You can now trigger RentCheck inspections directly from your AppFolio Realm-X workflows! Create move-ins, move-outs, renewals, mid-lease checks, and more from direct actions in AppFolio.
Inspections go out the moment the trigger fires, so nothing slips through the cracks. When they're finished, the completed report syncs right back to AppFolio.
What is Realm-X?
Realm-X is AppFolio’s workflow automation tool. It lets you set up rules that fire automatically when something happens in AppFolio, like a resident giving move-out notice, instead of doing the follow-up work by hand.
RentCheck now shows up inside the Realm-X workflow builder as an action called Create Partner Inspection for Property. Add that action to any workflow, and each time the workflow runs, RentCheck will automatically:
Create the inspection for the property or unit - this can be a standard RentCheck inspection or one of your custom templates
Send the invite right away to whoever is set to perform it, whether that’s a resident or a member of your team
Sync back to AppFolio with the full inspection PDF report once it’s completed
Before you get started
You’ll need:
The AppFolio integration connected in RentCheck. Head to Settings → Integrations → AppFolio and connect. Learn more about setting up your AppFolio integration here.
Your properties synced. RentCheck can only create an inspection on a property or unit that has been synced from AppFolio.
At least one published inspection template these can be standard RentCheck inspection templates, or your own custom inspection templates.
Setting it up
Step 1 — Connect AppFolio in RentCheck
In RentCheck, open Settings → Integrations, find AppFolio, and connect it. Once it’s connected, you’ll see a Realm-X Inspection Automation add-on button appear just below the integration.
Step 2 — Create your workflow
In AppFolio, open the Realm-X workflow builder and either create a new workflow or edit an existing one (a move-out workflow, for example). To open the builder, go to Dashboard → Manage Realm-X Flows → + New Workflow.
Step 3 — Select a trigger
Choose your trigger, then select the properties this workflow applies to: property groups or portfolios. This determines which properties and units flow into the workflow and are eligible for inspection.
Step 4 — Add the “Create Partner Inspection for Property” action
Below your trigger, click the plus button and select Add an action.
Scroll down the actions list and choose RentCheck → Create Partner Inspection for Property/Occupancy.
Step 5 — Fill in the action details
When you add the action, you’ll set the following:
Setting | What it means |
Inspections partner | Select RentCheck. |
Performed by | Choose Resident or Technician (more on this below). If you choose Technician, you’ll then select which technician. |
Inspection template | Which RentCheck template to use, chosen from your published inspection templates. |
Schedule inspections | Choose how many days before or after a workflow variable (like the move-out date) the inspection should be scheduled. |
Step 6 — Save and publish
Save the workflow, click publish, and you’re done. From here on out, every time that workflow runs in AppFolio, the inspection is created and sent automatically. You can check your Realm-X automation runs in AppFolio - the action shows as completed once RentCheck has created the inspection, or failed with a reason if something needs your attention.
Choosing who performs the inspection
Resident — RentCheck looks up the property’s current residents in AppFolio and emails the inspection invite to them. It always pulls the live resident list from AppFolio at the moment the workflow runs, so you don’t have to keep anything updated on your end.
Technician — The inspection is assigned to the RentCheck teammate (or teammates) you select. Each assigned teammate needs access to that Inspection template and that property in RentCheck.
What shows up in your Realm-X dropdowns
RentCheck sends your templates and team members over to AppFolio so they’re selectable right in the workflow builder. A couple of things to know about what appears there:
Templates: Only published templates that cover the entire property (all rooms and areas) can be used for automation. Templates that require specific feature selection, like “Maintenance Check,” aren’t compatible.
Teammates: Only active RentCheck users appear. Teammates with a pending invite won’t show up until they’ve accepted.
Staying current: Any time you add, edit, or remove a template or a teammate in RentCheck, we send the update to AppFolio automatically, so your workflow options always reflect the latest state of your account.
Troubleshooting
When RentCheck can’t create an inspection from a workflow, the Realm-X action is marked failed and shows a short reason. Here are the most common ones and how to sort them out:
What happened | How to fix it |
“RentCheck is not set up to create inspections from Realm-X for this account.” | The Realm-X add-on isn’t active on your account yet. Reach out to our Customer Support team, and we can help sort it for you. |
No RentCheck property found for the AppFolio property or unit | The property or unit is not synced from AppFolio to RentCheck. Double check your Properties in RentCheck to make sure that the property is synced to RentCheck. |
Resident inspection has no residents | The action is set to Resident, but AppFolio doesn’t have any current residents on that unit’s occupancy. Double-check the occupancy in AppFolio. |
Assigned teammate problem | A teammate set as the performer doesn’t exist in RentCheck, doesn’t have access to the template or doesn't have access to the property |
Template doesn’t fit | The selected inspection template is unpublished or doesn’t match the property type (for example, a unit template on a building). Choose a published template that matches. |
Date is in the past | The inspection date the workflow provided has already passed. Use a current or future date. |
AppFolio was disconnected | If the AppFolio integration is disconnected, incoming workflow triggers are dropped and no inspection is created. Reconnect AppFolio to start things back up. |
Good to know: RentCheck won’t create duplicate inspections. If AppFolio sends the same trigger more than once, which can happen with automatic retries, RentCheck recognizes it and reuses the inspection it already created instead of making a second one.
Need more help?
If a workflow keeps failing after you’ve checked the items above, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Customer Support team via live chat. Share the property and the approximate time the workflow ran, and we’ll take a look.