The Most Common Tenant Questions (And How to Stop Answering Them)

"What's the WiFi password for the common room?" "When is the trash picked up?" "How do I pay my rent online?"

If you've been a property manager for more than a month, you've answered these questions hundreds of times. Each one only takes a minute to answer, but they interrupt your "deep work" and clutter your inbox.

These aren't maintenance requests; they're information requests. And they shouldn't be taking up your time.

The Top 5 Repetitive Questions

According to our data, these five questions account for 60% of non-maintenance tenant emails:

1. Utility Information: "Who do I call for electricity/water?"
2. Access & Security: "What's the gate code?" or "How do I get a new key fob?"
3. Trash & Recycling: "Which day is pickup?" or "Where do I put large items?"
4. Payment Procedures: "Do you take Venmo?" or "Where is the portal link?"
5. Amenity Rules: "When does the pool close?" or "How do I book the grill?"

Why You Keep Answering Them

You keep answering these because it's "easier" than building a system. But while it's easier in the moment, it's exhausting in the aggregate.

Every time you answer a repetitive question manually, you're training your tenants that they don't need to read their lease or look at your website—they can just "ask you."

How to Stop the Cycle

1. The Onboarding Packet

Include a "Cheat Sheet" on page 1 of your move-in folder. Bold the gate codes, utility numbers, and trash days.

2. Physical Signage

If people always ask where the trash goes, put a sign on the door. If they ask for the WiFi, put a sticker on the router.

3. Canned Responses

If you use Gmail or Outlook, create "Templates." When the wifi question comes in, click the template and hit send. It's faster, but it still requires your time to read and click.

4. The "Search First" Policy

When a tenant asks a question that is in the lease, your response should be: "Great question! That's covered in Section 12 of your lease, which you can find in your portal. Let me know if you have any other questions!"

This gently retrains them to look at their documentation first.

The Goal: Zero-Touch Information

Ultimately, your goal should be for these questions to never reach you. Whether through a robust tenant portal, a detailed welcome email, or an automated AI responder, information should be available at the moment of need without human intervention. (Learn more about how AI is used in operations).

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OpsPilot Note: OpsPilot features an "Auto-Reply FAQ" system. You upload your property's specific details—wifi codes, trash days, pool hours—and when a tenant asks a matching question, OpsPilot replies instantly and marks the request as resolved. You never even see the email.