Support Stoop – Property Management FAQs

Welcome to the Support Stoop – all the information you need to know about how to use Updater, straight from our Success department!

In this episode of Support Stoop, we’ve compiled some of the most frequently-asked questions from our property management clients – how your residents will be invited to use Updater, how we handle resident privacy, and much more. Let’s get right to it!

How does Updater receive access to our residents’ move-in information? 

Updater runs beautifully behind-the-scenes. We’re integrated with your core property management software, and we’ll seamlessly pull basic information about your resident in order to invite them to use Updater. Easy, huh?

What pieces of resident information does Updater need?

In order for your residents to use Updater, we require that you enter some basic transaction information about each resident into your property management software, including:

  1. First Name

  2. Last Name

  3. Email Address

  4. Current and/or New Address

  5. Lease Start/End Date and/or Move-In/Move-Out Date

P.S. We take resident privacy as seriously as you do! We don’t collect any sensitive information about your residents, such as their Social Security number or credit card information.

Is resident move-in/out information shared with any third parties?

When your residents create an Updater account, we only share their information with the third parties that they explicitly instruct us to contact.

Let’s walk through an example. Let’s say your resident updates their subscription to the New York Times on Updater. We’ll notify the New York Times – and only the New York Times – that they’ve moved.

When should our residents expect to receive their Updater invitation?

The Updater invite will be sent at the optimal time – about 3 weeks prior to your resident’s move date. However, if your resident is moving last minute, they’ll receive an invite the day after they’ve been approved.

Will residents be charged to use Updater?

Nope, Updater is absolutely free for your residents!

How does Updater forward mail for roommates and multiple people who live in one unit?

Great question – forwarding mail for multiple people who live in the same household can be tricky! Simply put, there are two different ways to file a USPS Form for multiple people living in the same household:

  1. If everyone in the household shares the same last name, your resident  can simply file one USPS Form and select “Family” as the USPS Form Type. This will let the USPS know that all mail should be forwarded for members of the household that share the same last name.

  2. If your resident has roommates or lives with others that don’t share the same last name, they can still forward mail for everyone in the household. How? On the Forward Your Mail step in Updater, your resident should click on “File Another Form” near the bottom of the page to fill out another USPS Form under a different name.

What if a resident switches units?

Let’s walk through how your resident can notify us of their updated address:

If your resident hasn’t submitted their mail forwarding form yet…
Great news! Your resident will still be able to update their address at any point while signing up for Updater or while submitting their mail forwarding form on Updater.

If your resident has already submitted their mail forwarding form…
If we haven’t processed their mail forwarding form yet, your residents can reach out to [email protected] and supply their updated address. We’ll go ahead and update the address for your resident.

However, if we’ve already submitted your resident’s mail forwarding form to the USPS for processing, your resident will need to contact the local post office to cancel or make any changes.

Who should my residents contact if they’re having problems with Updater?

You can direct your resident to our fantastic support team at [email protected], who will fix any and all issues in no time.

How do I change/update the Preferred Providers that are listed for my community?

Simply reach out to your Success Manager with your changes, and we’ll take it from there! However, stay tuned for upcoming product releases – site teams will be able to edit your Preferred Providers in real-time coming soon!

What happens if a resident cancels or decides not to move into my community?

If the resident hasn’t claimed their Updater account, their signup link will no longer work. However, if they’ve already started using their moving tools, they’ll still be able to use Updater. Think of it as a parting gift to thank them for their (potentially short) stay at your community!

What happens if a resident doesn’t receive an Updater invitation?

Please reach out to your Success Manager or [email protected], and we’ll make sure the invite is sent as soon as possible.

Do residents need to agree to anything that authorizes Updater to contact third parties on their behalf? If so, is that information ever sold?

Resident privacy is crucial for you, and you can rest assured that it’s top priority for us as well! Resident information is 100% protected by our Privacy Policy, which reads that “We never sell, rent or share your personal information behind your back.” That’s right – we don’t do anything with your resident’s information. Nada. Zilch. Seriously.

Can I offer Updater to my residents who are moving out?

Absolutely, most of our clients do. Moving out is just as difficult as moving in, so why not? Why end twelve (or more) months of hard-earned resident satisfaction at the lease renewal table? Think of it as a unique parting gift to thank residents for choosing to live at your community!

Have a question you’d like to see answered in the Support Stoop? Let us know in the comments below, and our support elves will cover it in an upcoming post!