Tenant Portal Settings and Account Management

The tenant portal gives your tenant self-service access to many features of the Propertyware system. Below is an overview of the steps for setting up your tenant portal:

1. Configure your Propertyware-hosted portal. This includes choosing a design, customizing the look and feel of your portal, and adding any custom content.
2. Ensure that your tenants have a valid email address stored in the Contacts tab and then enable portal access for the tenants that you have an email address for.
3. Give your tenants the following link, which provides information about how they can use their tenant portal account: http://propertyware.force.com/KB2/articles/How_To/Using-the-Tenant-Portal/
4. Ask those tenants who do not have an email address on file to go to your web site and sign up for a tenant portal account. The system sends you a notification email when a tenant requests access.

 

Use the following quick links to jump to specific sections of this Help topic.

• Configuring the Tenant Portal
• Managing Tenant Portal Accounts
  • Enabling Tenant Portal Access
  • Resetting Owner Portal Access
  • Disabling Tenant Portal Access
  • Logging in as a Tenant
• Tenant Portal Alerts and Notifications
  • Configuring Tenant Portal Alerts
  • Configuring Tenant Notifications for Portal Activities

Configuring the Tenant Portal
To customize your tenant portal:

1. Click the Portals tab, and then click Tenant in the left sidebar.
2. The Tenant Portal Settings page opens. Enter your changes.
3. Click Save when your changes are complete.

The following fields are available on the Tenant Portal Settings page:

Settings indicated with an asterisk (*) require Propertyware ePayments to be functional.
Field Name	Description
Allow Tenants to Submit Service Requests	Set this option to "Yes" to allow tenants to submit maintenance requests from the tenant portal.
Allow Tenants to Edit Service Requests After Submission	Set this option to "Yes" to allow tenants to edit submitted maintenance requests from the tenant portal. Set the option to "No" to prevent tenants from editing submitted service requests. The default setting is "Yes."
Allow Tenants to Pay by Credit Card*	If Allow Tenants to Make Payments Online is set to "Yes," set this option to "Yes" to allow tenants to use credit cards to submit payments from the tenant portal.
Allow Tenants to Give Notice	Set this option to "Yes" to allow tenants to submit a notice to vacate their unit from the tenant portal.
Require Schedule Move Out Date	If Allow Tenants to Give Notice is set to "Yes," set this option to "Yes" to require tenants to include a move out date when they submit a notice to vacate their unit from the tenant portal.
Require Pay in Full*	If Allow Tenants to Make Payments Online is set to "Yes," set this option to "Yes" to require tenants to pay their entire lease balance when they submit one-time payments from the tenant portal.
	This setting does not apply to lease auto payments, which post for the amount set when the payment is scheduled.
Exclude Charges from Pay in Full*	If Require Pay in Full is set to "Yes," set this option to "Yes" to allow charges of certain accounts to be exempt from being paid in full. Once enabled, enter the Account Number or Description of the appropriate charge account in the blank search field to the right of Exclude Charges from Pay in Full.
Charges Not Required to be Paid on Tenant Portal*	This is a list of each account selected in Exclude Charges from Pay in Full. Click Remove to require charges of that account to be paid in full.
Automatically enable tenant portal login for all contacts when converting new leases	Set this option to "Yes" to automatically enable a tenant portal for each tenant on a lease that is converted from "Draft" to "Active" Status. Each tenant must have a valid email address entered on his or her Contact Summary page to have a portal enabled.
Block Access to Portals by Lease Status	If you have Administrator privileges, click Configure Portal Permissions to go to the Customize Leases page under Setup > Customize > Leases > Statuses. Check under the Portals Access column to allow leases assigned to that Status to self-enable tenant portals.
Allow Tenants to Make Payments Online*	Set this option to "Yes" to allow tenants to submit payments from the tenant portal.
Allow Tenants to View Ledger	Set this option to "Yes" to allow tenants to view their ledger(s) on the tenant portal.
Force the Manual Application of Prepayments made through Portal*	If Allow Tenants to Make Payments Online is set to "Yes" and a tenant submits a payment from the tenant portal when there are no currently due changes on the tenant ledger, set this option to control how the early payment is handled. Select "Yes" to keep early payments as prepayments, even when a charge exists on the tenant ledger. This requires a person to manually apply the prepayment to a charge. Select "No" to allow early payments to be automatically applied to any charges that have Auto Apply Prepayment set to "Yes" in the Chart of Accounts and are on the tenant ledger when the payment is entered.
Record Changes to Contact Info as Note	Set this option to "Yes" to record changes to a tenant's contact information entered on the tenant portal as a note on his or her Contact Summary page.
Tenant Portal Link	Click this link to view the sign on page of your tenant portal.
	To sign on to a tenant's portal account, use the Login As button on the Portal tab of the Contact Summary page for that tenant.
Field Title Definitions
The following title defaults can be edited to any plain text.
Tenant Portal Title	Enter the name of the tenant portal in the browser or tab window. By default, this is "Resident Portal."
Account Information Tab Title	Enter the name of the tenant portal home page, which contains the community message, renter's insurance policy information, contact information, open service requests, and conversations of the tenant. By default, this label is set to "My Account."
Rental Property Tab Title	Enter the name of the tenant portal rental property tab, which contains the property information, lease dates, and tenant ledger for each lease that the tenant is assigned to and allows the tenant to submit a notice to vacate. By default, this label is set to "My Rentals."
Detail Heading Title	Enter the name of the section on the rental property tab that includes the property information and leases dates of each lease that the tenant is assigned to. By default, this label is set to "Summary."
Ledger Detail Title	Enter the name of the section on the rental property tab that includes the tenant ledger of each lease that the tenant is assigned to. By default, this label is set to "Resident Ledger."
Service Requests Tab Title	Enter the name of the tenant portal maintenance tab, which allows the tenant to submit new service requests and view previous service requests. By default, this label is set to "Service Requests".
Documents Tab Title	Enter the name of the tenant portal documents tab, which includes any documents attached to any lease, building, or evaluation that the tenant is attached to. By default, this label is set to "Documents."
My Payments*	Enter the name of the tenant portal payments tab, which includes any payment accounts, scheduled ePayments, and the ability to create a new one-time ePayment or ePayment schedule. This tab is only available if your company is subscribed to Propertyware ePayments. By default, this label is set to "My Payments."
Service Request Fields
Field Check Box	Select the check box for any field that should be required for service requests. The Building/Unit, Requestor, and Email Address fields are always required.
Edit Service Request Fields	Click this link to change the fields available to tenants when they submit a service request from the tenant portal. To change the service request fields: To add a field, select the desired field from the list of Available Columns and select the arrow. To remove a field, select the unwanted field from the list of Selected Columns and select the arrow. To sequence fields, select the field and then use the arrow to set a field as the first option, the arrow to move a field up one spot, the arrow to move a field down one spot, and the arrow to set a field as the last option. Click Save button to save your changes.
Link Back to Website
Back to Website Label	This is the name of the link at the upper-right corner of the tenant portal that takes the tenant back to your web site. By default, this label is set to "Home," but you can change this to any plain text.
Back to Website Link	This is the URL of your web site. By default, this link is set to the default domain name of your Propertyware web site, but you can change this to any URL.
Community Bulletin Message
Bulletin Message Editor	Optionally, enter a message that appears at the top of the My Account page on all tenant portals.
Portal Login Image
Image Option	Select an image to accompany the tenant portal login widget on your web site. Click Preview to open a preview of the image and tenant portal login widget in a new window.

Managing Tenant Portal Accounts
Before you enable portal access for any tenant, a person with Administrator privileges must first enable the "Tenant Portal Access" tenant notification. This notification provides the URL link tenants must use to sign on to the tenant portal the first time and then create a password for future sign ons.

To enable the Tenant Portal Access tenant notification:

1. Click the Setup link, expand Customize, expand Alerts, and click Tenant Notifications.
2. Click the Edit link for the "Tenant Portal Access" alert.
3. Set the Status to "On."
4. Optionally, enter a staff member's email address in the CC or BCC field. This allows that person to receive a copy of this notification so that they can assist any tenants who may have difficulty using the link to sign on to the portal.
5. Enter any other changes as needed.
6. Click Save when your changes are complete.

Enabling Tenant Portal Access
You can manage access to the tenant portal from the Contact Summary pages of your tenants. Your tenants can also register for a tenant portal account themselves from your Propertyware portal by submitting an online registration form.

To grant tenant portal access to a tenant:

1. Click the Contacts tab. Use the Global Search, Contacts List page, Contacts Navigator, or page filters to locate the desired contact.
2. Click the Contact Name to open the Contact Summary page.
3. Ensure that there is a valid email address for the tenant in the Email field. If you need to add or change this email address, click Edit, enter the email address, and then click Save.
4. Click the Portal tab at the bottom of the page.
5. Click Enable Login. The system displays the following message: "Login portal has been enabled for this contact."

If the Tenant Portal Access notification is active, the tenant contact receives an email message with the user name and sign on link for the tenant portal. If the tenant does not receive this email message, or if the tenant deletes or loses it, you must reset that tenant's portal password to send a new email message with a new link.
 

Once you have enabled a tenant's portal account, you can also publish conversations to the tenant portal throughout the system.

To grant access tenant portal access to a group of tenants:

1. Click Contacts and then click Manage Portal Logins in the Related Activities list in the sidebar.
2. Use the View By drop-down list to select "Tenants."
3. Select the check box next to the name of the contacts that you want to enable tenant portal access for.
4. Click Enable All Selected, which changes the status of the portal accounts to "Enabled."
5. Click Done to return to the Contacts page.

Resetting Tenant Portal Access
To reset a tenant's portal access and send a new password:

1. Click the Contacts tab. Use the Global Search, Contacts List page, Contacts Navigator, or page filters to locate the desired contact.
2. Click the Contact Name to open the Contact Summary page.
3. Click the Portal tab at the bottom of the page.
4. Click Reset Password.

Disabling Tenant Portal Access
To disable tenant portal access for a tenant:

1. Click the Contacts tab. Use the Global Search, Contacts List page, Contacts Navigator, or page filters to locate the desired contact.
2. Click the Contact Name to open the Contact Summary page.
3. Click the Portal tab at the bottom of the page, and then click Disable.

To disable access for a group of tenants:

1. Click Contacts and then click Manage Portal Logins in the Related Activities list in the sidebar.
2. Use the View By drop-down list to select "Tenants."
3. Select the check box next to the name of the contacts that you want to disable tenant portal access for.
4. Click Disable All Selected, which changes the status of the portal accounts to "Not Enabled."
5. Click Done to return to the Contacts page.

Logging in as a Tenant
You can log in to tenant portals as a tenant, which can be used to offer your tenants assistance with navigating or understanding their account.

To log in to a tenant's account:

1. Click the Contacts tab. Use the Global Search, Contacts List page, Contacts Navigator, or page filters to locate the desired contact.
2. Click the Contact Name to open the Contact Summary page.
3. Click the Portal tab at the bottom of the page, and then click Disable.

4. Click Login As to log into the tenant's account.

Tenant Portal Alerts and Notifications
Configuring Tenant Portal Alerts
People with Administrator privileges can configure user alerts to trigger when certain actions are performed in Propertyware or on the tenant portal. These alerts are sent to your management staff, as designated by the person who configured the alert.

To configure tenant portal alerts:

1. Click Setup, expand the Customize, expand Alerts, and then click User Alerts.
2. To activate an alert, click the Edit link in the Action column. This opens a page where you can view the details of the selected alert.
3. Select the people on your staff that should receive the selected alert in the Send To field. Once you select from Property Managers, Admins, and/or Specific Users, another option appears that allows you to also CC (carbon copy) or BCC (blind carbon copy) anyone you choose on the alert email messages.
4. Click the Save button to submit your changes.

The following alerts are associated with the tenant portal:

Alert Type	Description
Resident Portal Login Request	This alert is sent when a tenant requests access for the tenant portal and Propertyware is unable to automatically match the request to a tenant contact assigned to an active lease.
Tenant Information Updated	This alert is sent when a tenant enters changes in the Contact Information section on the owner portal.
Tenant Made Payment	This alert is sent when a tenant submits an electronic payment on the tenant portal.
Tenant Gave Notice	This alert is sent when a tenant submits a notice to vacate on the tenant portal.
Tenant Signed Up for Auto Payments	This alert is sent when a tenant schedules an automatic payment on the tenant portal.
Tenant Created an Account	This alert is sent when a tenant sets up an online payment account on the tenant portal.
Tenant Added a Comment	This alert is sent when a tenant enters a comment in the Conversations section of the tenant portal.
Tenant ePayments or Check21 Returned	This alert is sent when a tenant's electronic payment is returned for insufficient funds.

Configuring Tenant Notifications for Portal Activities
In addition to the user alerts that are sent to your management staff, there are also tenant notifications that are sent to tenants when certain actions are performed in Propertyware or on the tenant portal. Tenants only receive alerts for actions that occur for his or her lease. These alerts may also be sent to your management staff, as designated by the person who configured the alert.

To configure tenant portal notifications:

1. Click Setup, expand Customize, expand Alerts, and click Tenant Notifications.
2. To activate any of these notifications, click the Edit link in the Action column. This opens a page where you can view the details of the selected alert.
3. Change the Status to "On" and then update any other alert details as needed.
4. Click Save when your changes are complete.

The following notifications are associated with the tenant portal:

Alert Type	Alert	Description
Lease	Notice to Vacate Confirmation	This alert is sent when a tenant submits a notice to vacate on the tenant portal.
Maintenance	Service Request Confirmation	This alert is sent when a service request is created on the tenant portal.
Payments	Payment Receipt	This alert is sent when a tenant submits a one-time payment through the tenant portal.
Communication	Tenant Portal Access	This alert is sent when a tenant portal is enabled or a tenant portal password is reset.
Communication	Document Published to Portal	This alert is sent when a document is uploaded in the Notes & Documents area of any Propertyware entity and is published to the tenant portal.
Communication	Tenant Conversation Posted to Portal	This alert is sent when a new conversation or comment is published to the tenant portal.
Communication	Community Message Posted to Portal	This alert is sent when a new community bulletin message is published to the tenant portal.

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