Property Management Workflow: From Inquiry to Lease

This guide walks you through the complete property management workflow in Propel, from when a prospect first inquires about a rental property through qualification, tour scheduling, application processing, and finally signing a lease. Understanding this workflow helps you maximize automation and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Overview of the Property Management Workflow

The property management leasing workflow typically follows these stages:

1. Inquiry - Prospect contacts you about a rental property
2. Qualification - Propel asks qualifying questions and gathers information
3. Tour Booking - Prospect schedules and attends a property tour
4. Application - Prospect requests and submits a rental application
5. Lease - Application approved, lease signed, move-in scheduled

Propel automates much of this workflow, handling initial responses, qualification questions, tour booking, and follow-ups automatically. You step in when needed for approvals, application reviews, and lease finalization.

Stage 1: Inquiry

The workflow begins when a prospect inquires about a rental property.

How Inquiries Arrive

Inquiries can come from multiple sources:

• Rental portals - Zillow, Apartments.com, Rent.com, and other listing sites
• Your website - Contact forms or email inquiries
• Direct email - Prospects emailing you directly
• Referrals - Word-of-mouth or partner referrals

What Propel Does Automatically

When an inquiry arrives, Propel:

1. Receives the email - Monitors your connected mailbox
2. Creates contact - Extracts prospect information and creates a contact record
3. Creates engagement - Starts tracking the conversation
4. Analyzes the inquiry - Understands what the prospect is asking about
5. Responds immediately - Sends a personalized response within seconds

Initial Response

Propel's initial response typically:

• Acknowledges the inquiry - Thanks the prospect for contacting you
• Answers questions - Provides information about the property they asked about
• Suggests alternatives - If the specific property isn't available, suggests similar options
• Asks qualifying questions - Begins gathering information about their needs
• Offers next steps - Invites them to schedule a tour or ask more questions

Example Response:

"Hi Sarah! Thanks for your interest in our 2-bedroom apartment at 123 Main Street. The unit is available starting March 1st for $2,200/month. It includes parking and allows pets. When are you looking to move in? I'd be happy to schedule a tour if you're interested!"

What You See

In Propel, you'll see:

• New engagement in the Engagements page
• Contact created with prospect information
• Initial response sent automatically
• Engagement stage set to "general_response" or "search_requested"

The prospect appears in your Inquiry pipeline stage.

Stage 2: Qualification

After the initial response, Propel continues the conversation to qualify the prospect and understand their needs.

Qualifying Questions

Propel asks questions to understand:

• Move-in timeline - When do they need to move in?
• Budget - What's their price range?
• Property preferences - Bedrooms, bathrooms, location, amenities
• Pet situation - Do they have pets? What kind?
• Occupancy - How many people will live in the unit?
• Income/employment - Are they employed? What's their income?

How Propel Qualifies

Propel's qualification process:

1. Asks questions naturally - Incorporates questions into the conversation
2. Listens to responses - Understands what prospects say
3. Updates preferences - Records their requirements in engagement notes
4. Matches properties - Suggests properties that meet their criteria
5. Tracks qualification status - Notes whether they meet your criteria

Qualification Criteria

You can configure qualification criteria in:

• Automation rules - Define what makes a qualified prospect
• Engagement notes - Propel records qualification information
• Custom fields - Track additional qualification data

What You See

As qualification progresses:

• Engagement notes are updated with prospect preferences
• Property suggestions are made based on their criteria
• Engagement stage may update to "search_requested" if they're actively looking
• Qualification status is tracked in engagement data

When to Intervene

You may want to step in when:

• Special circumstances - Prospect has unique requirements
• Policy questions - Questions about pet policies, lease terms, etc.
• High-value prospects - Premium properties or high-income tenants
• Complex situations - Multiple properties, corporate housing, etc.

Stage 3: Tour Booking

Once a prospect is qualified and interested, Propel helps them schedule a property tour.

How Tour Booking Works

Propel's tour booking process:

1. Prospect requests tour - Asks to see a property
2. Propel checks availability - Looks at your connected calendar
3. Suggests time slots - Offers available times for tours
4. Prospect selects time - Chooses a convenient time slot
5. Booking confirmed - Tour is scheduled and confirmed
6. Reminders sent - Propel sends confirmation and reminder emails

Calendar Integration

Tour booking requires:

• Calendar connected - Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar integrated
• Availability set - Your calendar shows when you're available
• Time slots configured - Propel knows your preferred tour times

For setup instructions, see Calendar Integration.

Booking Confirmation

When a tour is booked:

• Calendar event created - Tour appears on your calendar
• Confirmation sent - Prospect receives booking confirmation
• Details provided - Address, time, contact information included
• Reminders scheduled - Propel sends reminders before the tour

What You See

After a tour is booked:

• Engagement stage updates to "booking_confirmed"
• Booking appears in your calendar
• Prospect moves to the Viewing pipeline stage
• Booking details are visible in the engagement

Tour Day

On the day of the tour:

• Reminder sent - Propel sends a reminder to both you and the prospect
• Tour happens - You show the property
• Follow-up scheduled - Propel follows up after the tour

After the Tour

Propel automatically:

• Follows up - Asks how the tour went
• Gathers feedback - Understands if they're interested
• Offers next steps - Invites them to apply if interested
• Handles objections - Addresses concerns or questions

Stage 4: Application

When a prospect is interested after the tour, Propel helps them request and submit an application.

Application Request

When prospects are ready to apply:

1. Prospect requests application - Asks for application link or form
2. Propel provides application - Shares application link or instructions
3. Application submitted - Prospect completes and submits application
4. Application received - You're notified of the submission

Application Process

Propel can:

• Provide application links - Share links to your application forms
• Answer questions - Help prospects understand application requirements
• Track status - Monitor when applications are requested and submitted
• Follow up - Remind prospects to complete applications

What You See

When an application is requested or submitted:

• Engagement stage updates to "application_requested" or "application_submitted"
• Prospect moves to the Application pipeline stage
• Application status is tracked in engagement notes
• Notification appears if approvals are enabled

Application Review

You review applications outside of Propel:

• Check applications - Review in your application system
• Verify information - Confirm income, employment, references
• Run credit checks - Perform background and credit checks
• Make decision - Approve or deny the application

Updating Propel

After reviewing applications:

• Update engagement - Note approval or denial status
• Add notes - Document review findings
• Communicate decision - Propel can help communicate approval or denial
• Move to next stage - If approved, move to lease stage

Stage 5: Lease

Once an application is approved, you finalize the lease and prepare for move-in.

Lease Preparation

After approval:

1. Lease documents - Prepare lease agreement (outside Propel)
2. Terms finalized - Confirm rent, move-in date, lease terms
3. Documents sent - Share lease documents with approved tenant
4. Lease signed - Tenant signs lease agreement

Move-In Coordination

Propel can help with:

• Move-in scheduling - Coordinate move-in dates
• Key handoff - Arrange key pickup or delivery
• Welcome information - Provide move-in instructions and welcome materials
• Follow-up - Ensure smooth move-in process

What You See

During lease finalization:

• Engagement status - Update to "completed" or "leased"
• Notes - Document lease terms and move-in details
• Contact information - Ensure tenant contact info is current
• Pipeline - Move to appropriate final stage

After Lease Signing

Once the lease is signed:

• Update listing - Mark property as "Rented" in Listings
• Update availability - Remove property from available inventory
• Close engagement - Mark engagement as completed
• Archive - Engagement moves to completed/historical view

Automation Throughout the Workflow

Propel automates many steps in this workflow:

Automatic Responses

• Initial inquiries - Responds immediately to all inquiries
• Follow-up questions - Answers questions throughout the process
• Tour confirmations - Sends booking confirmations and reminders
• Application links - Provides application information when requested

Automatic Qualification

• Asks questions - Gathers qualification information naturally
• Tracks preferences - Records prospect requirements
• Matches properties - Suggests properties based on criteria
• Updates notes - Documents qualification status

Automatic Booking

• Schedules tours - Books tours based on calendar availability
• Sends confirmations - Confirms bookings automatically
• Sends reminders - Reminds about upcoming tours
• Handles rescheduling - Manages tour changes and cancellations

Automatic Follow-Up

• Follows up after tours - Checks in after property viewings
• Reminds about applications - Follows up if applications aren't submitted
• Stays in touch - Maintains communication throughout the process
• Prevents drop-offs - Ensures nothing falls through the cracks

Best Practices

Set Up Properly

• Connect calendar - Enable automatic tour booking
• Add listings - Ensure all properties are in Propel with accurate information
• Configure rules - Set up automation rules for your workflow
• Enable approvals - Start with approvals enabled to review responses

Monitor Regularly

• Check Dashboard - Review metrics and recent activity daily
• Review engagements - Monitor conversations in the Engagements page
• Approve responses - Review and approve AI responses (especially initially)
• Track pipeline - Watch prospects move through pipeline stages

Optimize Over Time

• Refine rules - Adjust automation rules based on what you learn
• Update listings - Keep property information current and accurate
• Improve responses - Customize response templates based on what works
• Track performance - Monitor conversion rates and optimize workflow

Handle Exceptions

• Special cases - Step in for unique situations or high-value prospects
• Policy questions - Handle questions about policies, terms, or exceptions
• Complex inquiries - Take over for multi-property or corporate inquiries
• Application reviews - Review and approve applications personally

Related Articles

• Managing Rental Listings and Availability - Learn how to manage your rental property listings
• Qualifying Rental Prospects - Detailed guide to qualification criteria and processes
• Booking Tours and Viewings - Understand how automatic tour booking works
• Managing Follow-ups - Learn about Propel's automatic follow-up system
• Understanding Engagements - Understand how engagements track conversations
• Automating Rental Inquiries from Zillow, Apartments.com, and Other Portals - Learn how Propel handles portal leads