Real Estate and Landlord-Tenant Intake

Real Estate and Landlord-Tenant Intake Training

Real estate and landlord-tenant callers often hold a notice, a lease or a closing date and want to know what to do before a deadline. Intake has to read the urgency, avoid every legal reading of the document and get the caller in front of the attorney quickly.

Start With the Call Audit or book a conversation

What is different about real estate and landlord-tenant intake

Callers frequently have a deadline in hand, such as a notice, a court date or a closing, and the urgency is real.
Both landlords and tenants call, and the same warm, plain tone applies to each.
They read documents aloud and ask what they mean. Intake does not interpret leases, notices or contracts.
Quick callbacks and held slots matter, because the caller is often calling several firms the same day.

The method does not change. The five stages, the 14-item scorecard and the boundary are the same. What changes is the wording, the questions to ask and where the pressure shows up.

Two Calls

The same moment, answered two ways

"What does this notice mean?"

The caller says: "I got a letter saying I have to leave in thirty days. Is that legal?"

What most desks say

"Usually they have to follow certain steps. You may have more time than that."

An opinion on a legal document.

What a trained desk says

"That is exactly the question for the attorney, and I do not want to guess at it. I am writing it down so she has it in front of her and goes through it with you at the consultation. Would Thursday at ten or Friday at two be easier?"

The caller's document is not interpreted, the question is passed on and a time is offered.

The deadline caller

The caller says: "My closing is in nine days and the seller is stalling."

What most desks say

"That is tough. Call us back if it gets worse."

Ignores the deadline and leaves the call open.

What a trained desk says

"Nine days is tight, so let us get you in front of the attorney quickly. I have Tuesday at nine or Wednesday at two. Which can you make? And please have the contract and any messages from the seller ready."

The deadline is used, a time is asked for and the caller knows what to bring.

Questions that always go to the attorney

These come up on real estate and landlord-tenant calls all the time. Intake does not answer them; it hands them off with the fixed line and asks for the next step.

"Is this eviction notice valid?"
"Can my landlord keep my deposit?"
"Can I back out of the contract?"
"What happens if I do not leave?"

The hand-off wording and the full boundary are on the line between intake and the attorney. Wording on this page is an example only; the firm and the attorney set the final wording against their jurisdiction's rules. Scope, plainly: everything on this site concerns the conversation that turns an inquiry into an engagement. Nothing here is legal advice, nothing touches the legal work or the attorney's judgment, and any wording a firm adopts is reviewed by the firm against its jurisdiction's rules on attorney advertising, solicitation and fee communication before it is used.

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH is a behavioral strategist and the founder and Chief Learning Officer of R2R Diagnostic Group. He is the former EVP of Learning & Development at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, where he trained sales professionals on the conversations that turn an inquiry into a commitment. He applies the same method, the R2R Assessment and a 14-item call-review scorecard, to law firm intake teams. The work is the conversation only; legal questions and judgment stay with the attorney.

The method, the scripts and the scorecard are on how it works, the script template and the scorecard guide.

Start With the Calls

Start with the real estate and landlord-tenant calls you already have.

Send a handful of recordings or transcripts and get a scored review of where consultations are being lost.

Start With the Audit or book a conversation

Frequently asked questions

What does intake training for real estate and landlord-tenant firms cover?

It covers the five stages of a real estate and landlord-tenant intake call: rapport, questions, value and the fee, asking for the next step and responding to concerns. Scripts are written for your firm and reviewed by the attorney before use.

Does intake give legal advice on real estate and landlord-tenant calls?

No. Intake explains the process, the consultation and the fee as the firm has set them. Any question about the caller's case goes to the attorney through a fixed hand-off line.

How does the work start for a real estate and landlord-tenant firm?

With the calls the firm already has. The call audit scores recordings or transcripts on a 14-item scorecard, by person, and shows which stage loses consultations.

Are prices published?

No. Prices are quoted for your firm after a conversation, based on the number of intake people and calls reviewed, and the scope is agreed in writing first.