How do I write standard operating procedures for my rental properties?
Write one page for each routine you repeat: what starts it, the steps, who does each, and what gets recorded. Start with ten: rent due and late, a repair request, an emergency, a vacancy, a showing, move-in, move-out, a renewal, a vendor invoice and month end. The test is whether someone else could run your rentals for a week from the pages alone.
Why write procedures at all
Most landlords run on memory, and memory fails on the day you are sick, traveling or buried in a vacancy. Written procedures do three things. They make your own handling consistent, which also matters for fair treatment of tenants. They let a helper, a partner or a manager step in. And they show you which steps you repeat so you can automate or hand them off.
A format short enough to use
Keep each procedure to one page with the same five headings. If a page grows long, split it.
- Trigger: what starts it, such as "rent not received by the 6th"
- Steps: numbered, one action each, starting with a verb
- Owner: who does each step, you, a helper, a vendor
- Timing: how soon, for example "within 24 hours"
- Record: what to write down and where, such as the ledger or the tenant's file
The ten to write first
| Routine | What the page should say |
|---|---|
| Rent due and late | Reminder date, grace period, day-six contact, when a notice goes out, what the state requires; see late rent routines |
| Repair request | How requests arrive, how urgency is decided, who is called, how the tenant is told |
| Emergency | What counts, the on-call person, the vendor order; see the after-hours plan |
| Vacancy | Who inspects, who photographs, where it is listed, the screening rule |
| Showing | Safety rules, who attends, what is recorded; see showing a unit alone |
| Move-in | Condition report, keys, deposit record, utilities; see the checklist |
| Move-out | Inspection, photos, deposit statement and the state deadline |
| Renewal | When the offer goes out, how rent is chosen, how it is signed |
| Vendor invoice | Who approves, the spending limit, where the invoice is filed; see invoice approval |
| Month end | Bank matched, rent checked against the roll, books closed; see the close checklist |
A finished page
- Trigger: rent is not received by the 6th.
- Check the bank and the ledger for a payment under another name or amount before contacting anyone.
- If none, send the reminder message from the template the same day.
- If still unpaid on the 10th, call the tenant and write down what they said.
- If a payment plan is agreed, write it down and have both sides sign it; see the payment plan agreement.
- If not, check your state's notice rules before sending any notice, and keep proof of delivery.
- Record: every contact, the date and the result, in the tenant's file.
The page does not give legal advice and should name the state rule it relies on, so you can update it when the law changes. If you are unsure of a step, write "ask my lawyer" on the page with the lawyer's name and number, so the helper knows when to stop and call.
Keep it alive and keep it filed
Review the pages twice a year and after any incident that went badly: add the step that was missing. Store them with the rest of your business records, and keep the records they create for the period in IRS Publication 583. Share the folder with whoever might need it, with limited access rather than your own password.
Where DoorKeeping fits
Many of these routines are tasks you can hand to your own Claude or ChatGPT once DoorKeeping is connected: a morning brief of late rent, open work orders and leases ending soon, with every money step held for your one-tap approval. Your pages decide the rules, and DoorKeeping, at $2 per unit per month, keeps the record.
Sources
- IRS Publication 583, Starting a Business and Keeping Records, read Oct 30, 2026
- IRS Publication 527, Residential Rental Property, read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- How long should a procedure be?
- One page. If it needs more, split it into two routines.
- Which procedure should I write first?
- Rent due and late, because it repeats every month and carries the most risk if it is handled inconsistently.
- Do small landlords need written procedures?
- Even one page for rent and one for repairs helps, because it makes your handling consistent and lets someone cover for you.