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How to Implement OpenKM for Real Estate Property Management

Written by Rogelio Sanchez Zapata, OpenKM Mexico, on May 26, 2025

Real estate management increasingly demands structure, agility, and control over a large volume of documents, tasks, and data. If you manage buildings, houses, apartments, warehouses, or commercial properties, you're likely familiar with the burden of keeping everything up to date: contracts, payments, maintenance, tenants, reports. The good news is that you can centralize your entire operation on a single platform: OpenKM.

The following is a guide to implementing OpenKM as a comprehensive system for managing real estate. This guide is based on real-world experience adapting the software to this kind of operation, and it can help you save time, reduce errors, and improve control over your portfolio.

1. Create a structure organized by property

The first step in using OpenKM for real estate is to establish a clear and predictable folder structure. It’s recommended that each property have its own root folder within a general container such as "/Properties." Within that folder, subfolders should be organized by property and type of document or activity:

/Properties
  ├── PROP-001 SanPedroDepto2
       ├── 01 Legal Documentation
       ├── 02 Rental Contracts
       ├── 03 Payments and Rents
       ├── 04 Maintenance
       ├── 05 Blueprints and Technical Studies
       ├── 06 Photographs
       └── 07 Correspondence

This structure helps any team member quickly locate what they need without relying on emails or calls.

Best Practices:

1.1. Name folders using a code and abbreviated name (e.g., PROP-001 SanPedroDepto2).
1.2. Associate metadata with the root folder of each property (PROP-001...) to centralize key data.
1.3. Enable permission inheritance from the parent folder to all subfolders.
1.4. Use numbered folder names (01_, 02_) to preserve logical alphabetical order.
1.5. Use predefined document types to streamline workflows and searches (Lease Agreement, Maintenance Invoice, etc.).

2. Use metadata templates for each type of information

One of the key advantages of OpenKM is its ability to support custom metadata groups. This allows you to record structured data in each folder or document, making searches, reports, and automations easier and more effective.

Example: Metadata Group – Property
- Property Code
- Full Address
- Property Type (Apartment, House, Commercial Property, Office, Land, Other)
- Size (m²)
- Number of Rooms
- Number of Bathrooms
- Status (Available, Rented, Under Maintenance, Sold)
- Acquisition Date
- Market Value
- Monthly Rent Value

You can apply the same approach to leases and tenants, linking start and end dates, monthly amounts, contract status, and whether the document is electronically signed.

Metadata Group – Tenant
- Full Name
- National ID or CURP
- Nationality
- Phone
- Email
- Current Address
- Move-in Date
- Rented Property
- Contract Status (Active, Expired, Renewed, Cancelled)

Metadata Group – Contract
- Contract Code
- Associated Property
- Associated Tenant
- Start Date
- Expiration Date
- Monthly Amount
- Contract Status (Active, Expired, Renewed, Cancelled)
- Electronically Signed (Yes/No)

3. Automate maintenance and rental tasks

With OpenKM workflows, you can configure automated processes to:
3.1. Notify rent due dates
3.2. Record payments and outstanding balances
3.3. Launch preventive and corrective maintenance tasks
3.4. Track repairs, including costs and invoices

This not only improves operational efficiency, but also documents the complete history of activities for each property, making follow-up easier and more transparent.

4. Centralize legal, technical, and operational documents

Managing scattered documents—contracts, deeds, blueprints, photos, correspondence—is one of the biggest challenges in real estate management. OpenKM allows you to scan, upload, and organize all files in one place, accessible from a mobile device, tablet, or computer. Its advanced search engine, with OCR and metadata indexing, helps you find what you need in seconds.

You can also assign differentiated access permissions by user role—legal, maintenance, accounting, supervision, etc.—to protect sensitive information and comply with internal control policies

5. Integrate additional features according to your operation

If your team needs more functionality, OpenKM supports:
5.1. Sending email notifications
5.2. Electronic signature of contracts and documents
5.3. Communication modules with tenants and/or suppliers
5.4. Custom PDF or Excel reports on revenue, occupancy, or costs
5.5. Integration with ERP or CRM systems via REST API

You can also schedule automatic backups and scale the system to handle a few or hundreds of properties.

6. Import pre-built structures and speed up deployment

To save time, you can import an XML template with a preconfigured folder structure. This simplifies standardization and eliminates errors when setting up new properties.

You can also create scripts to automatically generate folders from external databases or systems, streamlining the onboarding of new properties.

Conclusion

Using OpenKM for real estate management is not only feasible, but highly recommended. The system is well-suited for the document management, workflow automation, traceability, and control that this sector requires. The key is to design a clear structure from the beginning, make full use of metadata and workflows, and maintain well-organized processes.

If you're looking for a centralized, secure, and scalable solution for your real estate operations, OpenKM can serve as the digital hub of your business.