Client Profiles

Merryman & Singler

Dear Tenant Pro,

It's easy to lose sight of things that we're grateful for, things that make our lives simpler. We simply forget in our everyday routines the tools that work especially well for us, because they do the job they were designed to do so well that we take them for granted. A well designed tool becomes a practically invisible part of the job simply because it always does just what you need it to do.

Tenant Pro software is a great tool. It works so well to do my job that I forget how simple it is now compared to how it used to be!

You asked about some features of Tenant Pro that we find particularly useful, and without even thinking about it much, I can name several. One of the properties we own is a 55-Plus Manufactured Home Community. While all Tenant data is protected by the privacy act on an individual basis, the collective data on residents' over-55 status must be kept up to date. Protecting our 55-status requires that we maintain proof of a minimum percentage of over-55 occupancy; this is Federal law. This data can be requested at any time by Federal inspectors from Fair Housing. Although we've never had that inspection, we DO keep the required documentation, (the residents' birth years), in a modified field in Tenant Pro for that 55-plus community.

This photo shows me, Mhaire Merryman, with a new employee,
Pam Stenquist, showing her how to use our office computer.

Another advantage is that we can set up multiple bank accounts in Tenant Pro that automatically track deposits in Tenant accounts. Our Washington [state] properties require that Security Deposit liabilities be kept in an account separate from the operating account, and that these funds remain in the bank until refunded to the resident. Security Deposits can be recorded into this account upon entry in the Tenant's file, and can be subtracted from it on move-out. We can coordinate that with our bank records on a periodic basis during the year, conveniently managing funds by electronic transfer to and from the operating accounts in order to keep our Security Deposit liability balance up to date. This "alternate tracking" capability means we don't have to use a separate checking account, checks or deposit slips, and we can have the security deposit funds in an interest-bearing account, using the electronic transfers. Laws regarding Security Deposit liability differ in various states, but this feature makes things easier for our Washington [state] properties.

Mhaire and Timothy

Another advantage to the custom fields in Tenant Pro has been that we can create fields to track lien holders on the manufactured homes. This has been VERY important in this industry, as more people have defaulted on the predatory loans that were common practice a few years ago. In the mobile home industry, park owners must contact lien holders when rent isn't paid by tenants, and the lien holder can be made responsible to pay it, if timely notice is given. This ability to track lien holder contact information goes directly to our bottom line, when I can have lien holder data available immediately to me in the computer, and can generate statements to lien holders promptly when tenants abandon. Other software didn't have this ability.

I used to be a private business consultant, and did a lot of traveling over the western U.S. to do consulting and staff software/computer training. It was a lot more fun than teaching business and computer classes in a college classroom, which I also used to do! Owning and managing our own investment properties is so much easier with Tenant Pro, that catching me in the office is not easy! Hope the photo is okay, and I'll probably send some later showing us playing, but not working!

Warm regards,
Mhaire