Question 1

Does OpenClaw replace my property management software?

Accepted Answer

No. OpenClaw sits between your inbox and your existing tools. It reads emails from Buildium, AppFolio, or whatever PM software you use, and acts on the information. You don't need to replace your current system — you're adding an AI triage layer on top of it.

Question 2

Can OpenClaw handle commercial and residential properties in the same deployment?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The system prompt configuration supports multiple property types with different triage rules, vendor lists, and communication templates. A commercial tenant's HVAC request routes to your commercial HVAC contractor; a residential tenant's routes to the residential one. Same agent, different rules per property type.

Question 3

What if a maintenance request doesn't fit neatly into emergency, urgent, or routine?

Accepted Answer

The agent defaults to the higher severity tier when uncertain and flags the request for your review. A "mold in the bathroom" email might be urgent (active moisture issue) or routine (cosmetic mildew) — the agent classifies it as urgent, notifies you, and you make the final call. The system errs on the side of caution, not convenience.

Question 4

How many units can 1 OpenClaw deployment handle?

Accepted Answer

A single deployment on a $12/month VPS comfortably handles 50–100 units. The bottleneck isn't processing power — it's API costs for the LLM calls. At 15–20 maintenance requests and 50+ tenant communications per week, you're looking at $25–$40/month in API fees. For portfolios above 100 units, a second deployment on a larger VPS is the standard approach. See the pricing page for tier details.

Question 5

Is tenant data safe with an AI reading my email?

Accepted Answer

OpenClaw runs on your server — tenant data never leaves your hardware. Gog OAuth provides scoped read + draft access to Gmail, revocable in 3 clicks from your Google settings. The 9-point security hardening includes firewall, fail2ban, non-root process, and a tested kill switch. For the full security architecture, see the real estate security section.

Tag: Tenant Screening