Landlord Text Message Templates: 18 Ready to Copy

These 18 landlord text message templates cover the messages you send most: welcome and move-in, rent and payments, maintenance and entry notices, lease renewal, and move-out. Replace the bracketed parts, keep each text to one topic, and send from a business number. For anything your lease or state law requires in writing, send the formal notice too and use the text as a heads-up.

Before you use these templates

• Send from a business number. Keep your personal cell out of it. Our guide to setting up a business number for texting tenants covers the options and the consent basics.
• Get consent to text. A line in the lease where the tenant agrees to receive texts about the tenancy is the simplest way to document it.
• One topic per text. A text that mixes a rent reminder with a repair update gets half-read.
• Sign with your name the first few times, so tenants learn the number.
• Texts don't replace required notices. Entry, rent increases, non-renewal, and deposit deductions often have written notice rules that vary by state.

Welcome and move-in

1. Welcome after lease signing

Hi [Tenant name], this is [Your name], your landlord at [Property address]. Welcome! This is the best number to reach me for anything about your home, including repairs. I reply between [hours]. For emergencies like fire, a gas smell, or flooding, call 911 or the gas company first if needed, then call this number.

2. Move-in day details

Hi [Tenant name], your move-in is set for [date]. I'll meet you at [time] with keys, or they'll be in the lockbox at [location] with code [code]. Please set up [utilities] in your name starting [date]. Text me with any questions before then.

3. Move-in inspection reminder

Hi [Tenant name], please complete the move-in checklist and send photos of any existing damage by [date]. This protects you at move-out, since we'll compare against it. Thank you!

Rent and payments

These are for personal messages you choose to send. If you use software that sends automatic reminders, check which channel it uses so tenants don't get the same reminder twice.

4. Friendly reminder before the due date

Hi [Tenant name], a quick reminder that rent of [amount] is due on [due date]. You can pay through [payment method]. Thanks!

5. Payment received

Hi [Tenant name], I received your rent payment of [amount] on [date]. Thank you!

6. Rent not yet received

Hi [Tenant name], I haven't received rent for [month] yet. It was due on [due date]. If it's already on the way, please disregard this. If something came up, let me know and we can talk about it.

7. Payment plan confirmation

Hi [Tenant name], confirming what we agreed: you'll pay [amount] on [date] and [amount] on [date] to cover [month]'s rent. I'll send this in writing by email as well. Please reply to confirm.

For more on handling late payments without straining the relationship, see how to handle late rent.

Maintenance and entry notices

8. Request received

Hi [Tenant name], got your request about [issue]. To get the right person out, please send a photo and let me know if a vendor can enter if you're not home. I'll follow up by [time or day].

9. Vendor scheduled

Hi [Tenant name], [Vendor company] is scheduled to fix [issue] on [date] between [time window]. The technician's name is [name]. Please secure any pets. Reply if this time doesn't work.

10. Follow-up after a repair

Hi [Tenant name], [Vendor company] reports the [issue] is fixed. Is everything working as it should? Let me know if anything still seems off.

11. Planned shutoff

Hi [Tenant name], the [water, power, gas] at [Property address] will be shut off on [date] from [start time] to about [end time] for [reason]. Sorry for the inconvenience. I'll text when it's back on.

12. Routine entry notice

Hi [Tenant name], this is notice that [I or Vendor company] will need to enter your unit on [date] between [time window] to [reason]. This is in addition to the written notice [sent by email, posted on your door]. Let me know if you have questions.

13. Inspection notice

Hi [Tenant name], I'm scheduling the [annual, smoke detector, HVAC filter] inspection for [date] between [time window]. It should take about [duration]. Written notice is [attached, coming by email]. Reply if you'd like to be there.

Notice periods vary by state. Some states set a specific minimum notice for entry, some require only "reasonable" notice, and some specify how notice must be delivered. A text may or may not satisfy the requirement on its own. Check the rules for your state in our state landlord guides and your lease before relying on templates 12 and 13.

Lease renewal

14. Renewal offer

Hi [Tenant name], your lease ends on [date]. I'd be glad to have you stay. I've sent the renewal terms to your email. Please let me know by [date] whether you plan to renew.

15. Renewal reminder

Hi [Tenant name], a reminder that I need to know by [date] whether you'll renew your lease. If you have questions about the terms, I'm happy to talk.

16. Confirming a move-out

Hi [Tenant name], thanks for letting me know you won't be renewing. To confirm, your last day will be [date]. I'll send move-out instructions about two weeks before.

If the renewal includes a rent increase, send the increase in writing according to your lease and state law. Our guide to raising rent without losing tenants covers how to word it.

Move-out

17. Move-out instructions

Hi [Tenant name], your move-out date is [date]. Please return all keys to [location], leave the unit broom-clean, and send me your forwarding address for your deposit. I'll do the move-out inspection on [date], and you're welcome to be there.

18. Deposit timeline

Hi [Tenant name], thanks again for renting with us. I'll send your security deposit and an itemized statement of any deductions to [forwarding address] by [date]. Reach out if you have questions.

State law sets the deadline for returning a deposit and what the itemized statement must include. Use the date your state requires.

Tips for texting tenants

• Keep it short. Two or three sentences fit on a phone screen without scrolling.
• Use the tenant's name and the property address if you have more than one.
• Avoid all caps and threats. If a situation is escalating, move to a written letter or email.
• Text during reasonable hours unless it is an emergency.
• Save important threads, such as payment arrangements, repair approvals, and move-out dates, in the tenant's file.

Sending these with Rentra

Rentra gives each landlord a dedicated SMS number, so you can send your own texts from a business line, and conversations are searchable by tenant, phone number, or property. For announcements like a planned shutoff, you can send a broadcast by email, text, or both. See communications features.

Rentra's automated rent reminders and late notices go out by email, with friendly, formal, and final versions and optional late fees. See rent collection. With the AI in Autopilot Advanced mode, it answers routine tenant texts from the lease and rent ledger and triages maintenance requests, and repairs aren't booked until you approve them. Details are on the Tenant SMS Concierge page.