Anti-Patterns: What NOT to Do in Landager

Knowing what not to do is often more valuable than knowing what to do. These are the most common mistakes landlords make with property management software.

❌ 1. Sharing Login Credentials

Never give your email and password to an employee, partner, or tenant. If your credentials are compromised, every piece of financial data in your portfolio is exposed.

Instead: Wait for Landager's upcoming team invitation features, or create a separate admin account.

❌ 2. Processing Partial Payments Without Notes

If a tenant hands you $800 instead of $1,200, don't log it as a "Paid" transaction at $800 without context. Three months later, you won't remember why $400 is missing.

Instead: Always add a Payment Note explaining the shortfall: "Tenant paid $800. Remaining $400 promised by the 15th."

❌ 3. Entering Wrong Lease Dates

Setting a Start Date in the future when the tenant has already moved in means the system thinks the unit is still Vacant. Setting a Start Date months in the past inflates your historical expected revenue.

Instead: Always set the Start Date to the exact day the tenant physically took possession.

❌ 4. Ignoring Overdue Maintenance Requests

If your Open Maintenance count has been sitting at "8" for three weeks, you're creating legal liability. Many jurisdictions allow tenants to withhold rent or "repair and deduct" if habitability issues are ignored.

Instead: Address maintenance within the expected response times for each Priority Level.

❌ 5. Deleting Properties with Active Leases

The system blocks this, but if you attempt to circumvent it by deleting all leases first, you'll destroy years of financial history.

Instead: If a property is sold, let all leases naturally expire and archive the property. Never delete active financial data.

❌ 6. Storing Sensitive Data in Notes

Don't put full Social Security Numbers, bank account details, or credit card numbers in the free-text Notes fields. While Landager is secure, notes fields are designed for operational context, not PII (Personally Identifiable Information) storage.

Instead: Use the dedicated encrypted fields (like National ID/SSN on the tenant form) designed for sensitive data.

❌ 7. Relying on Memory Instead of the System

"I'll remember that Unit 4B's dishwasher is broken." No, you won't. Not when you manage 20 units and it's three weeks from now.

Instead: Create a Maintenance Request immediately. Even if you plan to fix it yourself tomorrow.

❌ 8. Creating Duplicate Tenants

If Sarah Smith appears in your system twice, her payment history is fractured across two profiles. You'll never get a clean financial picture.

Instead: Before creating a new tenant, search the directory by name and email first. If they exist as a "Past" tenant, reuse the existing profile.

❌ 9. Ignoring Failed Payments

If a tenant's check bounces, don't just delete the payment and pretend it didn't happen. You need to document the attempt.

Instead: Edit the payment to change the status and add a note about the failure. This preserves the paper trail.

❌ 10. Mixing Personal and Business Expenses

Don't log your personal grocery bill as a "property expense" to inflate deductions. The IRS treats this as fraud.

Instead: Only log expenses directly related to property management. Keep personal and business finances completely separate.