Monthly PM Task List, Reordered by Impact

Every property manager has a monthly task list. Most are copies of each other and most are run alphabetically, which is exactly wrong. Below is the order we run ours in — highest leverage at the top — when we handle the day-to-day operations for a portfolio.

Week one — money and risk

1. Confirm every rent payment posted; flag anything missing by day five.
2. Reconcile the operating account against the bank feed.
3. Review the open work-order list; close anything stale.
4. Check insurance certificate expirations for every vendor on file.

Week two — the building

1. Walk every common area; photograph anything you would not want a prospect to see.
2. Test exterior lighting after dusk on at least one property.
3. Check mechanical rooms — boiler pressure, water heater date, sump pump cycle.
4. Spot-check smoke and CO detector dates in any unit you enter for any reason.

Week three — tenants and renewals

1. Pull any lease expiring in the next 90 days; send renewal offer or non-renewal.
2. Review the move-out pipeline; schedule pre-move-out walk-throughs.
3. Send the monthly tenant newsletter (seasonal reminder + one helpful note).

Week four — owners and reporting

1. Generate owner statements; attach photos for any capex over $500.
2. Update the 12-month capital plan; flag anything moving up the queue.
3. Internal: review what broke this month and whether the SOP needs updating.

When the week gets short, drop in this order

Newsletter first, then the dusk lighting check, then the stale-work-order review. Never skip the rent reconciliation, the mechanical room walk, or the renewal cadence — those compound.

If you would rather have someone else run this list, our monthly retainer covers it, and the vendor walkthrough checklist covers what happens once a contractor is on site.