Tip of the day! The User Defined Report

In talking with customers, I find that they often do not realize the capabilities and versatility of the User Defined Report. It is accessed by clicking on ‘Reports’ (ABOVE the buttons). Here are some things you should know about this report:

1. It can sort by the first three items you pick. So, if you want a report first sorted by the Rental Unit Address, the Tenant’s Last Name, then the tenant’s balance due, then click those items in that order. But if you click the ‘balance due’  (Tenant Information) first, then you’ll get a report showing the tenant’s owing the most to the least. That can be very helpful if you want to create a report that includes the balance due, the tenant, and their phone numbers.

2. Also,  you can choose to include the ‘notes’ for each Owner, Property, Unit, or Tenant, which might give you information about notes you need when talking to your tenant.

3. Under ‘Show Transaction Options’ you can even have the report scan the ledgers for any postings between any two dates. A helpful report would include the following: Unit Address, Tenant Name, Phone Numbers, Rent Payment, Current Balance PLUS any payment received during the current month.  Use the ‘Transaction Date Range’ to limit the transactions to a certain time period.

These are a few tips, but the User Defined Report has many other capabilities. Feel free to experiment with any settings – there is a ‘reset’ button to clear your entries and start over. You can print the report to your screen, or export it to a file so it can be emailed.

Tip of the day! Using the FEATURES section

Many Tenant File users do not know of the capabilities of the ‘Features’ section. In fact, this is a very powerful and useful part of the program. With Features, you can keep detailed information about your rental property, such as bedrooms, bathrooms and other important information. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

You have 4 ‘major’ categories, that you can edit toTenant File Features your preferences. Those are typically interior, exterior, appliances and general. Each of these 4 main categories can have 15 subcategories. This is where is gets interesting. For example, under ‘appliances’ you could list every major appliance in the rental unit, such as the stove, refrigerator, microwave, wash, dryer, etc. You can simply type information in the field next to the item, whatever you want to keep track of. For example, you could enter the serial number or the last repair date. Or, you can create up to 5 ‘default’ choices for the sake of consistency.  For a dryer, you might set up 2 choices: electric or gas.

Under the ‘general’ category, you could include nearby schools, shopping centers, businesses, parks, playgrounds or more. You can include insurance policy information or anything you want to keep track of.

In the end, you’ll have a detailed description of the property with up to 45 pieces of detailed information about the interior, exterior, appliances or general information.

So, other than having a ‘filing cabinet’ of information, how can this be used? For starters, the Tenant File has the ability (under Miscellaneous > Feature Search) to look for this information by combining up to 5  ‘features’. So if you need to see all of the 3 bedroom homes, with 2 baths, near a certain school, with an electric stove, and a fenced yard – no problem.

Or if you have the optional RentalWIZ service, you can have the Tenant File automatically upload all of this information plus photos when it becomes vacant! No need to fill out forms, just click a few buttons and your vacancies are broadcasted all over the Internet! Plus, you can automatically create a Craigslist ad with this information.

This ‘Features’ information can be printed out from the report section and used in many ways. Don’t forget to use one of the most helpful and useful time saving ‘Features’ already included in your program!

Support Questions

GuyArmsCrossed

 

Welcome to the Tenant File Support Forum. Here our experienced users can interact with other users to find the best ways to use the Tenant File. Our Tenant File Support Staff will also monitor this forum and provide solutions, tips, and suggestions to make the Tenant File experience productive and enjoyable.

The Tenant File takes pride in being able to provide the best customer support in the industry. In addition to this resource, we provide a complete Tenant File User’s Guide with every purchase, 2 months of phone support, free web-based support, a Quick Start Guide, and Training Videos.

Thank you for using the Tenant File!

 

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Tenant File Blog Logo with TextWelcome to the Tenant File Property Management Software blog! We have created the Tenant File blog for you – our valuable customers – so that we can hear from you about your wants and needs to improve the Tenant File. Your input is important to help us know what we should be working on to keep the Tenant File as America’s favorite rental property software!

We will also provide tips and tricks for using the Tenant File Property Management Software to the fullest extent. We hope you like this addition – please feel free to post your comments and suggestions for improvement.

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About the Tenant File: The Tenant File is America’s Favorite Desktop Property Management Software program. It is easy to learn and use, yet has the powerful features you need as a property manager or landlord. The software has accounting for both the tenant and the landlord, provides over 100 great reports, has a reminder system, scheduler, unlimited vendors, check writing, reconciliation, and much more!

In addition to a great product, the Tenant File company also provides great service. The entire User Guide is built-in to the program, there are numerous helpful videos on our website and on YouTube, How-To articles, and other documentation. In addition, you can download a sample program before you buy, and we provide free phone support to get you started.

The Tenant File is the best solution for property managers, owners of rental property, and landlords. We hope that you enjoy the Tenant File Blog, and all of the dedication and hard word we have put in to create it. One more thing, we also have an eBook called ‘What ALL Landlords REALLY Need to KNOW’. It is an excellent guide for new landlords especially. Look it up at Amazon! Thank you!

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