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), for example Prorated rent 7/17 to 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.