a developer mode switch instead, it is the same feature under an older name.
Can ChatGPT and Claude both connect to the same property software?
Yes, if the software uses MCP. Each app connects separately and you can remove either one without affecting the other.
Is it safe to let ChatGPT change my rental records?
It depends on the software. Test that changes show a draft first and that money and legal steps wait for your approval, and keep tenant SSNs and bank numbers out of the chat.

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