Managing the Lease Lifecycle

Leases in ArkanPM carry auto-generated numbers (LS-2025-00001), link to units, residents, and owners, and flow through a strict state machine. This article walks through the lifecycle and the supporting features.

The lease state machine

A lease moves through:

Draft → Pending → Active → Expired / Terminated / Renewed.

Each transition records the actor and timestamp. The Lease expiry monitor background processor tracks upcoming expirations and alerts stakeholders before renewal deadlines hit.

Creating a lease

Navigate to Leasing → New lease:

1. Select the unit. Only units with status "available" or already linked to the resident appear in the picker.
2. Pick the resident and (optionally) the owner.
3. Enter financial details:
   • Monthly rent and currency
   • Security deposit
   • Payment frequency (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual)
   • Payment day of cycle
   • Total contract value
   • Rent escalation rate and frequency (for multi-year leases)
4. Set start and end dates.
5. Choose renewal behavior:
   • Auto-renew flag
   • Renewal type (manual or auto)
   • Notice period in days
6. Save as draft, then move through pending to active once signatures are collected.

Lease documents

Attach contracts, addendums, and supporting documents to the lease. Every file captures metadata (size, MIME type, uploader). Documents inherit the lease's access control — restricted by default to tenant staff, the resident, and the owner.

Renewals

Click Renew on an active lease. ArkanPM creates a new linked lease that inherits configuration from the original. The renewal reference forms a chain you can walk back — useful for showing ownership or legal history.

You can edit the inherited fields (new rent, new escalation, updated term) before saving. The original lease moves to "renewed" status.

Terminations

Use Terminate for early exits. Required fields:

• Termination reason (free text).
• Termination date.
• Notes about deposit handling and final reconciliation.

Terminated leases preserve all attached documents, payments, and work orders for audit.

Expiry monitoring

The owner dashboard surfaces an Upcoming Lease Expirations (next 90 days) widget. The lease expiry monitor background processor:

• Flags leases within the notice period.
• Triggers notifications to facility managers, owners, and residents (respecting quiet hours).
• Surfaces the lease in tenant admin's renewal pipeline.

Linked operations

Leases integrate tightly with other modules:

• Move-in and move-out inspections use structured checklists with condition ratings (excellent, good, fair, poor, damaged). Move-out inspections automatically calculate damage charges, cleaning charges, balance due, and deposit refund.
• Key and access management records the handover of unit keys, mailbox keys, access cards, garage remotes, and fobs with quantities, conditions, and digital signatures.
• Utility metering captures readings for electric, water, gas, steam, and chilled water meters.
• Resident directory links residents to units with type designations (primary, secondary, authorized) and move-in and move-out dates.

Best practices

1. Set the notice period realistically. A reasonable notice period gives you time to renew or re-let.
2. Upload the signed contract at activation. Never activate a lease without the file attached.
3. Record meter readings at move-in. Move-out reconciliation depends on the baseline.
4. Use auto-renew sparingly. Auto-renewal works well for corporate tenants, less so for short-stay residential.

What next

Read Running the resident portal to see how the lease powers the resident's personalized experience.