Property Management Staff Onboarding Checklist

Send through DocuSign or AppFolio's e-sign with the at-will acknowledgment, NDA, and any non-solicit clauses included. Countersigned offer must be back in the file before any system access is provisioned.

Hardware lead time is the most common reason new hires sit idle on Day 1. Order the laptop, mobile line, and the building access fob the same day the offer is countersigned. Maintenance roles also need a company truck assignment and a tool inventory hand-off.

Role drives which training modules are required and which AppFolio permission set the new hire receives. Leasing Agents need the screening and FCRA modules; Maintenance Techs need the after-hours dispatch shadow; Property Managers need everything plus owner-statement training.

Section 2 must be completed within three business days of the start date with original (not photocopied) List A or List B+C documents. E-Verify is required in some states (AZ, GA, FL for employers over 25, others). Don't take the new hire's word that they brought what's needed — verify against the I-9 List of Acceptable Documents at the door.

Tenant PII (SSNs, bank account numbers, screening reports) is what the confidentiality clause is protecting. Walk through the named cases — no tenant data on personal email, no screening reports printed and left at desks, no portfolio data on a personal phone.

Add to the all-staff distribution list, the regional team list, and the after-hours emergency channel. Maintenance Techs go on the dispatch rotation Slack channel; Leasing Agents go on the showings channel.

Log every key and fob issued in the key-control register with serial number and date. Master keys to occupied units are issued only to Property Managers and Maintenance Supervisors — not to leasing staff. A lost master triggers a portfolio-wide rekey at the firm's expense.

Scope access to only the properties this person manages — over-broad access is a Fair Housing audit finding waiting to happen, and an owner-confidentiality risk if a manager can see a competing owner's rent roll.

Cover the federal protected classes (race, color, national origin, religion, sex including gender identity per HUD 2021 guidance, familial status, disability) plus state and local additions (source of income in NY/MA/NJ and many CA cities). Walk through service animal vs ESA — neither pays pet rent, neither is subject to breed restrictions. NAA's Visto or NARPM's online courses are the standard certifications.

When an application is denied based on a credit or background report, FCRA requires an adverse action notice naming the reporting agency (TransUnion SmartMove, Experian RentBureau, etc.) with their contact info. Missing this notice is the most common FCRA violation in residential PM and a frequent class-action target.

State law sets the hard window for the itemized statement and refund (commonly 14-30 days post-move-out). Missing the deadline can forfeit deductions and trigger statutory damages of 2-3x the deposit. Confirm the rule for every state in the portfolio — multi-state operators get tripped up here.

Every pre-1978 unit requires the federal lead disclosure form signed before lease execution, with the EPA pamphlet provided. Missing it triggers per-violation HUD/EPA penalties (confirm the current ceiling, which adjusts annually). The signed form lives in the tenant file, not the property file.

Walk through ticket intake, vendor dispatch, tenant entry-notice (24-48 hours per state), photo documentation, and invoice approval. Cover the emergency vs routine triage — water leaks and HVAC outages page the on-call; cosmetic items wait for business hours.

Cover NSF reversal, late fee assessment per the lease grace period, partial payment posting (in some states accepting a partial payment waives the right to evict for that month), and end-of-month owner-statement reconciliation.

Observe a senior PM walk a unit with a new tenant using HappyCo or zInspector. The discipline to absorb: dated photos of every room, tenant signature on the inspection form before keys hand over, smoke and CO detectors tested in the tenant's presence, log entry of new lock codes from the rekey.

Walk every building, common area, and at least one ready unit per property. Note amenities, unit mix, parking layout, trash and mail locations, and after-hours access procedures. The new hire should be able to direct a tenant or vendor to any unit without consulting a map by the end of the visit.

Walk the list of preferred plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, painters, and cleaners. Each vendor needs a current general liability + workers comp COI with the property listed as additional insured, plus a W-9 on file for 1099 reporting. Flag any COI expiring within 30 days for renewal — a lapsed COI on a vendor incident leaves the firm exposed.

Cover what's working, what's confusing, which properties feel familiar vs unfamiliar, and any tenant or owner interactions that didn't go well. The 30-day mark is when training gaps surface — don't wait until the 90-day to address them.