Rent reminders for 40 tenants in one click: a case study
A real build for a landlord with about 40 flats: rent reminders by text and email in one click. A few seconds instead of an hour a day.
The same chore every day: open the list of tenants, check the amounts and write to each one separately to say how much they owe and by when. With about 40 flats, that's around an hour of work a day. On top of that, every new tenant meant another round of messages written by hand: a welcome, instructions, payment dates.
I built two automations for this landlord that took it off his plate. Instead of an hour a day, it now takes him a few seconds. Below I show how they work and when a similar solution makes sense for your business.
The problem: reminders written by hand, one after another
The owner of a portfolio of about 40 rental units sent payment reminders every day. Each message was slightly different: a different name, a different amount, a different flat. Sending one message to everyone wasn't possible.
It went like this:
- Open the spreadsheet of tenants and amounts.
- Copy the first tenant's details.
- Write a text or an email with the amount and the due date.
- Repeat for each of the roughly 40 tenants.
The second problem came with every new lease. A new tenant got a welcome, move-in instructions and a payment schedule. Written from scratch every time.
The solution: two connected automations in n8n
I built two automations in n8n, a tool for connecting apps and building workflows. The tenant data stayed where it was, in Google Sheets.
The first: reminders in one click. The landlord starts it with a single button. The automation reads the spreadsheet, puts together a message for each tenant with their name, amount and due date, and sends it by text and by email. To everyone at once, in a few seconds.
The second: welcoming a new tenant. It runs by itself when a new lease appears. The tenant gets a welcome message, move-in instructions and the upcoming payment dates. No manual work at all.
The landlord kept control: he decides when the reminders go out, and he changes the data in the spreadsheet he already knows.
How much it saves
About an hour a day on reminders alone adds up to several full working weeks a year, plus the messages for every new tenant. Now it takes a few seconds.
More important than the hours, though, is that the reminders always go out, on time and without mistakes in the amounts. They no longer depend on whether the landlord happens to have a free hour.
Work out what a similar task costs you today in the calculator on the homepage.
Who this kind of solution is for
A similar automation works well when:
- you regularly send the same messages to many people,
- the details (names, amounts, dates) are already in a spreadsheet or system,
- a late or forgotten reminder really costs you.
Examples: renting flats and premises, clinics and salons (appointment reminders), service businesses (inspections, servicing), accounting offices (document deadlines), schools and courses (class payments).
Frequently asked questions
Can automated reminders go out by text message?
Yes. In this build the reminders go out by text and email at the same time. Texts are sent through an SMS gateway, which charges per message sent, usually small amounts for a few dozen recipients.
Can the reminders go out completely on their own, without a click?
They can. This landlord preferred to start them with one click so he controls when they're sent. The automation can just as well send them by itself, for example every Monday at 9:00 or a few days before the due date.
What about tenants' data and GDPR?
The data stays in the landlord's spreadsheet, and the automation uses it only to send the messages. During the build we agree which data is needed and where it's processed, so nothing is collected beyond what's necessary.
Can I change the wording of the messages myself?
Yes. The message text is a template you can edit. After handover I record a short video showing how to do it.
Sending similar messages by hand?
Book a free call. We'll look at which messages could be sent automatically and how much time that would give you back.
