Properties
Properties are the core of Rentalot. The more detail you add, the better your AI agent can answer prospect questions.
Adding a Property
From the dashboard, go to Properties > Add Property and fill in:
Required Fields
- Address — full street address
- Rent — monthly rent amount
- Bedrooms / Bathrooms — unit size
- Availability — when the unit is available
Recommended Fields
These help your agent answer common prospect questions:
- Description — a paragraph describing the unit and its appeal
- Amenities — in-unit laundry, dishwasher, AC, balcony, etc.
- Pet policy — allowed breeds/sizes, pet deposit, monthly pet rent
- Parking — included, garage, street, additional cost
- Lease terms — minimum lease length, renewal options
- Utilities included — what’s covered vs. tenant-paid
- Move-in costs — security deposit, first/last month, application fee
Bulk Import
Import properties from a spreadsheet file instead of adding them one-by-one.
Go to Properties > Import, then drag and drop your file or click to browse.
Supported Formats
| Format | Extensions |
|---|---|
| CSV | .csv |
| TSV | .tsv |
| Excel | .xlsx, .xls |
| JSON | .json (array of objects) |
Limits: 500 rows max, 10 MB max file size.
How It Works
- Upload — drop your file; it’s parsed instantly in the browser (nothing uploaded yet)
- Auto-detect — if your file came from a known property management tool, Rentalot recognizes the format and pre-maps all columns automatically
- Map columns — review the mapping. Adjust or skip columns as needed.
- Validate — click Validate to check for errors. Fix or skip invalid rows.
- Import — confirmed rows are created as properties.
Auto-Detected Formats
Rentalot automatically recognizes exports from these tools:
| Tool | Detected By |
|---|---|
| AppFolio | Unit Directory report (merges split address columns) |
| Buildium | Unit list export (merges multi-line addresses) |
| Zillow | Property listing export |
| Rent Manager | Unit report |
| Propertyware | Property export (includes year built, pet policy, deposit) |
When a format is detected, you’ll see a “Detected: AppFolio Unit Directory” (or similar) badge. All columns are pre-mapped — just review and import.
Column Name Matching
For files that aren’t from a recognized tool, Rentalot falls back to generic column name matching. It recognizes common variations:
| Property Field | Recognized Column Names |
|---|---|
| Address | address, street, street_address, location |
| Monthly Rent | rent, monthly_rent, price, rent_amount |
| Bedrooms | bedrooms, beds, br |
| Bathrooms | bathrooms, baths, ba |
| Square Footage | sqft, square_footage, sq_ft, area |
| Pet Policy | pets, pet_policy, pet_friendly |
| Deposit | deposit, security_deposit |
Values are coerced automatically: "$1,500" → 1500, "3 BR" → 3, "Yes" → allowed, "03/15/2026" → 2026-03-15.
Tips
- Export from AppFolio, Buildium, or any property management tool as CSV.
- Include at least Address, Rent, Bedrooms, and Bathrooms — these are required.
- The more fields you include, the better your agent can answer prospect questions.
For step-by-step export instructions for each platform, see the Property Import Guide. For programmatic imports, see the Properties API.
Public Listing Inquiries
When a property is marked as public, prospects can submit inquiries directly from the listing page. Each inquiry creates a contact and conversation in your dashboard, and you’ll receive an email notification with the prospect’s name, message, and contact info so you can respond promptly.
Bulk Operations
Toggle multi-select mode from the Properties page to select multiple properties at once. From there you can bulk delete with a single confirmation.
Editing and Removing
Edit any property from the dashboard or its detail page (which also has a Delete button). Changes take effect immediately — your agent will use updated information for all future conversations.
Removing a property stops the agent from answering questions about it. Existing conversations referencing that property are preserved in your inbox.