How do you use this letter and packet?
Fill in the details at the top and the letter below them writes itself as you type. Blank fields show as a line, so you can also print it blank and write by hand. "Copy letter as text" puts the finished letter on your clipboard for an email. "Download Word" gives you the letter and the packet sheet as a .docx you can edit further. Printing puts the packet sheet on its own page.
Nothing is sent anywhere and nothing is saved. Close the tab and what you typed is gone, so print, save as PDF or download first. With JavaScript off, the buttons go away but your browser's print command still prints the sheet.
Most templates that rank for this search are a sample letter with bracketed blanks to copy into your own document. Rent.com's template covers contacts, the walk-through, keys, utilities, insurance, rent, maintenance, trash, parking and fees, and points tenants to an emergency repairman; Avail's covers keys, utilities, insurance, rent, maintenance, trash, laundry and parking. Neither fills in for you, and neither tells the tenant what to do first when they smell gas, or offers a second language. This page does both.
What should a tenant welcome letter include?
The letter answers the questions a new tenant would otherwise call you about in their first week. The packet sheet holds the details that are too long for a letter, or that the tenant will look up later.
| Topic | In the letter | On the packet sheet |
|---|---|---|
| Keys and move-in day | Where and when to pick up keys | Replacement key fee, lockout policy, no lock changes without permission |
| Move-in inspection | Date and time of the walk-through | Link to the move-in checklist |
| Utilities | Which accounts to put in their name before move-in | Utility emergency and outage numbers |
| Renters insurance | Required or recommended, and proof due date | |
| Rent | Due date and how to pay | |
| Repairs | How to request one | Link to your maintenance request form |
| Emergencies | Leave, call 911 or the gas utility, then call you | 911, gas, electric, water shutoff, after-hours line |
| Office | Hours, phone, email | |
| House rules | A pointer to the sheet | Trash and recycling days, parking, quiet hours, pets, laundry, alarms |
Keep the house rules consistent with the lease. The welcome letter is a friendly summary, not a place to add new rules. If the two disagree, you have invited a dispute, so check the packet against the lease before you send it.
When should you send it?
Avail and Rent.com suggest a similar window: after the lease is signed (Rent.com adds, after the security deposit is paid) and before the keys are handed over. Avail says about one to two weeks before move-in; Rent.com says about two weeks. That is late enough that the tenancy is certain and early enough for the tenant to transfer utilities, buy insurance and book movers. Email it so links work and you have a record of sending, then leave a printed copy in the unit on move-in day.
Some documents have their own deadlines and do not belong only in a welcome letter. For housing built before 1978, federal rules require you to give tenants the EPA lead pamphlet, disclose any known lead-based paint and hazards, and provide available records before the lease is signed (EPA). Many states and cities add their own move-in disclosures. Check your local rules and deliver required notices the way the law says, not just in the packet.
What tone should the letter take?
Warm and short. The tenant is busy moving, and a page they actually read beats three they file. Lead with the welcome, then the things they must do before move-in (utilities, insurance, keys), then the things they need afterwards (rent, repairs, emergencies). Use plain words, sentences under twenty words, and "you" rather than "the Resident." Save the rules for the packet sheet, written as facts ("Quiet hours are 10 pm to 7 am") rather than warnings.
Should you translate it for Spanish-speaking tenants?
If a tenant reads Spanish more easily than English, the paragraph that matters most is the emergency one. The tool can add a short Spanish version of it under the English. We kept it to that one paragraph on purpose. It says only: if you smell gas, see fire or smoke, hear a carbon monoxide alarm or have flooding, leave, call 911 or the gas company from outside, then call the after-hours line. Have a fluent speaker read it before you rely on it, and never machine-translate lease terms or rules; a mistranslated rule is worse than none.
Offer the translation to any tenant who wants it, not to tenants you guess need it. Asking everyone "Would you like the emergency instructions in Spanish too?" is respectful; deciding for someone based on their name or accent is not. Owners whose properties receive federal funding may have additional language-access obligations, so check with your program or attorney.
Calls are the other half of the language problem. A tenant who writes well in English may still panic in it at 2 am. Property Answering's AI answering line answers in the caller's language, Spanish included, from your written rules. See what answering services cost.
Why should every tenant get the same packet?
The federal Fair Housing Act bars discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status and disability (US Department of Justice). The Justice Department notes the Act also stops housing providers from imposing special requirements or conditions on tenants with children. A welcome packet is one of the easiest places for that to slip in by accident: an extra noise warning for the family with kids, a stricter guest rule for one tenant. Many states and cities protect more classes than the federal list.
The simple fix is one master packet per property, given to every tenant, with only the unit-specific facts (unit number, parking space, move-in date) changed. Date each version, keep a copy of what each tenant received, and have them sign the receipt line. If a rule changes, update the master and send the change to everyone. Pet rules should note that assistance animals for people with disabilities are handled separately from pet policy; check HUD guidance or your attorney before writing that line. This is general information, not legal advice.
What emergency information should the packet carry?
Give tenants the order of actions, not just a list of numbers. For gas, fire, smoke, carbon monoxide alarms and flooding: get out, call 911 or the utility from outside, then call you. Write in the gas utility's emergency number and show tenants where the water shutoff valve is during the move-in walk-through. For what counts as an emergency, and what can wait until morning, see the maintenance emergency list. If tenants have questions you get every week, the FAQ covers how an after-hours line handles them.
Sources
- US Department of Justice, The Fair Housing Act
- EPA, Real estate disclosures about potential lead hazards
- Avail, Tenant welcome letter
- Rent.com, How to write a tenant welcome letter