What the letter is for
Move-in week is when residents call most. Where is the water shutoff? Which day is trash? How do I pay? Who do I call when the sink backs up at night? Every one of those questions has an answer you already know, and a letter that answers them saves calls in the week you have the least time.
It also sets the tone. A resident who knows how to reach you and what counts as an emergency reports a leak on day one instead of day ten.
What it has to say
| Section | Include | Take it from |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Office hours, the main number, the after-hours number, email or portal | Your contact sheet |
| Rent | Amount, due date, how to pay, when it counts as late | The lease |
| Maintenance | How to report, what is an emergency | Your after-hours policy |
| The home | Water shutoff, breaker panel, smoke and CO alarms, filters | The property file |
| The building | Trash and recycling days, parking, mail, laundry | The property file |
| Move-in condition | How and by when to report what they find | The lease and your process |
| Utilities | Which ones they set up, and which you do | The lease |
Take every fact from the lease and the property file, not from memory. A welcome letter with last year's trash day is the first thing a resident learns not to trust.
The template
Welcome to [address], unit [unit]
Hi [first names],
Welcome home. Here is what you need for your first few weeks. Keep this somewhere you can find it.
Reaching us. Office: [hours], [number]. After hours, for emergencies only: [number]. Everything else: [portal or email].
Rent. [Amount] is due on the [day] of each month. Pay through [method]. [Late rule from the lease.]
Repairs. Report them at [portal]. Call [after-hours number] any time for: [short emergency list]. Fire, smoke, gas smell or a CO alarm: call 911 first.
Your home. Water shutoff: [location]. Breaker panel: [location]. Please test your smoke and CO alarms when you move in and tell us if one does not work.
The building. Trash: [day]. Recycling: [day]. Parking: [rule]. Mail: [where and how to get a key].
Move-in condition. Please complete the move-in checklist and send it with photos by [date]. It protects you at move-out.
Questions in the first week? Reply to this message or call [name] at [number].
[Firm name]
What to leave out
The welcome letter is not the lease. Do not repeat the pet policy, the noise rules and the guest clause. Residents will skim past them, and the shutoff valve location goes with them. If a rule causes problems every move-in, add one line and link to it. Otherwise, leave it in the lease.
Keep it to one screen on a phone if you can. Put contacts first, because that is the section people come back for.
The move-in week
First week of a new resident
Problems reported in week one are cheap. The same problems found at move-out become deposit disputes.
The day 7 message
Hi [first name], you have been in [address] for a week now. How is everything? If anything is not working, or you found something on the move-in checklist you have not sent yet, reply here and we will sort it.
This message finds the dripping tap and the sticky lock before they turn into a work order nobody remembers. For later messages to residents, see the notice of entry template.
Fill it in with AI
Every fact in the letter is in the lease or the property file, which makes it a good AI job. Put the template and your contact sheet in a ChatGPT or Claude Project. For each move-in, attach the lease and the property file and send:
Using the welcome letter template in this Project, fill in the letter for the attached lease and property file. Take every fact from those files only. If a fact is missing, such as the trash day or the water shutoff location, write [MISSING: item] instead of guessing. Do not add rules that are not in the template.Read it once before it goes, and fix the property file wherever it said MISSING, so the next letter is complete.
Before the letter goes out
- Rent amount, due date and payment method match the lease.
- The after-hours number is the one that is answered tonight.
- Trash days and parking rules are current.
- The emergency list matches your after-hours policy.
- The move-in checklist deadline is stated.
Questions
What should a tenant welcome letter include?
Contacts and the after-hours number, rent amount and how to pay, how to report repairs and what is an emergency, where the water shutoff and breaker are, building details like trash days, and the move-in checklist deadline.
When should I send a welcome letter to a new tenant?
Before move-in, with the lease copy, and a printed copy on move-in day.
How long should a tenant welcome letter be?
Short enough to read on a phone. Put contacts first and leave lease rules in the lease.
Should I follow up after move-in?
Yes. A short message at the end of the first week catches small problems while they are cheap to fix.