Getting Started with Buildium Part 4 - Market and fill vacancies

Buildium’s online rental application makes collecting applicant information easy.

Whenever someone fills out your application, their information will appear in Buildium automatically, and you’ll be able to sort, filter, and screen applicants in just a few clicks.

To create your rental application:

1. Navigate to Settings > Application settings.
   
   
2. Then, click Rental applications.
   
   
3. Start by adding sections to your application; like Applicant information, Rental history, and Employment history. Buildium will automatically include some sections for you, but you can customize those based on your needs.
   
   
4. Click into each section to customize fields. You can reorder the sections of your application by dragging and dropping the section name. To remove a section, click the x to the right of the section name.
   
   
5. As you edit, you’ll have the option to Preview application, Undo changes, or Publish changes.

You can set an application fee by clicking the Fee tab. Edit your application fee and choose your payment methods here.

If you have ePay enabled, you’ll be able to accept application fees online. This is a great way to offset the cost of screening your tenants.

When everything looks good, you have the option to print your application, or get a link to your online rental application. Use the link to post your online rental application on your company’s website. If you don’t have a website, no worries. Your Buildium subscription includes a free website for your business, too.

Your Buildium subscription includes a free website where you can advertise listings, link to your online rental application, include your company contact information, and allow tenants and owners to log into their accounts.

The website doesn’t give you too much flexibility, but it’s really helpful if your company doesn’t have a website already.

With your online rental application and website in place, you’re ready to list vacant units.

Start by editing your listing information. Listing information is saved at both the property and unit levels. This is especially helpful if you manage multi-family properties.

To edit listing information:

1. Navigate to Rentals > Properties, and select the property you’d like to list.
   
   
2. Click Edit listing information. Include details that are specific to the property, like shared amenities or proximity to public transportation. 
   
   
3. Click Save. 
   
   
4. Next, click the Units tab. 
   
   
5. Choose the unit you’d like to list and click Edit unit.
   
   
6. You can add photos to the listing by clicking the photo icon to the left of the description. 
   
   
7. Your listing information will be saved in Buildium, so unless you make major updates to a property or unit, you won’t have to edit this listing information again.  

Once you’ve created your listing descriptions, you’re ready to post.

Buildium makes it easy for you to share listings on Zumper, Apartments.com, Apartment List, Dwellsy, Lovely, and the entire Zillow Rental Network in just a few clicks.

1. To start, give us a call so we can turn this feature live in your account.
   
   
2. Next, navigate to Leasing > Listings and click Listing Settings.
   
   
3. Scroll down to the Syndication services section. Select the syndication service that you’d like to list to and click Save.
   
   
4. Navigate to Leasing > Listings and click the Unlisted units tab.
   
   
5. Click to open the unit you’d like to list.
   
   
6. Enter rent and deposit amounts, review listing information, and click Post listing.

Your listing will be syndicated to the sites you’ve selected, as well as to your free website. It typically takes 24-48 hours for listings to appear on the listing sites.

To manage incoming applications:

1. Navigate to Leasing > Applicants.
   
   Applicants who apply using your online rental application will automatically appear here.
   
   
2. You can add new applicants to this list by clicking Create new applicant.
   
   
3. When you create a new applicant, you’ll have the option to email them a link to your online rental application.This is a great way to manage people who call or email in to express interest in one of your listings.
   
   
4. Click any applicant to view more information. From here, you can create custom checklists to make sure you and your team don’t miss a step.
   
   
5. Click Save as default list to have your checklist appear on every applicant’s page.
   
   You can also view their application, receive an application fee, or run a tenant screening from this page.
   
   

Buildium offers two integrated tenant screening options: Basic Tenant Screening and Premium Tenant Screening.

You can run a Basic Tenant Screening right away. There is no setup required. Basic screenings are $15 per applicant, and include full credit, criminal, and eviction history. Plus, they include a simple recommendation on whether to accept or reject an applicant based on the data collected.

When you run a Basic Tenant Screening, our screening provider, TransUnion, sends an email out to the applicant asking them to release their personal information. 

Our Premium Tenant Screening is a much faster option. Premium Tenant Screening requires your property management company to go through a one-time accreditation process. 

For pricing information on Premium tenant screening, please see our website or reach out to our customer support team with any questions.

Once you’ve made a decision to approve an applicant, you’ll be able to create a lease right from the applicant’s page.

To create a lease from an applicant:

1. Navigate to Leasing > Applicants and click on the applicant you’re looking for.
   
   
2. Choose the Screening tab to view the results of the screening. 
   
   
3. If everything looks good, change the status from Undecided to Approved by clicking the drop down menu. 
   
   
4. Once marked as Approved, the Move in button will appear. Click Move in to add the applicant to an existing lease, or create a new lease.
   
   

Check out other videos in the Getting Started with Buildium series

Getting Started with Buildium Part 1 - Set up your Buildium account

Getting Started with Buildium Part 2 - Collect payments and make payments

Getting Started with Buildium Part 3 - Streamline your to-do list