What documents do I need to give a new property manager?

A new property manager needs four things from you: proof that you own the house and are allowed to rent it, the facts about the house itself, everything about the current tenant if there is one, and the details for where your money goes. Most owners can gather all of it in an afternoon, and nothing on the list requires a lawyer.

What follows is the list we send owners in Keller, North Richland Hills and Fort Worth before the first meeting, with a note on why each item matters and what to do if you do not have it. The handover timeline for owners who self-managed shows where each document lands in the first few weeks.

Proof you own the house and may rent it

A manager who is about to collect rent and sign leases on your behalf needs to know the person signing the management agreement is the owner. This is a legal requirement for the broker, not a formality.

• Ownership record. The recorded deed or the county appraisal district page showing your name. If the house is in an LLC or a trust, the document that names who may sign for it.
• A government ID for each owner who will sign the agreement.
• Your mortgage lender's name, if there is a loan. Some loans have occupancy terms worth checking before the house becomes a rental.
• HOA documents if the house is in one: the rules on leasing, any registration form the HOA requires for tenants, and the management company's contact.
• Any court order, divorce decree or power of attorney that affects who controls the property.

If two people own the house, both sign the agreement, and the manager will ask which one approves repairs and receives statements. Deciding that before the meeting saves a round of emails.

The house: access, coverage and the things that break

The second group is everything a manager needs to run the house without calling you.

• Keys to every lock, garage remotes, mailbox key, gate and alarm codes, and the login for any smart lock or thermostat.
• Your landlord insurance declarations page. If the house is still on a homeowner policy, the manager will flag it. The guide to landlord insurance explains why that matters before a tenant moves in.
• Warranties and service contracts: HVAC, water heater, roof, appliances, foundation work, pest control, any home warranty.
• Utility account numbers and which utilities the tenant pays. For a vacant house, the manager usually keeps power and water in your name until move-in.
• Repair history, even informal: the plumber who knows the house, the age of the roof and HVAC, the last foundation report, where the water shutoff is.
• Survey, floor plan or a list of square footage, bedrooms and features, which feeds the listing and the rental analysis.

None of this has to be perfect. A folder of photos of the paperwork is enough to start.

If there is a tenant: the lease, the deposit and the ledger

This is the group that decides how smooth a takeover is. A manager stepping in mid-lease has to enforce a contract they did not write and account for money they did not collect, so the paperwork matters more here than anywhere else.

• The signed lease and every addendum, including pet, lead paint and HOA addenda. If there is no written lease, say so. A manager can formalize a verbal arrangement, but needs to know that is the situation.
• The security deposit amount, the date it was collected and where it is held. Under Texas law the deposit must be accounted for at move-out, so the manager needs the number in writing from day one.
• A rent ledger: what is due, what has been paid, any late fees or balances outstanding, and the payment method the tenant uses now.
• The move-in condition report and photos, if any exist. Without them, the manager will do a documented inspection soon after takeover to set a baseline.
• Tenant contact details, the names of every adult occupant, vehicles and pets on the lease.
• Any open repair requests, notices you have sent, or disputes in progress.

The guide to a mid-lease takeover covers what the manager does with each of these in the first weeks.

Your money: where it goes and how it is reported

The last group is short but holds up more start dates than any other.

• A bank account for owner disbursements, usually a voided check or the routing and account numbers entered into the owner portal.
• A completed tax form for the entity that owns the house, so year-end reporting is correct. For an LLC or trust, the name and tax ID of the entity, not the individual.
• Your reserve contribution, if the agreement calls for one, so the manager can pay the first vendor without waiting for rent.
• Your preferred approval limit for repairs, in writing, which goes into the agreement.

Everything in this group is private. A good manager collects it through a secure portal, not by email attachment. Ask how it is stored if nobody offers.

What to do when something is missing

Owners are often embarrassed about gaps. Do not be. The common ones all have fixes.

• No written lease. The manager documents the current terms with the tenant and offers a proper Texas lease, usually at the next renewal or sooner if both sides agree.
• No record of the deposit. Check your bank for the original payment, confirm the amount with the tenant in writing, and treat that figure as the deposit going forward.
• No move-in report. The manager performs a documented inspection with photos now. It will not prove what the house looked like at move-in, but it stops further wear being blamed on nobody.
• No repair history. The manager's first inspection and a conversation with the tenant usually surface most of it.
• Keys missing. Rekeying is required under Texas security device rules at tenant turnover anyway, and is sensible at takeover if you are not sure who holds copies.

Bring what you have to the first conversation and let the manager tell you what actually needs rebuilding. If you want a written quote and a document list tailored to your house, get in touch and we will send both before you commit to anything.

How Perpetual handles this

Perpetual Property Management sends every new owner the same document list before the first meeting, so nobody shows up guessing. You upload what you have to the owner portal, we tell you what is complete and what we will rebuild, and the management agreement lists every fee in writing before you sign it. The deposit figure you give us goes straight into the trust accounting, and it shows on your first monthly statement.

If there is a tenant in place, we read the existing lease and tell you plainly what it protects and what it does not, then set a documented inspection with photos to create a baseline. If the house is vacant, the same documents feed the rental analysis and the listing. I am a Texas broker, we are local to Keller, North Richland Hills and Fort Worth, and we would rather spend an hour on paperwork at the start than untangle it a year in. Bring the folder and we will take it from there.

The takeaway: Gather proof of ownership, the house details, the tenant file and your bank information, hand over what you have, and let the manager tell you what truly needs rebuilding rather than delaying the start to hunt for a perfect folder.

Questions owners ask

Property management in Keller, North Richland Hills and Fort Worth. How full-service management works in Tarrant County →