Need a free standard operating procedure template for your property management business? You’re in the right place.
A standard operating procedure (SOP) refers to a workflow that helps ensure consistency in your day-to-day operations. SOPs are the backbone of a well-run property management company. They provide clear, step-by-step instructions for recurring tasks — everything from tenant onboarding and maintenance requests to rent collection and reporting.
Key takeaways
- Understand how to create and implement standard operating procedures
- Learn to make SOPs an essential part of your everyday routine
- Get a free SOP template you can put to use today
- Get answers to FAQs about standard operating procedures
Why are SOPs important in property management?
SOPs are important because you want to ensure consistency across workflows for all team members. For example, if you aren’t recording AR and AP correctly from the first of the month, then management fees, owner payments, bank reconciliations and more will be incorrect come month’s end.
What is the goal of an SOP?
Ultimately, the goal of an SOP is to deliver quality results from reliable data. Improved workflows can give you time back or help you or your team reallocate your time to higher value activities. This is especially important if you are trying to scale your business. They can make it easier for your staff to take care of important tasks and support growth without sacrificing operational control or quality.
How to make an SOP
A standard operating procedure should include the following:
- Title: Add a simple header or footer with version, date and author
- Purpose: For example, “This SOP outlines how property managers should handle tenant move-ins from initial contact to final key handoff.”
- Responsible parties (e.g., property manager, maintenance tech)
- Procedure:
- Timeline for completion
- Step-by-step procedure
- Tools & resources
- KPIs
- Update frequency
Free standard operating procedure template
We took the liberty of filling this in with made-up information for a realistic SOP. You won’t be able to use it exactly, but you’ll be able to amend it for your purposes. As you can see, the basics are covered. After reading it, an employee will know the purpose of the SOP, who is involved, how it gets done and how to measure and track success.
Title: Tenant move-In: Initial contact to key handoff
Version: 1.0
Date: January 15, 2025
Author: Property Operations Team
Purpose
This SOP outlines the steps property managers must follow to ensure a smooth, consistent and professional tenant move-in process from beginning to end. It applies to all residential properties managed by XYZ Property Group.
Parties involved
- Property manager
- Leasing coordinator
- Maintenance supervisor
- Front office assistant
Step 1: Initial contact & application
Responsible party: Leasing coordinator
Timeline: Within 24 hours of inquiry
Tasks
- Provide rental application and screening criteria to prospective tenant
- Enter applicant information into Yardi Breeze. If they use the Breeze portal, their info is automatically entered — no need to enter the information again
- Collect the application fee and initiate background/credit check
Tools & resources
- Yardi Breeze (rental applications)
- ScreeningWorks Pro (resident screening)
- Move-in checklist form
KPIs
- All applications processed in 48 hours or less
Step 2: Lease approval & signing
Responsible party: Leasing coordinator
Timeline: Within 48 hours of application completion
Tasks
- Confirm applicant approval with property manager
- Draft lease agreement in Yardi Breeze
- Notify prospect and complete lease signing (electronic or in person)
- Collect security deposit, first month’s rent, any other move-in fees
Tools & resources
- Yardi Breeze (communications, lease generation/signing, rent/fee collection)
- Move-in checklist form
KPIs
- All deposits and rent posted in Yardi Breeze before handoff
Step 3: Unit preparation
Responsible party: Maintenance supervisor
Timeline: Minimum 3 days prior to move-in
Tasks
- Conduct pre-move-in inspection
- Schedule and complete all necessary cleaning, painting, safety and repair tasks
- Upload inspection report to Yardi Breeze
Tools & resources
- Yardi Breeze (maintenance, inspections)
- Pre-move-in inspection report template
KPIs
- Unit readiness: 100% of units inspected and signed off before move-in
Step 4: Move-in packet preparation
Responsible party: Front office assistant
Timeline: 48 hours prior to move-in
Tasks
- Assemble move-in packet
- Copy of lease and any addendums
- Property staff and emergency contact sheet
- Property information, rules and policies
- Community and local area guide
- Utility details including provider list and setup instructions
- Deliver move-in packet to the tenant (can be delivered via the Breeze portal)
Tools & resources
- Yardi Breeze (communications, document sharing)
- Tenant welcome packet template
- Move-in checklist form
KPIs
- Minimum move-in satisfaction score of 4/5 on tenant survey
Step 5: Key handoff & orientation
Responsible party: Property manager
Timeline: Day of move-in
Tasks:
- Greet tenant, review lease highlights and answer questions
- Conduct move-in walkthrough, document unit condition with photos
- Have tenant sign move-in checklist form
- Provide keys, access codes and fobs, labeled correctly
- Update tenant record in Yardi Breeze
- Send move-in survey to tenant
Tools & resources
- Yardi Breeze (records, tenant data)
- Move-in checklist form
KPIs
- Average move-in satisfaction score of 4/5 on tenant survey
Review cycle
This SOP will be reviewed every 6 months or when required by other system changes
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a standard operating procedure for leasing?
Yes. Because this is the primary point of contact a property management office has with prospective renters, it’s crucial to have an efficient workflow that moves them from applicant to renter as quickly as possible without sacrificing customer experience. An SOP for leasing ensures a consistent experience for all prospective renters.
Are lease documents part of an SOP?
Lease agreement templates, like those found in RentCafe Lease Documents, are an essential part of any leasing workflow. These documents are regularly reviewed and updated by our legal team. When part of a leasing SOP, they ensure your lease documents are always up to date and in compliance. Be sure to list the tech involved in your leasing workflow.
Do you need a standard operating procedure for maintenance labor tracking?
Certainly. It’s essential to have defined processes in place for handling work orders. Unfortunately, labor tracking on work orders gets overlooked, or it’s not typically handled as part of the core maintenance process. Using property management software like Yardi Breeze Premier lets you track maintenance-related KPIs (e.g., hours spent on routine turnover) that may be draining time and money unnecessarily. You can easily run reports on maintenance-related labor to see how much time is spent on each request.
Which processes in my property management software require SOPs?
Thanks to automation, many procedures can be short and sweet. Still, SOPs will help you train your team the right way to use each feature.
Invoice processing: Smart AP is available at no cost to Breeze Premier users. This AI-powered solution simplifies invoice processing. You’ll be given an email address to which you can self-scan invoices or provide this email to your vendors. Once the invoice is emailed as a PDF, the OCR engine will extract key data points. This includes the invoice number, amount, invoice date, due date, vendor and property.
Notice to pay or quit: This SOP allows you to send a notice to tenants who are past due and need to catch up on missing payments. It also shows how long they have before you start the eviction process.
Delinquency report: This report lists every tenant and how much they owe as well as the aging of their outstanding charges. Now with the Delinquency (with SMS) report you can even text tenants directly from the report to remind them of their outstanding balances.
Lease expiration report: Use this report to identify upcoming lease expirations and begin sending lease proposals and lease renewals. Breeze makes it easy to generate a lease renewal document and send it to the tenant for esignature.
Monthly posting: A simple but important feature that ensures your scheduled charges get posted on time every month.
Monthly closing: This ensures the accounting month is always current. It can be scheduled to automatically generate reports each month.
Late fees: This function is perfect for posting the first initial late fee charge after your determined grace period.
Custom lists: If there are additional data points you are trying to store on a property, tenant or prospect, you can track that in Breeze. For example, if you are trying to track pet birthdays for your tenants to send a gift, you can customize the Other Info tab on the Tenant screen. From there, you can generate a Tenant Other Info report for that custom data.
Ad hoc reports: Any static data in Breeze Premier can be made and organized to your liking through ad hoc reporting. For example, if you like the tenant activity report but want to remove a few rows, you could build this report and start running your own version of the tenant activity report.
Any advice for property managers making their first SOP?
Don’t get overwhelmed. Writing an SOP can be complex, but it can also be broken down into a few simple steps. Be sure not to combine workflows. Each SOP should focus on one process at a time to avoid confusion. Follow a template like the one we provided above to keep things straightforward.
