Custom Fields

The Custom Fields tool allows account Administrators to add fields to Owner, Property, and Tenant records. These details can later be pulled by the Forms Editor to create lease agreements and other forms that auto-populate with the data from the system, including the Custom Fields you create

Creating a Custom Field

The following instructions and information will help you set up and manage custom fields with ease.

In your Rentec Direct account:

Click Settings.
In the Program Settings click on Custom Fields.
Click the Add Field button specific to your needs. Your options are Tenant Fields, Owner Fields, and Property Fields. Enter a short field name into the new input.

System Note: By adding these fields, they will be available to use within forms, so be sure to give them unique names that correspond to the record type.
Check the Searchable box if you would like this new custom field to be searchable from the software Global Search tool.
Click Save Changes when finished.

You will now be able to see your new custom field on pages where you edit records. For example, if you created a custom Tenant Field, you would find that fillable field at the bottom of the Tenant Profile page when you Edit Tenant. The same is the case for custom Property and Owner Fields when you use the Edit Property and Edit Owner functions.

Custom Fields Versus Private Notes

The edit tenant page also includes an area for you to include private notes under the Tenant Details section (The Edit Property and Edit Owner pages have this section too).

The private notes area is for information like "prefers to be emailed not called" or "works night shift as a nurse, so tenant can be hard to reach during normal business hours". Some people will find they can easily keep pet information or car details about the tenant in the private notes section. However, the benefit of using Custom Fields is that you can automatically input Custom Fields data into your lease agreements or other forms created in the Forms Editor as well as make those fields searchable in the Global Search tool.

Tip: If you create a custom field it will show up on all your Tenant pages (or Owner pages or Property pages depending on the field you create -- so you want to have general categories (see below for examples) that will be useful for all your tenants (or owners or properties).

Use Custom Fields in Your Lease Agreements & Other Forms

The custom field data can be pulled into forms created in the Custom Forms Editor. More information can be found here: Custom Forms

When editing a form, look for the custom field name under the Data Fields menus to insert the placeholder. The system automatically pulls the information from your Tenant, Owner, or Property Custom Fields data to populate the form when it is created!

Examples of Custom Field for Tenants

Tenant Pet Information -- breed and name of pets, vaccinations status, and pet license renewal dates.
Tenant Car Information -- make, model, and license plate information and/or parking permit information.
Lawn Maintenance -- yard maintenance to note who will take care of the property's lawn; tenant or owner.

Examples of Custom Fields for Properties

Appliances/Property Features Updates - when major appliances or property features were installed or purchased. For instance, if you include a Roof custom field, you can include that a new roof was purchased for the property in 2015. This is useful information for Owner agreements.

Mortgage Information
You can include information about the mortgage for the property, like the name of the bank or other financial institution, as simple reminders for yourself.
Security Deposit Account Information
Some states require a landlord or property manager to share the bank name and address where a tenant's security deposit funds are being held. A custom field for this information is a great idea because you can use the field to auto-populate with the correct information in lease documents or other forms created in the forms editor.
Owner Information
Some states require a property manager to share the name and contact information of the property owner with the tenant. The new Custom Fields feature allows you to do just that, you can include an Owner Name custom field and Owner Address custom field (or whatever your state requires) and then you can use that information to auto-populate any forms created within the forms editor.

Examples of Custom Fields for Owners

You can use custom fields for your owners to auto-populate information in your management agreements created in the Forms Editor. Some examples include:

Contract Start Date
Contract Renewal Date
Disbursement Date
Management Fee Amount
Management Fee Type
Referred By