A tenancy ties a renter to a unit and tracks everything about that lease — the rent, the money in and out, and the balance.
Start a tenancy
From the Rentals dashboard or the Leases page, click Start Tenancy: pick the property and unit, the renter, the monthly rent, the due day, and any deposit. New tenancies move through statuses — Draft → Pending move-in → Active, then Renewal, Past due, Eviction, or Ended.
The rent ledger
Open a tenancy to reach its rent ledger — a running record of:
- Charges — rent and extras (late fee, utility, pet fee, NSF fee, deposit, other).
- Payments — money the renter paid (with a method and reference).
- Credits — concessions or adjustments in the renter's favor.
Each row carries a running balance; a positive balance means the renter owes, negative means you're holding a credit. A tenancy with a balance owed is flagged Late automatically.
Prorate a partial month
When you post a charge, tick Prorate a partial month and enter the occupied date range (a move-in or move-out within one month). RentHarbor fills the amount and a memo from days occupied × (monthly rent ÷ days in that month) — e.g. Prorated rent 7/17–7/31 (15/31 days). Review it, then post like any charge.
People on the lease
The People card lists everyone on the tenancy. The primary renter is set when the tenancy starts; use Add person to add a co-tenant, guarantor, or occupant (pick an existing renter or quick-create one). Removing a person is audited and needs a short reason (owners excepted) — and a tenancy always keeps at least one primary renter.
Late-rent reminders
- On a single tenancy, send a rent late reminder to the renter.
- From the Leases page, Bulk rent late reminder nudges every tenancy that's carrying a balance in one go.
Lease escalations
The tenancy's Escalation & deposit interest card schedules automatic rent increases: set the percent, the frequency (e.g. every 12 months), and the next change date. The nightly automation applies the bump on that date — the rent updates, the next date advances, and an audited entry records old → new. The card previews the next change (e.g. $1,200 → $1,236 on Jan 1). Turn it off any time; the rent stays where it is.
Deposit interest
The same card can accrue simple annual interest on the held security deposit: set the annual rate and, each lease anniversary, the automation posts an interest accrued transaction to the deposit ledger (increasing the held-in-trust balance). State rules vary — configure per your state's requirements, and leave it off where interest isn't owed.
Renters can also pay from their own renter portal — those payments land on this same ledger.