By the Templateez Team · Licensed Attorney · June 2026

Property Management Intake Forms: What to Capture When Onboarding a New Owner

A property management company that signs a new owner without knowing the entity structure on the deed, the current lease terms for every occupied unit, or whether there are delinquent tenants with active eviction proceedings is setting itself up for problems that surface within the first thirty days. The management agreement gets signed, the handoff begins, and suddenly the PM company discovers the property is held in an irrevocable trust with two co-trustees who both need to approve expenditures, or that the owner has been collecting rent in cash with no written leases, or that the city requires a rental registration certificate that was never filed.

Owner onboarding is the most information-dense intake in the service industry. You are not just learning about a client — you are taking operational control of a real asset with existing tenants, active leases, open maintenance issues, regulatory obligations, and financial flows that need to redirect to your systems on day one. A thorough property management intake form captures everything your team needs to manage the property competently from the moment the agreement is executed. Here is what that form should include.

Owner information: who you are actually working for

Property ownership is rarely as simple as one person owning one house. Your intake needs to establish the legal identity of your client, because that identity determines who can sign the management agreement, who has authority to approve expenditures, and who receives the 1099 at the end of the year.

• Owner legal name — the name on the deed. This may be an individual, a married couple, an LLC, a trust, a partnership, or a corporation. The management agreement must be executed by the entity that holds title, not by someone who claims to represent that entity without documentation.
• Entity type — individual, joint tenants, LLC, trust, limited partnership, S-corp. Each has different signing authority requirements. An LLC needs a member or manager authorized under the operating agreement. A trust needs the trustee — and if there are co-trustees, you may need both signatures.
• Entity documentation — if the property is held by an LLC, you need the operating agreement or at minimum a certificate of authority identifying who can bind the entity. If it is held by a trust, you need the relevant pages of the trust agreement showing the trustee's powers. This is not optional — a management agreement signed by someone without actual authority is voidable.
• Contact information — phone, email, and mailing address. The mailing address matters because this is where you send monthly statements, 1099s, and any formal notices required under the management agreement. Some owners want all communication by email. Others want paper statements. Capture the preference at intake.
• Tax identification — EIN for entities, SSN for individuals. You are required to issue a 1099 to the owner for rental income received, and you cannot do that without a valid tax ID. Collect this at intake with a W-9, not three months later when your accountant is chasing signatures.
• Number of properties — is this a single property or is the owner bringing a portfolio? A portfolio client has different needs — consolidated reporting, a single point of contact, possibly volume-based fee structures. Knowing the scope upfront shapes how you staff the account.
• Current management status — is the owner self-managing and transitioning to professional management, or switching from another PM company? If switching, you need the prior company's contact information to coordinate the handoff — tenant files, security deposit transfers, vendor relationships, and access credentials all need to move.
• Reason for seeking management — time constraints, geographic distance from the property, portfolio scaling, problem tenants, compliance concerns, or simply the realization that self-management is not sustainable. Understanding the motivation helps you identify the owner's priorities and set expectations for the relationship.

This owner-identification section overlaps significantly with what a real estate practice captures at intake for a purchase or sale transaction — the entity structure, signing authority, and tax ID requirements are nearly identical. The difference is that a real estate closing is a point-in-time event, while a management relationship is ongoing, which means the downstream implications of getting the ownership structure wrong compound over months and years.

Property details: what you are actually managing

The property profile drives every operational decision — how you price the management fee, how you budget for maintenance, how you market vacancies, and what regulatory requirements apply. Your intake needs to be granular enough to build an accurate operating model before you quote a fee:

• Property address — full street address including unit numbers for multi-unit properties. If the property has a separate mailing address (common with rural properties or new developments), capture both.
• Property type — single-family home, duplex, triplex, fourplex, apartment complex, condominium, townhouse, commercial, or mixed use. Each type has different management requirements. A single-family rental is straightforward. A mixed-use building with ground-floor commercial and upper-floor residential units involves two entirely different lease structures, tenant relationships, and regulatory frameworks.
• Number of units and unit mix — total unit count, breakdown by bedroom count (studio, 1BR, 2BR, 3BR+), and square footage per unit. The unit mix determines your rent roll potential and your marketing approach for vacancies.
• Year built and current condition — age drives maintenance expectations. A 1960s apartment building has different mechanical systems, insulation, and code compliance concerns than a 2020 construction. Current condition — move-in ready, needs repairs, or renovation in progress — determines whether you are managing a stabilized asset or a turnaround project.
• Amenities — in-unit and common-area amenities affect both rent pricing and maintenance obligations. Laundry facilities (in-unit washer/dryer vs. common laundry room), parking (assigned, unassigned, covered, garage), pool, gym, storage units, outdoor space. Each amenity is a maintenance line item and a potential liability.
• HOA status — is the property in a homeowners association? If so, what are the monthly dues, what restrictions apply to rentals (some HOAs cap the percentage of units that can be rented, require tenant approval, or ban short-term rentals entirely), and who is responsible for exterior maintenance? The management company needs the HOA contact, the CC&Rs, and any rental-specific rules before marketing the property.
• Furnishing status — furnished or unfurnished. Furnished rentals require an inventory checklist, a higher security deposit in most states, and a different insurance profile.
• Utilities and metering — which utilities are included in rent (water, sewer, trash, gas, electric, internet) and which are tenant-paid? For multi-unit properties, are units individually metered or is there a master meter with a RUBS (Ratio Utility Billing System) allocation? RUBS adds an administrative layer — you need to know about it before you take over billing.

Current tenants: the situation on the ground

When you take over management of an occupied property, you inherit every existing tenancy — including the ones with problems. Your intake must create a complete picture of the current tenant situation so your team is not blindsided after the management agreement is signed:

• Occupied units — for each occupied unit, capture the tenant name(s) on the lease, current monthly rent, lease start date, lease expiration date, and whether the lease is fixed-term or month-to-month. This is your rent roll, and it needs to be accurate on day one.
• Vacant units — how long has each unit been vacant? What condition is it in? Is it ready to show, or does it need turnover work? A unit that has been vacant for six months raises different questions than one that turned over last week.
• Delinquent tenants — who owes what, how far behind are they, and has the owner started any eviction proceedings? If an eviction is in progress, you need case numbers, attorney information, and the current procedural status. Taking over mid-eviction requires coordination with the owner's attorney and, in some jurisdictions, substitution of the management company as the landlord's agent in the proceeding.
• Security deposits — amounts held for each tenant, where the deposits are currently held (owner's personal account, separate escrow account, interest-bearing account), and whether interest has been tracked as required by state law. Security deposit transfer is one of the most legally sensitive parts of a management transition. Many states require deposits to be held in a separate account, and the transfer must be documented.
• Active leases — you need copies of every current lease for review. The lease terms govern your authority as the management company and your obligations to the tenants. If the owner has been using a lease template with non-standard terms, you need to know before you attempt to enforce provisions that may not be in the document.
• Tenant issues — open complaints, lease violations, neighbor disputes, unauthorized occupants, unauthorized pets, unauthorized modifications to units. These are inherited problems that your team needs to triage immediately.
• Section 8 or subsidized tenants — if any tenants receive housing assistance, you need the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract details, the housing authority contact, the inspection schedule, and the portion of rent paid by the tenant vs. the subsidy. Section 8 tenancies have their own regulatory framework that runs parallel to the standard landlord-tenant relationship.

Financial setup: the operating model

Property management is fundamentally a financial services function. You collect rent, pay expenses, and distribute the remainder to the owner. Your intake needs to establish every parameter of this financial relationship before the first rent check arrives:

• Current rent roll — a unit-by-unit breakdown of tenant name, lease rent amount, and lease dates. This is the revenue side of the operating model.
• Target rent — is the current rent at market? Many self-managing owners undercharge because they have not kept up with the market, or because they prioritized tenant retention over rent optimization. If the owner expects you to bring rents to market, that needs to be discussed at intake because it may trigger lease non-renewals and turnover costs.
• Operating expenses — property taxes, insurance premiums, mortgage payment (if the owner wants you to service the mortgage from rental income), HOA dues, utility costs for owner-paid utilities, and the current maintenance budget. You cannot project owner distributions without knowing the expense side.
• Reserve fund — does the owner want to maintain a maintenance reserve? The industry standard is one month's rent held in reserve for emergency repairs. Some owners resist this. Your intake should establish the reserve amount and the threshold at which it gets replenished.
• Owner distribution schedule — monthly or quarterly. Most owners want monthly distributions, but some prefer quarterly to smooth out months where large maintenance expenses hit. Capture the preference and the owner's bank account information for direct deposit.
• Management fee — typically 8-12% of collected rent (not gross rent — an important distinction for months with vacancies or delinquencies). Your intake should document the agreed percentage and whether there is a minimum monthly fee.
• Leasing fee — the fee for placing a new tenant. Typically 50-100% of the first month's rent. This covers marketing, showings, tenant screening, and lease execution. The owner needs to understand this cost at intake because it directly affects the economics of tenant turnover.
• Renewal fee — if you charge a fee for lease renewals, document it. Some PM companies charge a flat fee ($150-$300) for renewals to cover the administrative work of renegotiating terms and executing a new lease.
• Maintenance markup — if your company marks up vendor invoices (typically 10-15%), disclose it at intake. Owners who discover a markup after the fact lose trust quickly.
• Late fees — the amount charged to tenants for late rent, and who keeps it. Some agreements split late fees between the PM company and the owner. Others let the PM company retain 100% as additional compensation. This is a negotiation point that should be resolved at intake, not after the first late payment.
• Reporting expectations — what financial reports does the owner expect? Monthly income/expense statements, quarterly summaries, annual reports for tax preparation? Some owners want a simple one-page statement. Others want detailed line-item accounting with receipt copies. Setting this expectation at intake prevents scope creep in your accounting department.

Management agreement terms: defining the relationship

Your intake form should capture the key terms that will appear in the management agreement, so there are no surprises when the contract is presented for signature:

• Term — one year, two years, month-to-month, or auto-renewal. Most PM companies use a one-year initial term with automatic annual renewal and a 30-60 day termination notice window.
• Termination provisions — the notice period (30, 60, or 90 days) and whether there is an early termination fee. Some agreements include a termination fee equal to a certain number of months of management fees to protect the PM company from owners who leave immediately after a tenant placement.
• Scope of services — what is included in the base management fee? Rent collection, maintenance coordination, tenant screening, lease enforcement, eviction management, financial reporting. Each of these is a line item that the owner needs to understand as included or excluded.
• Authority limits — the maintenance approval threshold is the most critical authority parameter. Typically $200-$500 — any repair or maintenance expense below this amount can be authorized by the PM company without prior owner approval. Above the threshold, the PM company contacts the owner for authorization. Setting this too low creates bottlenecks (a $150 plumbing call should not require a phone call to the owner at 10 PM). Setting it too high exposes the owner to costs they did not anticipate.
• Tenant screening criteria — what are the minimum requirements for approving a tenant? Income requirement (typically 3x monthly rent), minimum credit score, criminal background check parameters, rental history verification, eviction history search. These criteria must comply with fair housing laws and should be documented in the management agreement and applied consistently.
• Lease template — will the PM company use its standard lease, or does the owner have a preferred lease template? Most PM companies use their own lease because they know its terms and can enforce them consistently. Owners who insist on a custom lease create enforcement complications when the PM company encounters a provision they did not draft and may not fully understand.
• Insurance requirements — the owner must carry a landlord insurance policy (not a homeowner's policy, which typically excludes rental activity) and name the PM company as an additional insured. The PM company must carry errors and omissions (E&O) insurance and general liability. These are mutual obligations that should be documented at intake and verified before the management agreement takes effect.
• Eviction authority — can the PM company initiate eviction proceedings without prior owner approval? Some owners want to be consulted before any eviction is filed. Others authorize the PM company to act at its discretion when a tenant meets the criteria for eviction (typically non-payment beyond a specified grace period). This is a significant delegation of authority that needs to be agreed upon upfront.
• Vendor selection — does the PM company use its preferred vendor network, or does the owner have vendors they want to continue using? Most PM companies have established relationships with licensed, insured contractors and prefer to use their own network for quality control and accountability. Owners who insist on using their own vendors create coordination challenges and may expose the PM company to liability if those vendors are uninsured or unlicensed.

Compliance: the regulatory framework you inherit

When you take over management of a property, you take on every regulatory obligation that applies to that property in that jurisdiction. Your intake needs to flag compliance requirements so your team addresses them before they become violations:

• Fair housing — federal, state, and local protected classes. Your tenant screening criteria, marketing language, and leasing practices must comply. Some municipalities have protected classes that go beyond federal law (source of income, immigration status, gender identity). Know the local rules before you market the first vacancy.
• Rental registration — many municipalities require landlords to register rental properties, obtain a rental license, and pass periodic inspections. If the property is not registered, you may need to initiate the registration process before legally renting the units.
• Lead paint disclosure — required for all properties built before 1978. The EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule also applies to maintenance work on pre-1978 properties, which means your maintenance vendors need to be RRP-certified.
• Rent control or stabilization — if the property is in a rent-controlled or rent-stabilized jurisdiction, the allowable rent increases, lease renewal requirements, and eviction grounds are all regulated. Managing a rent-controlled property without understanding the local rent board's rules is a fast path to fines and litigation.
• Short-term rental restrictions — does the municipality or HOA prohibit or restrict short-term rentals? If the owner wants to list units on Airbnb, you need to know whether that is even legal before you set up the listing.
• Habitability standards — every state has minimum habitability requirements (heat, hot water, plumbing, electrical, structural integrity, pest control). If the property does not currently meet these standards, that is a compliance problem you need to address immediately, not discover when a tenant files a complaint with the housing authority.
• Security deposit laws — state-specific limits on deposit amounts, requirements for interest-bearing accounts, itemized deduction requirements, and return deadlines. Getting this wrong exposes the PM company to statutory penalties that often exceed the deposit amount.
• Eviction procedures — state and local rules governing notice requirements, filing procedures, and tenant protections. Many jurisdictions have enacted "just cause" eviction ordinances that limit the grounds for eviction even after lease expiration. Your intake should identify the applicable eviction framework so your team follows the correct procedure from the first notice.
• PM company licensing — some states require property management companies to hold a real estate broker's license. Others have specific property management licensing requirements. Your own licensing status should be documented and disclosed to the owner at intake.

Building the management relationship from the first form

A thorough intake form does more than collect data. It demonstrates to a prospective owner that your company understands the complexity of property management — that you have managed enough properties to know what questions matter, what information you need on day one, and what problems emerge when that information is missing. An owner who receives a one-page intake asking for their name, address, and "how many units" is going to compare that to a company whose intake asks about entity structure, security deposit escrow accounts, and HAP contract details. The second company clearly knows what it is doing.

The intake also protects your company. A management transition that goes sideways — a security deposit that was never transferred, a delinquent tenant the owner did not disclose, a code violation that was already pending — becomes your problem the moment you sign the management agreement. Every field on your intake form is a question that, if unanswered, becomes a surprise you have to absorb. Ask the questions upfront. Document the answers. Start the relationship with a complete picture, not a partial one you fill in reactively as problems surface.

If you are building documentation across a multi-trade operation, the Trade Services Bundle includes property management alongside 51 other service categories, each with trade-specific intake fields.