Step 1: Add or Edit Units
Before adding a lease, make sure your units are set up:
Go to the Properties tab.
Select the property you want to manage.
Scroll to the Units section.
To edit a unit, click the three dots (
⋮) on the right.To add a new unit, click the Add New Unit button.
Multiple Tenants in One Property
If tenants in the same property have separate leases (for example, each renting a room with their own rent amount or lease terms), set up a separate unit for each lease. A single unit can’t hold different lease terms for different tenants.
If tenants share the same rent and lease terms and only their move-out dates differ, you can keep them on one lease and move out each tenant as they leave. See Moving Out One Tenant on a Shared Lease below.
Step 2: Add a Lease
Once your units are set up, follow these steps to add a lease:
Within a property, click the Leases tab.
Click Add New Lease to create a new lease.
You’ll be prompted to enter:
Lease details, including lease documents, lease dates, and rent amounts
Fees and deposits, including any recurring fees
Tenant details, including name, email address, and/or phone number
Rent collection options
Tenant name and email or phone number are required before the lease can be created. Clicking Exit will save the lease as a Draft.
Will Stessa Contact My Tenants?
No. Stessa doesn’t send anything to your tenants unless you turn on rent collection for their lease. Adding a tenant’s contact information only records it on the lease.
If you’d rather not add a tenant’s email at all, you can enter a phone number instead.
Ending a Lease and Moving Out a Tenant
When a tenant moves out or their lease expires, end their lease instead of deleting it. This keeps your records accurate and preserves the tenant’s history.
Option 1: End the lease
Open the lease from the property’s Leases tab.
Click Actions in the upper-right corner, next to Renew lease.
Select End lease.
Choose the lease end date and click Save.
Option 2: Edit the lease dates
Open the lease and click Actions → Edit current lease.
Set the lease to a fixed term and enter the end date.
Save your changes.
Either option works for month-to-month leases.
If rent collection is enabled, tenants keep access to their Resident Portal after the lease ends so they can pay any outstanding rent or fees.
Don’t use Delete tenancy to move out a tenant. It deletes the entire tenancy, including its history. Only use it to correct a tenancy that was set up by mistake.
To add the next tenant, go back to the Leases tab and click Add New Lease.
Moving Out One Tenant on a Shared Lease
If one tenant leaves but the others stay on the lease:
Open the lease from the property’s Leases tab.
In the Tenants section, click the three dots (
⋮) next to the tenant who is leaving.Select Move out.
Enter the Move out date. You can also enter the date notice was given.
Click Save.
The lease stays active for the remaining tenants. As with ending a lease, choose Move out rather than Delete so the tenant’s history is kept.
Troubleshooting: “Unable to Sync Tenants”
This error means the tenant’s email address is already in use somewhere else, either on another lease in your Stessa account or elsewhere in Stessa. To fix it:
If the email is on an old or ended lease in your account, remove it from that lease, then add it to the new one.
If you can’t find the email anywhere in your account (for example, on a property you just purchased), use a phone number or a different email address for the tenant, or contact our support team.
Next Steps
To edit leases and tenants, renew a lease, or switch to month-to-month, see How To Manage Property Leases & Tenants.
To create a lease agreement and send it for e-signature, see Creating and Sending a Lease Agreement.