Overview
Once you have all your properties and units set up in DoorLoop, the next step is to add your leases to those properties and units. These can be existing leases, leases about to start, or leases that set in the far future. In either case, you will need to add new leases to get started with DoorLoop.
What is a lease?
A lease connects your tenants to the units they rent and records their charges, payments, and deposits. To keep things simple, DoorLoop allows you to create a lease and add a tenant at the same time.
The Steps
Step 1 - Begin the New Lease Wizard
To create a new lease, click the + Create New button at the top left corner and then click Lease under the Leasing section.
Step 2 - Select the Property, Unit, and Terms
In the New Lease wizard, on the Overview step, select the Property this lease will be associated with. Then select the Unit that the tenant will be leasing. (If you don’t see any properties yet, you’ll need to create some. Follow in instructions here: Add a New Property.)
Next, select the Lease Terms. Decide whether this lease is a Fixed Term or Month-to-Month lease and enter the dates of the term. (If this is an existing lease, you can enter a start date in the past.)
Fixed Term leases require a start and end date whereas a Month-to-Month lease only requires a start date.
If you want your fixed term lease to continue posting charges after the lease has expired, turn on rollover to month-to-month. Your lease will still have an expiration date.
Click Next to continue.
Note: If you already have an active lease set on this unit that overlaps with this new lease's terms, a warning will pop up stating this. It will tell you that you need to update the existing lease's end date to proceed.
To fix this:
Click the Edit Existing Lease to the right of the error message.
On the lease settings window, adjust the End Date so it does not overlap with your new lease's dates. Also, make sure Month-to-Month and Rollover to Month-to-Month is turned off on the existing lease.
There can only exist one lease on one unit at any given point in time. You cannot have overlapping lease terms for the same unit.
Step 3 - Add Tenants to the Lease
Next, we need to add tenants to the lease. Click the + Add Tenant button, where you'll have two options:
If you already have Prospects or existing Tenants entered into DoorLoop, choose them from the list of available tenants and prospects. You can also use the search bar to narrow down the selection.
If the tenants you want to enter are new and not on the list, click the + New Tenant button at the top right to create a new tenant. (Enter as much information for the tenant as you’d like, but you will need to enter either a First Name and Last Name combination or Company name. You will also have to enter in the Portal Login Info, either an email address and/or mobile phone number.)
When back on the New Lease wizard, if you need to add additional tenants to this lease (multi-tenant lease), click the + Add Tenant button and repeat the steps above.
Now that you have added all the tenants for this lease, the next step is to set their Tenant Portal access, Renters Insurance requirements, and if you want to send them a welcome message via Text Messaging (if you have the Communications Center set up). You can toggle these on or off and can always go back and turn them on or off later.
Click Next to continue.
Tip: You can add more than one tenant on a lease while creating the lease, especially if this is a lease is a multi-tenant lease. Don't worry if you don't add them all though as you can add more tenants to the lease after its creation.
Tip: Be sure to toggle off the "Welcome Message" option when creating a new lease if you do not want to send the new tenant a welcome message with your SMS number information.
Step 4 - Add the Recurring Rent Charges
Now, we need to add details about the rent.
Enter the details of the Rent Charges. This creates a recurring rent charge that automatically adds charges to the lease on a set schedule. You can also add multiple recurring charges and even set up future rent schedules. Fill in the following information:
First Rent Date - This is the starting date of when you want rent to post each month. This is automatically populated based on the lease start date. You can change this manually if the first rent date is different from the start date of the lease.
(Note that if the start of the rent is different from the start date of the lease, then you are also prompted to prorate the rent charge and create a one-time charge.)
Frequency - This is how often the charge for rent will occur.
Amount - Enter the Amount of the rent charged each month.
Add Recurring Charge - If you have other recurring charges you want to include, select Add Recurring Charge, and from here, you can click + Add Another Charge to add additional charges as separate line items to the recurring rent schedule, such as pet rent or parking.
(It is recommended that if you have other recurring charges that occur at the same frequency, you should add them to the recurring rent charge as additional line items.)
(Optional) You can schedule a Rent Increase by clicking on Schedule Future Rent Increase. This creates a future recurring rent charge that will replace the previous recurring rent schedule as of the start date you choose. You can use this to set up yearly rent increases for a multi-year lease for instance.
Click Next to continue.
Step 5 - Add Any Move-in Fees
If you have any additional charges collected before or at move-in
(for example: security deposits, pet fees, etc), select Yes for Move-in Fees. Enter the following information:
Charge Date - Enter when you want the charge is due
What is this for - Select the account category that this charge is for (example: security deposit)
Add Description - (Optional) what is this charge for
Amount - Enter the amount of the charge
You can also enter other line item charges by clicking Add Another Move-in Fee.
Click Next to continue.
Note: When your tenant pays for these charges, if they are liability categories, the payment creates a deposit on the lease's Deposits tab. If this is an existing lease and you've already collected the deposit, read this page on how to record a past deposit that you have already collected.
Step 6 - Select a Late Fees Policy
For Late Fees, select whether or not you will be charging late fees on the lease. If you select Yes, select if you are using the property late fee settings or will be specifying late fees just for this lease.
Click Next to continue.
Note: Always make sure your late fee policy is the same as in your actual lease agreement and that it is compliant with your state and local laws. You can select between your default property late fee policy or specify your own for this lease. (Learn more about automatic late fees.) If required, a lease can have multiple late fee schedules.
Step 7 - Review the Lease Information
Review the terms of the lease. Double check to make sure everything looks correct with the lease. If not, click Edit next to the section that is incorrect so they can be corrected.
Click Save Lease will save this is a Draft Lease, which you will be able to find later under Leasing > Draft Leases.
Step 8 - Request Electronic Signatures or Add Existing Lease Agreements
The final step is to Request Electronic Signatures for your lease agreements or manage those lease agreements outside of DoorLoop. If you already have lease agreements signed, you also have the option to upload those.
There will be three options you can choose from once your lease has been saved as a draft:
Request signature electronically via DoorLoop - Choose this option to begin the Electronic Signature Request wizard to have your lease agreements signed electronically by the tenant and all required parties. If you choose this option, follow the instructions here.
Manage signatures outside of DoorLoop - Choose this option if you would prefer to handle your lease agreements outside of DoorLoop. This will end the flow and keep the lease as a draft. Once all your lease agreement has been signed, be sure to activate the lease later.
Already signed? - If this is currently an existing, active lease, click the Already Signed button and upload a copy of your signed lease for secure storage. This will make the lease active on DoorLoop.
Click Continue to Finish.
Tip: Once a lease is set to active, regardless if it's a current or future-dated lease, the tenant will be able to log into their tenant portal and begin making payments. This includes tenants who haven't moved in yet and need to pay their security deposits. The tenant just needs to make sure that they accept their tenant portal invite.
Requesting Electronic Signatures From a New Lease
Step 1 - Choose a Template
If you have signature templates set up, choose the template you want to use. You also have the option the create a custom agreement by clicking "Create Custom Agreement." If you don't have any templates, Add Files will be your first step, so you can skip to Step 2.
Step 2 - Add Files
Start by adding your agreement files. This can include agreements, addendums, or other related files that you need signed. You can either drag the file to this page or use the Click Here link to upload a file. (You can add multiple files. Files must be in PDF or Word format.)
If you used a template, you're also able to add or remove files from it.
Click Next to continue.
Tip: If you need a sample template, you can click "View Agreement Samples" to visit our forms section to download a suitable form to use.
Step 3 - Add Signers
The Signers section is where you want to set up all the people who will sign your document. This includes Tenants, Prospects, Vendors, Owners, or Users.
To begin adding signers, click the Add Signer Role button to choose what category of people you want to sign the document (Tenant, Prospect, Vendor, Owner, or User).
Repeat for multiple signers.
If needed, you can use the Garbage icon to remove signers.
To set the signing order of your template, use the Customize Order of Signers option, which requires the signer listed first to sign before the next signer receives the signature request. Turn this off if you do not care about the signing order.
Click Next to proceed.
Step 4 - Save as a Reusable Template
A popup window will appear with the option to save your template as a reusable template or to use it only once. If you choose to save it as a reusable template, enter a Name and the Template Type - either Lease Agreement or Addendum Agreement.
Step 5 - Request Details - Enter details of the signature request
Enter a signature request title. This will become the subject line in your email sent. Also, enter a personal note about the signature request. This will be entered as the message sent to your signers.
Next, the Your Credit Status section will show if you have enough e-signature credits to send the request. If not, check the box for "Get 10 credit package for $10" to get more.
Click Next to continue.
Step 6 - Set Signatures - Review the signature template
You must now create the signature template based on the document you uploaded. You can drag different fields to your document that are used to either autofill information or add signature fields to your document. (Please refer to this article: E-Signature Template Fields Overview. You can also view Dropbox Sign's FAQ here.)
Drag the Signature and other fields needed from the left-hand menu onto the document, placing the boxes where required.
The Standard fields section on the left menu allows you to create your own fields for the signers to fill out. Configure these fields after placing them using the menu on the right.
For multiple signer roles, change the role using the Signers drop-down menu at the top of the left menu and then add this role's signature box and fields.
You can use the Sender role to add Textbox and Checkbox fields related to the type of agreement and the user roles that are part of this template. For example, with a lease template, you can use the Textbox field to fill in lease start and end dates.
You can use the Me (now) signer role to add fields for the e-Signature creator to fill out when using the template. (Note that the Me (now) signer role is limited to the Auto-fill and Standard fields because there is no document to be signed right now.)
When finished, click the Save Template button in the bottom right of the editor.
Next, click Continue to confirm that the template was created successfully. This will take you to the final step.
Step 7 - Send the Electronic Signature Request
Review the e-signature template and add or remove any signature and data fields you may or may not need.
Once you have completed adding or removing fields, click the "Send for Signature" button.
If done properly, you should now see your Electronic Signature Request out for signatures.
Next Steps
Customize Company Default Tenant Portal Settings - If you want your tenants to access the tenant portal and make payments online, you'll need to configure your tenant portal settings. Configuring the tenant portal is important in managing what your tenants will have access to and what kind of payment methods they'll be allowed to use to make their rent payments.