Tenant calls at 2 am go to maintenance. Deposit questions go to you.
Residential managers get every kind of call on one number: a leak under the sink, a prospect who wants to see the one-bedroom, an owner looking for their manager. Reception answers each one, says it is an automated assistant, and sends it where you decided. Money and other tenants' details stay with a person.
From $149 a month. One number, answered at any hour. Stop any month.
The calls you get
"Water is coming through my ceiling"
A route on 'leak', 'flooding' and 'no heat' rings the on-call maintenance phone at any hour. It puts the tenant through. It does not dispatch anyone itself.
"I'm locked out"
Same idea, its own words. 'Locked out' in the route reaches whoever holds the keys tonight.
"Can I book a viewing of the one-bedroom?"
It offers three free times from your showing hours, reads the pick back and texts the prospect a confirmation.
"When do I get my deposit refund?"
Refunds are a word the line will not discuss. It says that needs a person and takes a message, so no date or amount is promised for you.
"Which unit does Jordan live in?"
It never reads out who lives where. Requests for a home address or personal data are refused, and anything else about another tenant becomes a message.
"This is the owner of 14 Birch Lane"
A route on 'owner' and 'my manager' puts property owners through to the portfolio manager instead of the leasing desk.
What you would write down
Property management needs more routes than most trades: one for each kind of caller. Emergencies, routine requests, prospects, owners and vendors each go somewhere different.
Routes: the words that reach a phone or an answer
| Route | When the caller says | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency maintenance |
| Rings the on-call maintenance phone at any hour. |
| Owners |
| Puts property owners through to the portfolio manager. |
| Leasing office |
| Puts applicants and tenants with lease questions through to the leasing office. |
| Vendors |
| Puts vendors through to accounts payable. |
Answers in your own words
- How do I put in a maintenance request?
- Use the tenant portal on our website for anything that is not an emergency. Requests are read every weekday morning.
- When is rent due?
- Rent is due on the first. A late fee is added after the fifth. Call the office before the fifth if you need to talk about it.
- Do you allow pets?
- Cats and dogs under 40 pounds are allowed in most of our buildings, with a signed pet agreement.
- What do I need to apply?
- A photo ID, two recent pay stubs and the application on our website. You can apply after your viewing.
Services it can book
- Apartment viewing30 min
- House viewing45 min
- Move-out inspection60 min
Nights and weekends
A burst pipe does not wait for office hours. The line says the office is closed right now, then checks the caller's words against your routes. Whatever you wrote for leaks, floods, heat and lockouts rings the on-call maintenance phone, at 2 am the same as at 2 pm.
Routine requests at night get your answer about the tenant portal, or a message for the morning. If the on-call phone is not picked up, the line says it could not reach anyone and takes a message, which lands in the console as a callback owed.
What to book by phone, and what not
Viewings are the booking that fits. Make a service for each kind of showing, give it a length, and set opening hours that match when someone can be on site. If you show several buildings, put the street in the service name so the caller's words find the right one.
Do not use it for repairs. It does not open work orders or schedule vendors, and it does not take application fees or holding deposits.
Tenants, neighbors and addresses
Managers get calls fishing for a tenant's details: an ex looking for a unit number, a neighbor with a grudge, someone checking whether a person is home. The line refuses anything that asks for personal data or a home address before a reply is generated, and offers a message.
Asked another way, like 'Is my neighbor home?', it has nothing written to answer from, so it says it is not sure and takes a message. It cannot read out who lives where, because that is in nothing you wrote.
Write the words tenants actually say
A route matches the words you list, and a phrase has to be said as a phrase. 'The heat is not working' does not match 'no heat'. Add 'heat is out', 'heater' and 'furnace' too, and read the unanswered questions in the console after the first cold night.
An example call
An example call. Northgate Residential and the caller are made up. The company wrote an answer about pets and has an 'Apartment viewing' service.
- AssistantThank you for calling Northgate Residential. You are speaking with an automated assistant. How can I help you today?
- CallerHi, this is Luis Ortega. I saw the one-bedroom on Alder Street. Do you allow pets?
- AssistantCats and dogs under 40 pounds are allowed in most of our buildings, with a signed pet agreement. Is there anything else I can help with?
- CallerGreat. I'd like to book a viewing.
- AssistantI can offer Thursday at 4:15 in the afternoon, Friday at 12:30 in the afternoon or Saturday at 10:45 in the morning. Which one suits you?
- CallerThe first one.
- AssistantSo that is Thursday at 4:15 in the afternoon. Is that right?
- CallerYes.
- AssistantBooked with Northgate Residential: Thursday at 4:15 in the afternoon. I will text you a confirmation.
Where it stops
- It does not dispatch maintenance or open work orders. It rings the phone you chose or takes a message.
- It does not see tenant ledgers, balances or lease terms, and it cannot agree a payment plan.
- It does not take rent, application fees or deposits by phone.
- A viewing is booked for a service and a time. It does not hold a specific unit for the prospect.
Questions owners ask
- Can an AI receptionist handle after-hours maintenance calls?
- Yes, by routing them. You write the words, like 'leak' or 'locked out', and the on-call phone they ring, and the line puts tenants through at any hour. It does not dispatch anyone itself.
- Will it give out tenant information?
- No. Requests for personal data or a home address are refused, and anything else about another tenant is not in your written answers, so it takes a message.
- Can prospective tenants book viewings by phone?
- Yes. Add a viewing service with its length and your showing hours. The line offers three free times, reads the choice back and texts a confirmation.
- Can it take rent payments?
- No. It takes no payments of any kind. It can read out your written answer on when rent is due.
- How is this different from a property management answering service?
- No person answers. The line tells callers it is an automated assistant, puts emergencies through to the phone you chose, and writes up every call in the console a few minutes after it ends.
Tonight's calls, answered.
From $149 a month.
Set up your line