Tenants main screen

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Use this screen to:-
  • access tenant information
  • add a new tenant
  • edit (change) the details of an existing tenant
  • delete a tenant.

    Skip to the description of the screen elements


    Adding a new tenant
    Before adding a new tenant ensure the property exists in the system.

    You may also want to check the Tenancy Tribunal web site for any orders involving this tenant by using the link on the Help Menu.     XXXX   new image required

    More detailed instructions can be found in the Initial Installation section below if required.
  • When adding a new tenant it is best, (but not essential), to select the property first then press the button.
  • Click [Add]
  • Enter the Name and Address details in the new window followed by [OK] when complete.
  • Enter the Phone details in the new window followed by [OK] when complete.
  • You will be returned to the main Tenants screen with the pre-selected property highlighted.
      4 If the is the property is correct property click the highlighted line or the List box
      4 Or select the correct property from the List box.
  • Enter the Start of Tenancy date
  • Enter the rent amount and rent period
  • The [Details] button allows further information to be entered on the tabbed pages.
     
  • We do not recommended overriding the system assigned code but you may do so before saving the record.  Alternatively use the Tenants menu > Renumber Tenant function.
  • Click [Save] to save the new tenant record.
  • Unless you are in the Initial Installation phase a Rent Invoice screen will appear
      4 Enter any Letting Fee the tenant is to pay
      4 Enter the full bond applicable to the property, not just any remaining amount still to paid, See Establishing the Bond to be Paid
      4 Click [OK], which will return you to the Tenants main screen.
  • Click [Cancel] at any time to abort the entry.
  • Click [Edit] to change any saved details.  Remember to click [Save] after editing.
  • Click [Delete] to delete a saved entry.
  • Before moving on check the details entered are correct.  A little checking now can save time later.

    Notes
  • For non-managed, i.e. casual lets, you do not need to enter a Vacate Date, the system will do it for you based on the rent period.
      4 If you are collecting one week's rent enter $100 per Week, if collecting two weeks' rent enter $200 per Fortnight and the system will set up the Rent Invoice details and Vacate Date for you.
      4 If you have set the Property > Desired Rent and Desired Bond correctly they will be offered as the tenant's rent period and amount.
  • When the tenancy is short term, i.e. only for a month or two, enter the Vacate Date when creating the tenant by clicking the button and using the Date Picker.
  • When the tenancy is for a longer fixed term, although you could enter a Vacate Date, it is preferable to enter a Lease End Date via the button.  One reason is that use can be made of the Tenants menu > Reports > Tenant Leases report to monitor and initiate renewals and a second is that the tenancy automatically becomes a periodic tenancy if the tenant stays on but does not renew the fixed term arrangement.  Adding a Bring Up Note dated a month before the fixed term ends would not be amiss either.
  • When a Lease End Date is entered this will show on the main Tenants screen in place of the Vacate Date button and Date Picker.  To enter a Vacate Date click [Edit] and the Vacate Date button will display.


    Copying an existing tenant details
    From time to time a tenant will need to be entered a second or even more times, examples of which are:-
      4 when a property changes hands and a new landlord / property / tenant combination must be set up
      4 the tenant moves between two different properties
      4 a garage, parking or locker space in an apartment block is rented from a different owner to the rental accommodation
      4 a court order is applied to repayment of arrears or outstanding debt.

    Under such circumstances the Tenants menu > Copy Tenant function can be used to save data entry time by duplicating much of the tenants details to a "new" tenant.  See Copying Master Recordsfor more details.


    Transferring an existing tenant details
    Occasionally a tenant may be accidentally set up on the wrong property.  Rather than having to delete the tenant and re-enter all the details again the tenant may be transferred to the correct property provided certain conditions exist.  See Copying Master Recordsfor more details.


    Editing existing tenant details
  • Select the tenant whose details you wish to change.
  • Click [Edit]
  • Click the appropriate button to access the details you wish to change.
  • Make the desired changes then click [OK] to return to the main screen followed by [Save].
  • Click [Cancel] to abort the editing process.
    Note
    Editable items on the main screens must be edited as above.
    Many of the sub-screens accessed via the button stack have an [Edit] button which can be used without needing to click the main screen [Edit] button.  When the sub-screen [Edit] button is clicked the button label will change to [OK].  When [OK] is clicked you will (generally) be returned to the main screen where the [Save] button can be pressed.
    If you click the main screen [Edit] button before moving to a sub-screen the sub-screen button will already be showing [OK].


    Deleting a tenant
  • Before any record, master file, transaction or table details, can be deleted, a number of requirements must be met which varies depending upon what is being deleted.  There is also often a hierarchy which determines whether and / or the order in which records can be deleted.  See more in the Adding, Changing and Deleting Records topic.
  • In the case of tenants, a tenant can only be deleted when:-
    no transactions exists in the system for the tenant
    and the account has a zero balance.
    For the purposes of deleting a tenant the Rent Inv records (like the B/Fwd records) are not considered transactions, so a tenant whose transactions contain only B/Fwd and Rent Inv records will delete when the [Delete] button is pressed.
  • Click the [Delete] button and if the rules above are all met you will be asked to confirm the deletion.
  • The tenant(s) must be deleted first, then the property(ies) and finally the landlord.
  • A tenant account balance may be written off using the [Transactions] > [Add] > Write Off Tenant's Balance menu selection.
  • See the Archive and Purge topics for the system processes involved in deleting transactions and master file records in bulk at the end of each tax or calendar year.


    Hints.
    These tips apply in New Zealand and may be applicable elsewhere too.
  • Getting the rent day and "payday" in step is probably one of the smartest things you can do with a new tenant.  See  Synchronising rent day to pay day for more details.
  • Have the rent paid by automatic payment and have the payee bank reference field entries right for you.  See the Glossary entry When receiving money for suggestions.
  • Within New Zealand the Automatic Payment form is a "universal" form.  So regardless of the logo on the form all banks (with the exception of HKSB) will accept the form.  This means you can use any bank's form regardless of the tenant's bank.  Furthermore you can lodge them in your own bank, or just the nearest one, without having to dash all over town.  You will strike the odd teller who may jib at receiving A/Ps on another bank and you just have to dig your toes in and ask for the manager.  I used to tell users if there was any further difficulty to ask for a pair of scissors and cut the offending logo off and was highly amused when a client reported that was exactly what they did and the forms were then accepted!
  • Important To use the automated Tenant Import Receipt function the details on the tenant's  A/P form, deposit book or card must be unique.  Hence the recommendation to use the Tenant Code which can apply to only one tenant while a street address, or even their name, may not necessarily be unique.
  • If you use deposit books or deposit cards you can pre-allocate blocks of Tenant Codes when having the deposit books or cards made up then override the Tenant Code when adding the tenant.  If you forget to change the code before saving the new tenant use the Tenants > Renumber Tenant to get it right.
  • You can avoid cluttering up the main screen with "dead" accounts by using the Details > Other Details > Hide this Tenant ? checkbox in conjunction with the Setup menu > Preferences > Appearances tab > Show Hidden Records checkbox.  This can stop accounts being shown on the main screen but they still print on reports.
  • When an account is no longer used place them at the end of your tenant screen displays and reports by inserting lowercase "zz " (zed zed space) in front of the SortKey only once the account has been cleared.  "zed zed space" is recommended for readability and not too many last names start with "zz".  If you try to locate "Smith" and they can't be found try "zz smi".  Just be consistent.  There is no processing significance with this change and the tenant may be eliminated from screen displays and reports for other reasons such as the tenant has vacated or the management has been lost, 



    Description of the Tenants main screen

    Refer to the Glossary for information about the Title bar, Menu bar and Navigator bar.

    Index Panel
  • The panel on the far left is the Index Panel.
  • It displays brief details about "all" the tenants.  See Note below.
  • Initially the tenants will be displayed in SortKey order.
    The highlighted line and arrowhead indicate the selected tenant.
  • Change the sort order by clicking the column headings in the Index Panel.
  • The column heading of the current sequence is in red.
  • Click the heading of the current column to toggle between ascending and descending sequence
  • Use the horizontal scroll bar to see more detail columns.
  • Locate a tenant quickly by typing either the first few letters of the SortKey, or the Tenant Code, (which will cause the "Find" window to appear automatically),  then press [Enter] on the keyboard.
    Generally it is only necessary to enter the first two or three characters.  If you don't get a direct hit you will be very close. 
    If the first character entered is a number the index panel will display the records in Code order.
    If the first character entered is an Alphabetic character the index panel will display the records in SortKey order.
    Once the first character is entered, if you wish to change from Code to SortKey and v.v. the Find window must first be closed.
    If there are no records starting with the characters entered you will get a "not found" message.
    Note It is possible that records do exist in the system but are excluded from the main screen display because they "hidden" or do not "belong" to the Property Manager selected.

    Main Panel
  • The panel on the right contains information about the selected (highlighted) tenant.
  • Moving from top to bottom the items displayed are:-
  • Tenant Code
  • Name and Address details
  • Phone details
  • Use the Zoom Buttons to the right of the Name and Phone numbers edit or view those details.     

    Property Code and address
  • This is the property to which the tenant was assigned when they were initially entered into the system
  • These property details can not be changed once any monetary transaction has been entered with the exceptions noted here.
      4 If the Property Code is changed using Properties menu > Renumber Property the new code will be displayed and the old code is lost.
      4 If the Property Address is changed by editing, the new address will be displayed.
      4 If a new tenant is incorrectly assigned to the wrong property it is possible to transfer the tenant to another providing no monetary transaction has been entered.  See Copying Master Recordsfor details.

    Start Date
  • The date the tenancy started.
  • Changing this date will automatically modify the Rent Invoice transactions, the Rent Change records and adjust the Paid To date for the tenant.
      4 You will be asked if the Lease Start (Fixed Term Tenancy) date is to be changed.
      4 The Lease End date will not be changed and must be edited manually.

    Rent Amount and Rent Period
  • The content of these two fields is self-evident.
  • When the tenant is being created they will be defaulted to the Desired Rent information from the property record, which of course may be over-keyed.
  • If the Rent Amount label is in black text the amount shown is the current (as at today) rent being charged.
  • If the Rent Amount label is in red text it indicates that a Rent Change has been entered for the tenant which will be applied at some date in the future.  Press [Rent Change] to view the rent change records for details.
  • For non-managed, i.e. casual lets, it is suggested you enter the rent amount and rent period equivalent to the rent you are going to collect as the system uses these values to set up the tenant's Rent Invoice details and Vacate Date.  For example if you are collecting one week's rent enter $100 per Week, if collecting two weeks' rent enter $200 per Fortnight.

    Managed properties indicator
  • A tick indicates the tenant is assigned to a managed property.
  • The managed indicator is set on the property.

    Vacate Date button - May not be present
  • The Vacate Date and Lease End Dates inter-act with each other and only one, or neither, may be present
  • If the tenant is on a Fixed Term Tenancy the Vacate Date should not be entered until nearing the end of the term when you know the tenant is definitely vacating and is not renewing the term or converting to a periodic tenancy.  Instead a Lease End Date should be entered, see next section.
  • Normally the vacate date should be entered immediately the tenant advises you that they are ending their tenancy.
  • When a vacate date is entered, changed or deleted the system will ask if you want to write a letter to the tenant and landlord.
    If neither a vacate date nor a lease end date is entered the [Vacate Date] button will not be present.
  • If a vacate date has been entered and the date is prior to "today" the button text will be black.
  • If a vacate date has been entered and the date is in the future the button text will be red.
  • If both a vacate date and a lease end date have been entered the [[Vacate Date] button will take precedence and be displayed along with the vacate date.
  • To enter a vacate date the [Edit] button must first be pressed at which time the [Vacate Date] button and Date Picker will appear.
  • To edit an existing vacate date press [Edit] and change the calendar.
  • To remove a vacate date press [Edit] then the [Vacate Date] button.  You will be required to confirm the removal of the vacate date.

    Lease End Date or Lease Expired  - May not be present
  • A Fixed Term Tenancy has been called "Lease" in the system simply because it is shorter for labels and printed reports.
  • When a Lease End Date has been entered and no vacate date has been entered the tenant's main screen will display a label Lease End Date and the lease expiry date.
  • Where a tenancy is for a fixed term enter the date the fixed term expires in the Tenants > [Details] > Lease tab > End Date field.
  • When a new tenant is created the Tenants > [Details] > Lease tab > Start Date field is defaulted to the start of tenancy date and may be over keyed.
  • A tenancy which converts from a periodic to fixed term will need the Tenants > [Details] > Lease tab > Start Date changing and the expiry date entered in the Tenants > [Details] > Lease tab > End Date field.
  • When a fixed term tenancy expires and is renewed whether both dates or only the End Date is changed will depend upon your management policies and the tenancy agreement itself..
  • The Tenants menu > Reports > Tenant Leases report is used to monitor the expiry date of leases.
  • The label Lease End Date will change to Lease Expired when the system date is later than the Lease End Date.

    Managed properties indicator
  • A tick indicates the tenant is renting a property which is currently managed.
  • No tick indicates the tenant may be a casual let or the property is no longer managed.

    Financial Summary
  • Summary of the tenants account up to TODAY.
  • Future dated transactions are not included in these summary amounts.
    Go to the Transactions for the end of period total.

    Button Stack
  • The [Properties] button moves to the Properties main screen and displays all properties with the property for the selected tenant highlighted.
  • The [Rent Changes] button opens the window displaying the rent changes associated with this tenant.
  • The [Details] button opens a new window which carries additional information relating to the tenant.  See the Tenant Details topic.
  • The [Transactions] button opens a new window where the transactions for this tenant are viewed, edited, added or deleted.  See the Tenant Transactions topic.
  • The [Mail] button opens a new window where Emails, Letters or Faxes to this tenant may be created, viewed, edited, re-sent or deleted.  See the Mail topic.
  • The [Notes] button opens a new window where notes about this tenant may be created, viewed, edited or deleted. 
    An electronic diary system called Bring Ups uses the Notes system to act as a reminder when things are to be done.
    See the Notes topic.
  • The [Photos] button opens a new window where photos, and other images too, may be loaded into the database, viewed, edited or deleted.  See Photos for more information.

    Property Manager selection
  • Selecting a specific Property Manager from this list box will reduce the number of tenant records displayed to only tenants who are renting, or have rented, properties assigned to portfolios for which the Property Manager selected is responsible.

    Aspect logo
  • The [Aspect Logo] acts as both an indicator and a button.  When the logo is red it indicates that Bring Ups exist which should be attended to today or are outstanding.  When pressed it accesses all the unactioned Bring Ups in the system.  See Aspect Logo and Bring Ups for more information.


    Related Topics
    Initial Installation Overview
    Tenants Opening Rent Status
    Tenant Rent Change
    Vacating Tenants
    Add, Change and Delete Records
    Clearing a Tenant Account




    Initial Installation Step 10 - Setting up the Tenants

    The process of adding a new tenant steps you through two separate windows on which associated data is grouped before returning to the main tenants screen where the remaining tenant information is entered.

    Once the [Add] process is started the Aspect Property Manager will go to the next screen automatically.  Keep the help topic in step by pressing [Help] on the Title Bar of each new window which I recommend you do for the first few tenants.


    Go to the Tenants main screen.

    The following instructions assume you have arrived on the Tenants main screen via the Properties main screen , button having pre-selected the property.

    You may have an empty screen or other tenants displayed who have previously rented this property.  Where the screen is empty you will be adding the first tenant to this property, now that was pretty obvious wasn't it.  Either way the procedure below should be followed.
  • Click [Add].
  • Enter the Name and Address Details in the new window.
  • Enter the Phone details in the next window.
  • Then you will be returned to the main Tenants screen.
  • Enter the Start of Tenancy date - which defaults to "today".  You may enter:-
      4 Either the actual date the tenant started renting the property, even if it was "years ago"
      4 Or the date to which the tenant's rent is paid, whether it is before or after the date you are commencing recording the transactions from.
  • Enter the Rent Amount - which defaults to the Desired Rent entered on the Property record.
  • Choose the right Rent Period - which also defaults from the Property record.
  • To check or change your entries before saving them click the appropriate [Zoom] button to access the sub-windows.
  • Click [Save] to save the details entered.
  • Click [Cancel] at any time to abort the entry or change being made.
  • After saving the record use [Edit] to make any changes.  Remember to click [Save] after editing.
  • Click [Delete] to delete the entire entry and if necessary reenter the data.

    We do not recommend overriding the system assigned code but you may do so before saving the new record.  Once the record is saved use the Tenants menu > Renumber Tenant function.

    The [Details] button opens the Tenant Details screen which holds additional tenant information.  This data may be entered now or later.  Open the Help on the Tenant Details screen for information on the fields and their use.

    Notes
  • While you are setting up the system, and prior to running First Period Details, clicking [Save] will return you to the main Tenants screen and additional tenants or other master records can be entered.
  • After the First Period Details function is run a slightly different sequence as outlined below is used when adding tenants.
      4 After clicking [Save] a Rent Invoice screen will appear.
      4 When it does, accept or modify the Letting Fees and Bond amounts required from the tenant.
      4 Only after saving this Rent Invoice record will you be returned to the main Tenants screen.
  • To correct a mistake:-
      4 before you clicked [Save], access the sub-screen by pressing the appropriate button and fix the error.
      4 In both cases after making your correction press [OK] to return to the main screen and click [Save].
  • When adding new records, clicking [Cancel] on any screen or sub-screen before clicking [Save]  will discard all data entered and the record must be entered again.  Sometimes it is quicker to save the incorrect data then edit the record to correct errors.
  • When editing existing records, clicking [Cancel] on any screen or sub-screen before clicking [Save]  will discard all changes made.
  • Although you may add photos now we suggest you leave the loading of all photos to a separate job to be done later.


    Where next?
    At this point you can stay on the Tenants main screen and enter the next tenant, in which case repeat these initial installation tenant help instructions
    OR
    Return to Initial Installation.