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The Best Property Management Software for Landlords and Rental Professionals

Written By Ivana V.

Updated: February 6, 2024

Whether you’re a part-time landlord or a professional marketing manager, getting the rentals you manage into your city’s top properties is one big juggling act. From marketing your units and finding the right tenants to maintaining the property in good condition and giving tenants the information they need, your schedule is always full and your to-do list is endless. That’s where property management software comes in. These handy, affordable programs can save you lots of time and money. This property management software comparison chart is an overview of the market’s top offerings. For more details, scroll down to the in-depth reviews. You’ll find all the information you need to ensure you pick the right program for the challenges you face.

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Best for DIY landlords

1. Avail

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

good

Payments & Accounting

good

  • ⦿Lawyer-drafted lease agreement templates
  • ⦿Suggested contractors
  • ⦿Rental Property Calculator

A low price price and a solid set of features make Avail the best rental property management software for first-time landlords. This software is designed to alleviate all the pains associated with renting a property for the first time. Not sure where to market your unit? Avail will post it on eight internet listing services with the click of a button. Don’t know how to draft a lease agreement? Avail comes with customizable templates drafted by professional lawyers. Don’t know who to call when a maintenance issue arises? Avail provides a list of contractors spread out throughout the nation. And when you’re ready to buy a new property, Avail’s Rental Property Calculator will help you make an informed decision whether the unit is worth the investment.

Read Review

2. AppFolio

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Maintenance call center available 24/7
  • ⦿Mobile inspection app (with speech-to-text feature)
  • ⦿Professional website built for you

Of the seven amazing property management solutions we reviewed, AppFolio is the most technologically advanced. It has an AI-powered bill-entering feature as well as an AI booking assistant. One will save you hours every month when typing figures into the system, and the other will streamline showing arrangements. With this well-rounded system you’ll be capable of managing hundreds, even thousands of properties in a mixed portfolio. Available for mobile devices as well as PCs and laptops, AppFolio is a great choice for property-management pros.

Read Review

Best for landlords who need landlord banking and bookkeeping services

3. Baselane

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

na

Payments & accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Free services
  • ⦿Responsive and helpful customer support
  • ⦿Automated rent payments

Baseline is software for real estate management available free of charge. This platform allows landlords to effortlessly collect rent and access valuable analytics. On top of that, it has landlord banking and bookkeeping options. Customer support can be reached through live chat, phone, and email.

Read Review

Best for small- to medium-sized landlords

4. TurboTenant

Marketing

good

Maintenance

good

Payments & accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Rental advertising features
  • ⦿Credit and background check
  • ⦿Customizable lease agreements

Established in 2015, TurboTenant has quickly made a name in the industry by offering a fantastic product at an unbeatable price: free! This property management software is designed to be as user-friendly as possible. It lets users advertise their property, collect online rental applications, get lease agreements, and screen potential tenants. TurboTenant provides 24/7 support via phone, email, or live chat, so you can always get the help you need. It is an excellent option for small- to medium-sized landlords looking for a comprehensive, easy-to-use, and affordable property management solution.

Read Review

5. Buildium

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Mobile inspection app (no cell or WiFi reception required)
  • ⦿Free website builder
  • ⦿1099 tax form e-filing

If you’re looking for apartment property management software to help you manage residential units more efficiently, Buildium is definitely worth consideration. It includes a robust accounting module that can help you track expenses and income - and even file 1099 forms electronically. Filling vacancies is easy when you have your own website and are connected to real estate syndication websites. Juggling multiple work orders and maintenance requests is streamlined with the powerful maintenance feature. Buildium is an end-to-end solution for property-management agencies with plans for up to 5,000 units. Customers with more than 5,000 units need to call the company to get a custom plan.

Read Review

Best for landlords with multiple units

6. Cozy

Marketing

good

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Completely free for landlords
  • ⦿Affordable renters insurance
  • ⦿Rent comparison tool

Cozy is the best rental property software for landlords who manage a few units. It offers all the basic functions you need – at no cost to the landlord. The few inevitable charges are borne by renters. That includes the tenant-screening fee and the payment-processing fee for rent payments made by credit or debit card. First-time landlords can learn a lot about the business from Cozy’s articles and interesting podcasts. This software is renter-friendly too. Tenants can build their credit rating by making regular rent payments through the app.

Read Review

7. Rent Manager

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

excellent

  • ⦿VOIP integration
  • ⦿Text and phone broadcasting
  • ⦿Electronic bank reconciliation

Despite its somewhat outdated interface, Rent Manager is a modern tool for managing large portfolios. It stands out for its top-tier communication features. It’s the only software on our list that supports customer relationship management with CRM property management integration and VOIP calling features that help you stay in touch with contacts conveniently while ensuring your phone bill is small. On top of saving you money, Rent Manager features will save you time too. Its text and phone broadcast function lets you send the same text or a recorded voice message to many tenants at once.

Read Review

8. Rentec Direct

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Local SEO-optimized website
  • ⦿20,000 cash payment locations
  • ⦿Unlimited number of users

For the country’s top properties, management companies with fewer than 2,500 units rely on Rentec Direct. Why? Because it delivers a complete accounting system, a quick tenant screening procedure, versatile marketing options, and unlimited file storage. What’s more, it lets you file 1099 forms electronically and accept cash payments via the PayNearMe network, which has 20,000 locations throughout the country.

Read Review

Best for mid-sized property management companies

9. Yardi Breeze

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

good

  • ⦿Advanced work order feature
  • ⦿Video uploads
  • ⦿Driver’s license scanner

Yardi Breeze is software designed specifically for managing real estate portfolios of medium size. This full-featured product helps property managers find new tenants quickly and move them in even faster. The advanced tenant-screening feature can get you all the information you need on a prospect within 60 seconds. And the e-signatures on leasing agreements speed things along even more. Communicating with tenants and owners is facilitated by self-service portals. Both stakeholders can access the information that’s relevant to them through the portals. When you outgrow Yardi Breeze, you can upgrade to Yardi Voyager, a robust investment property management software program for professionals who handle more properties.

Read Review

The Benefits of Property Management Software

 The Benefits of Property Management Software

This software provides a central space for tracking all aspects of running a rental business. It’s a communication platform for you and your tenants – and, if you’re a property manager, owners of the properties you work with. It’s also a space where you go to create the listings you’ll post on ILS websites. And if you go with AppFolio, Buildium, Rent Manager, or Yardi Breeze, you’ll get a free website for marketing your portfolio.

The best property management apps also carve out a space for handling maintenance, which is a key aspect of managing rental properties. Wear and tear is inevitable but stress is not. With the right system in place, you’ll be able to create, track, and store maintenance work orders and keep your unit in perfect shape.

Our Evaluation Criteria for Real Estate Rental Software

Property type

We included in our list a variety of property software applications that are especially helpful in managing particular types of real estate. Renting out a commercial building isn’t the same as renting out student housing. On our list of real estate management software, you’ll find solutions that are suited to rent managers dealing with residential, commercial, community, and student housing real estate establishments.

Maintenance management

Keeping the real estate in good condition is a huge part of your job as a landlord or property manager. This means you get the call when the AC breaks. You make arrangements with the repairman and pay him when he fixes it. You have to make sure the gardener mows the lawn regularly. You’re responsible for scheduling property inspections that identify any damage made by your tenants.

Wouldn’t it be nice to automate many of those tasks? With the right property management software, you can streamline communication with the maintenance crew by creating work orders in the system. The cleaning and gardening staff will know when to come, what to do, and when to leave – without you ever having to pick up the phone. We looked for systems that have robust maintenance-management modules.

Marketing

No matter how much you invest in a property and how well you refurbish it, it won’t bring you any earnings until you advertise it to potential tenants. That’s why we judged the slew of property management programs available today on their marketing features and present you with only the best. We show you the software solutions that let you share your listings on popular real estate marketplaces like Zillow, Hotpads, and Trulia. Some even give you a free website builder so you can promote your listings on your own website.

Tenant screening and communication

This factor can make or break your business. Renting to the wrong people can leave you penniless and disillusioned. In order to prevent you from having your unit wrecked by inappropriate tenants, you should invest in a real estate management system that comes with a built-in tenant screening feature. If this functionality isn’t included, look for a program that will let you install it as an add-on. The ideal property app will also send tenants automated reminders when the rent is due so you can focus on expanding your portfolio.

Payment processing and accounting

It’s the 21st century. There’s no reason for you to go door-to-door collecting rent money from tenants. With the right property management tool, you can receive payments online – and your accounting system receives payment information in real-time so you don’t have to waste your precious time entering the data manually.

If you’re just starting out in the business, you won’t mind adapting your accounting system to the one offered by the property management system. If you have been in the business for a while and have an accounting system in place, then you’ll naturally prefer a property software system that can integrate with it.

Ease of use

Sometimes software engineers go overboard in their efforts to create a powerful system that can satisfy everyone’s needs. This results in myriad features that are clunky and difficult to navigate. These solutions usually come with a hefty price tag too. But what good is a system that costs an arm and a leg if your team will shy away from using it? We always evaluate property management applications on the ease of setup and use. The systems worthy of your investment (and a place on our list) are easy to learn and use.

Customer support

You are bound to have some questions regarding the software you choose. Occasional glitches are inevitable. When that happens, you’ll want answers – and fast. We tested the customer support teams behind every product on our list to see how responsive and helpful they are. Just to make sure our experience matches other users’, we dug through online property management software reviews too.

Pricing

Fees associated with the use of software are always key decision-making factors – regardless of how many units you’re renting out. We put details of each company’s pricing structure under the microscope. Our goal is to give you enough information to make an informed decision. Some companies from our list charge by the rental unit, while others negotiate prices with each customer. You can expect onboarding fees with some of the providers, while others don’t charge for this.

Property Management Software - Our Top 5 Picks

  1. Avail
  2. AppFolio
  3. Baselane
  4. TurboTenant
  5. Buildium
Property Management Software - Our Top 5 Picks

Property Management Software Reviews

Avail

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

good

Payments & Accounting

good

  • ⦿Automatic late fees
  • ⦿Rent comparison tool
  • ⦿Applicant portal
  • ⦿'For rent’ signs
  • ⦿In-app texting

Avail is property management software for landlords. It facilitates all aspects of running a small-scale rental business. From choosing the right price for your rental unit and advertising it to drafting a lease agreement and collecting rent online. It comes at a very affordable price, and if you are working with only one property, you can take advantage of the Avail free plan.

Maintenance management – The moment your tenants call you to report an issue no longer has to be your worst nightmare. When you have a maintenance tracking system in place, you can handle such situations calmly. Even with Avail’s free rental property management software your tenants can notify you of issues via the in-app instant messaging feature. With the free plan they can send you a single picture of the damage. With a paid plan they can send a limitless number.

Avail streamlines the process of addressing clogged plumbing, blown fuses, broken windows, and other maintenance problems. You choose who to call. If you don’t have a trusted repairman on file, Avail will suggest one. The list of local contractors is a feature first-time landlords often emphasize as a life saver in landlord software reviews. Once the repair work is completed, you can mark the ticket as resolved in the app and upload the corresponding receipts. You’ll always be able to track your expenses and you’ll be reassured that the bills are stored safely.

Marketing – Avail helps you advertise your property both online and offline. Posting your vacant unit to major ILS websites is easy with Avail. Once you create a listing in the Avail property management tool, you can publish it on as many as eight leading listing marketplaces, including Zillow, Apartments.com, and PadMappers. As the leads start pouring in, you’ll be able to manage them all from your landlord property management software. No more logging into multiple listing portals and checking for replies. You can communicate with all your leads from within Avail.

Most of the applications on our list offer free website builders to help you market your vacancies – but not Avail. This isn’t a major setback in a tool that’s designed primarily for landlords. And if you’d like to go old-school and set up a for-rent sign in front of the vacant property, you can use Avail to print a custom-made sign to attract local renters.

Avail software for landlords even helps you decide how much rent to charge. The program lets you make data-driven pricing decisions. The software compares similar properties from the area for you, eliminating guesswork and delivering you the optimal price that will keep your unit occupied and your cash flow strong.

Tenant screening – When it comes to background checks on prospects, Avail gives you two options. You can either follow your gut and the questionnaire you create or you can dig deeper and run criminal background, TransUnion credit, and eviction reports.

The rental application form you create in this simple landlord software will help you get the answers to basic questions like whether prospects are smokers and why they’re leaving their current homes. But you can’t trust them to be fully honest when answering questions about their eviction history, for example. What you can trust are the soft credit reports performed by a consumer credit reporting agency. The tenant will need to authorize the report and pay for it. In fact, you choose who will cover the $30 fee for the credit report alone or the $55 fee for the whole bundle of reports – the tenant or you.

These prices are much steeper than Buildium’s, but Avail users tend to manage many more units, so the pricing seems reasonable.

Communication – This small property management software application streamlines communication between you and your tenants. You no longer have to call or text them to remind them rent is due. Avail will automatically charge a late fee which will be a very clear reminder to send rent on time next month. And instead of calling you to describe a newly appeared crack in the wall, a tenant can send you a maintenance request backed with photos that you can forward to a repairman.

Avail also facilitates communication between tenants and prospective landlords. When renters are on the prowl for a new home, they are constantly forced to type the same information over and over into online forms. Worse, they’re obligated to pay for screening fees repetitively too. Avail is among the best property management software products because it lets renters create profiles with all the relevant information they might be asked to share with a landlord. With the click of a button, they can grant access to a landlord whose property they are interested in.

Payment processing – Avail’s online payment feature is loved by landlords and renters alike. Tenants can send rent money from their account to yours with a few clicks, and you don’t have to go door-to-door to collect anymore. This is especially convenient for landlords whose units aren’t exactly located down the street from their homes. There are no transfer limits and additional fees. With the software you can track security deposits, rent payments, move-in, move-out, and late fees. You can rest assured that your funds are safe in the transfer since Avail uses 128-bit bank-to-bank encryption.

Ease of use and customer service – Avail is simple property management software to use. There are six self-explanatory menus on the left-hand side of your Avail account that you’ll figure out in no time. And you even have your very own customer success representative helping you along the way. From the moment you start your 30-day free trial, you are contacted by an Avail agent who’s there to answer any technical inquiries as well as give you pointers and tips on how to make your property more profitable.

There is also a rich education section in which you’ll find helpful articles, e-books, and video guides on how to run a do-it-yourself landlord operation. Avail reviews compliment the support team. If you have a question about this rental software for landlords, you can open a ticket on the website or from your account. Normally, it takes only a couple of hours before you get an answer that clears your doubts and sets you on your way.

Pricing – Avail’s pricing structure includes a free plan and three paid tiers. You can manage one unit with access to basic customization features on the free plan. The majority of functionalities is available with the free plan but ACH fees aren’t waived. This means you’ll pay $2.50 a month when you collect rent money.

For $9.99 a month, you can access the Landlord plan. It too is designed for managing a single property but it has all the customization features unlocked and there are no transaction fees to be paid on your behalf.

Move on to the Landlord Plus of this cloud property management system and you’ll be able to keep track of five rental units. Priority support and unlimited photo and document sharing are included in the affordable price of $24 a month.

The Professional plan, intended for managing 15 units, is the priciest at $49.99 a month but it’s still a lot cheaper than AppFolio or Buildium. It boasts all the same features as the Landlord plan plus multi-deposit functions. Adding a new unit to this plan is just $2 per month.

Including additional properties to the Free and Landlord plans will cost you $6 a month. If you want to do the same while on the Landlord Plus plan, you can expect to pay a monthly fee of $4.

Avail bottom line – Avail’s landlord software is ideal for do-it-yourselfers because of its affordable price and comprehensive functionalities. Apart from those mentioned above, Avail has a few more tricks up its sleeve. You can use the software to customize leasing agreements drafted by a lawyer. And if you’re not sure whether or not to invest in a new property, the Avail Rental Property Calculator tool can help you make a decision. All things considered, it fits the needs of first-time landlords perfectly.

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AppFolio

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Rent comparison tool
  • ⦿Marketing campaigns
  • ⦿Electronic cash payments
  • ⦿CAM tracking & reconciliation
  • ⦿Customer conferences

AppFolio provides modern cloud-based property management software to property managers dealing with all kinds of portfolios. It doesn’t matter if you work with homeowner associations, student housing, commercial real estate, or residential property, you will surely enjoy the feature-rich marketing, accounting, and maintenance modules offered by this product.

Maintenance management – As a system designed to cater to professional property management companies, AppFolio is capable of tackling a multitude of maintenance requests simultaneously. Like other products on our list, it allows renters to submit maintenance requests online through tenant portals. This cuts down the time your employees spend on the phone and provides for a faster resolution of the issue, which keeps occupants happy.

If your company handles rental property management on a large scale, then you’ll love the fact that AppFolio offers a maintenance call center. Instead of having your top property managers taking calls from distressed tenants in the middle of the night, you can outsource this activity to a team of trained AppFolio professionals. You can give your renters a number to dial 24/7 for reporting issues with the property. The AppFolio staff will dispatch a pre-approved vendor to the site to fix it and log the activity in your database. The software maintains a detailed call log.

Another maintenance feature unique to AppFolio property management software is the mobile inspection app. Property managers doing inspections simply load it onto their phones and perform the task in half the time. They can take photos of the property from the app, which will automatically store them in the system. And instead of typing, they can use the speech-to-text feature to describe what state the property is in and what needs to be done.

Marketing – AppFolio delivers smart technology that helps you fill vacancies faster and manage your marketing budget wisely. Outdoing other companies from our best rental management software list, AppFolio delivers its clients a free real estate website where you can market your properties. But we’re not talking about a generic website you create on your own. AppFolio assigns a professional web designer who creates a unique, mobile-optimized website with built-in local SEO features. Best of all, the job is done according to your ideas and design.

This software saves your team time when posting on ILS websites too. You can post your listings to hundreds of third-party websites like Zillow, Trulia, and Hotpads with a single click thanks to this cloud property management software. And if you’re not sure how much to charge for rent, AppFolio can help with that also. Its rent comparison tool pools rental prices of similar units from the web. You’ll be able to hit the sweet spot for attracting tenants and making a profit.

For advertising several properties with similar characteristics, you can run marketing campaigns on your website. And you can monitor all your vacant units from a central dashboard, regardless of whether they are in the same development or scattered around the country.

Tenant screening –  AppFolio tenant management software allows you to run quick, in-depth background checks on prospects straight from the app. After a prospective tenant fills out an online application form, you can run a credit and eviction history search. When you see fit, run a criminal history search too.

If you’re happy with the results, sending a lease agreement for signing is a breeze. Renters don’t have to fill in the agreement with the data they already shared in the application. AppFolio copies it into the agreement automatically, letting you move tenants in faster. This app also eliminates the need for meeting with new renters in person to sign the agreement. They can e-sign it and start moving their stuff.

Communication – With this property management app it’s easy to stay on top of communicating with renters, owners, and vendors alike. You can text and email all interested parties from within AppFolio. All the interactions will stay on the record so you can reference them later on.

AppFolio meets the industry standard of providing owner and renter portals for sharing information and making financial transactions. Not only that, but AppFolio’s AI-powered leasing assistant, cleverly named Lisa, takes care of routine communication tasks for you. It responds to leasing inquiries 24/7, classifies leads, and books showings for your agents.

Payment processing and accounting features – AppFolio includes property management accounting software so you can accept application fees, deposits, and rent payments made with credit and debit cards as well as e-checks. You can even accept rent payments in cash via electronic cash payments at 7-Eleven and ACE Cash Express. The funds will be safely transferred to your account without passing through the hands of your staff.

The AI-powered smart bill entry feature is yet another time-saver. AppFolio rental payment software reads PDF invoices and automatically enters the data into your general accounting system. All you have to do is verify and confirm. Paying bills is just as easy with AppFolio’s accounts payable module.

Other accounting and payment features worth mentioning are automated late fee reminders, payments and assessments for common area maintenance, and tenant debt collections. Needless to say, AppFolio is capable of generating a long list of reports.

Ease of use and customer support – In addition to all these amazing features, AppFolio deserves a spot on the best property management software list because it provides extensive onboarding support. All of your employees will be introduced to the system and its capabilities during online training sessions. Later, they will have access to a wealth of self-service resources online, resources such as articles, video guides, webinars, and the AppFolio user community.

AppFolio organizes customer conferences where you can learn more about the product and suggest new features. It’s a great opportunity to mingle with people from the industry.

If you have questions about your AppFolio property manager software, you can get in touch with the support team via phone and email. According to customer reviews, the team was sometimes sluggish with answers in the past but now they are quick to reply with constructive suggestions for resolving issues.

Pricing – The AppFolio pricing structure consists of two plans, both of which have monthly per-rental charges. If you get the AppFolio Rent Manager plan, you’ll pay $0.80 per month for a unit within a community association. The monthly fee for student housing and residential units is $1.25 per unit, and commercial property charges are $1.50 per unit. Such a pricing structure is fair and scalable. With this plan, you get access to all the communication features, the built-in marketing tools, and the accounting suite.

If you’re managing a minimum of 500 units, then you qualify for AppFolio Plus. The cost of this top property management system is higher but you get access to additional features. Adding a community association unit to your portfolio costs $0.85 per month, and a commercial unit is charged $1.50. The price for student housing and residential units is $3 per month – double the price of the Plus plan.

The pricier plan includes features that can give you a competitive advantage, according to AppFolio reviews. You’ll be able to create configurable workflows and access strategic account management features. Revenue management and advanced performance insights also form part of this package.

AppFolio bottom line – If you’re running an established property management company with hundreds or thousands of properties and you’re looking for advanced technical solutions that will give you a leg up on the competition, then AppFolio is for you. It fits the needs of complex businesses and is capable of evolving with you.

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Baselane

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

na

Payments & accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Landlord banking
  • ⦿Bookkeeping
  • ⦿Analytics
  • ⦿Automatic rent payments
  • ⦿Insurance

Baselane is a new company that provides landlord banking services and software for real estate management. Since its creation in 2020, the company has been rolling out new features, a number of which are expected to be introduced in the near future.

Maintenance management – Baselane doesn’t currently have any specific features that pertain to maintenance management, nor does it have a messenger where your tenants can inform you about any issues. You may find some articles on the company blog explaining how to handle the maintenance process, though.

Marketing – Currently, Baselane doesn’t offer any features that would allow you to market your rental property. Hopefully, the company will include this feature in its landlord software in the future.

Tenant screening – While Baseline itself doesn’t provide tenant screening services, it has partnered with TransUnion SmartMove, where you may obtain a tenant screening report. This report contains the tenant’s credit check, criminal, eviction, and income insights reports.  

Communication – There is no Baselane mobile app as of yet, but according to the company, we can expect to see one in the future. For now, you can access the platform on both desktop and mobile devices.

However, keep in mind that not all features are available on mobile. For instance, if you’d like to set up a new Rent Collection, you’ll have to use your desktop computer.

There is currently no feature on the Baselane property management program that enables landlords to communicate with tenants. However, Baselane has announced that a Baselane Messenger will be launched soon.

Payment processing and accounting features – A major benefit of Baselane is that it offers automatic rent collection, making the process hassle-free. The platform allows landlords to securely link their bank accounts and credit cards with Plaid, for easy management of finances.

baselane banking screenshot

Ease of use and customer support – The platform features a clean interface, making it very easy to navigate. The Baselane customer support is available via live chat, email, and phone. The agents are quick to respond, knowledgeable, and helpful.

Pricing – Baselane stands out from most of the competition because it offers many of its services for free. There are no account opening fees, account monthly fees, account minimum fees, inactive account fees, ACH transfer fees, return item fees, overdraft fees, or bookkeeping fees.

This is one of the main reasons we consider this to be one of the top property management software solutions on the market. While paying rent via ACH transfer doesn’t cost the tenants a penny, Baselane does collect a processing fee of ​​2.99% if a debit or credit card is used.

Keep in mind that some of the property management services are provided by Baselane’s partners, which means you would need to pay those companies. For example, if you need legal documents, such as a lease agreement and eviction notice, you have the option to reach out to Baselane’s partner Rocket Lawyer and pay $39.99 per document.

Baselane bottom line – Baselane is suitable for landlords who don’t own many rental properties. Given that the company itself doesn’t offer services such as tenant screening and issuing legal documents, the process of using those services through the company’s partners can be complex for a major rental property business dealing with a large number of tenants.

Nevertheless, Baselane offers a range of services for landlords for free, which is a major reason to consider this property management tool.

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TurboTenant

Marketing

good

Maintenance

good

Payments & accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Instant screening
  • ⦿State-specific leases
  • ⦿Rent Payment Tracker spreadsheet
  • ⦿Rent Estimate
  • ⦿“For Rent” signs and flyers

TurboTenant was launched back in 2015, and has  since then acquired a user base of over 400,000 independent landlords. If you’re in need of property management software for your small business, TurboTenant is an excellent option to consider.

With its user-friendly interface and wide range of features,  it can help you save time and money on managing your rental. The cloud-based platform offers its rental management services to landlords for free, no matter how many properties they rent and what their legal description is.

And the best part is – you can get started with TurboTenant in just a few minutes by signing up for a free account.

Maintenance Management

Managing a rental can be a daunting task. TurboTenant will streamline the whole process and provide you with hassle-free tools to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

From creating custom applications and leases, getting a fair rent estimate, to collecting online payments, TurboTenant makes the best apartment management software you’ll ever need to manage your rental property.

Searching for the tenant that best fits your needs can be done entirely online. TurboTenant’s online applications improve efficiency and decrease the time you’ll have a vacant home.

The potential tenant will have to provide basic information about themselves, their housing and employment history, and living preferences. The applications can be fully customizable, so you can gather the data that is most important to you.

The best rental property management software makes it easy for you to get paid, and TurboTenant is no different. To improve your landlord experience, it has provided online rent payments for easy tracking, automatic reminders, and receipts.

On top of that, the platform enables landlords to create customizable residential lease agreements and request e-signatures, but that will cost you some money – $29 and $9, to be precise. All of the necessary provisions for remaining compliant with your state’s landlord-tenant regulations are included in the supplied templates.

Marketing

Turborental can help spread the word about your property by automatically sending out vacancy listings across the web. Users of this rental property management software can review their ads on Rent Jungle, Apartment List, Realtor, FaceBook Marketplace, and others, and even fill and post a professional listing ad to Craigslist. TurboTenant promises you’ll get an average of 22 leads per property.

If that’s still not impressive enough, the company will provide you with custom “For Rent” yard signs, an eye-catching listing page, and let you upload photos and even video tours to reduce the burden of in-person showings.

Even though you won’t get a free website to promote your property, TurboTenant creates professional printable flyers so that you can market your rental around the neighborhood or share them on social networks.

Tenant Screening

One of the main features that all decent online property management software should have is tenant screening. TurboTenant offers a few different screening options, including national criminal record and eviction searches, all in compliance with TrustUnion. You can also order a comprehensive credit report and get insight into your potential tenant’s finances.

TurboTenant has access to more than 27 million eviction records covering all 50 states and D.C. and over 300 million credit history records. The screening process is simple, as the platform will reach out to the tenant with the questionnaire and notify you immediately upon verifying their identity.

Let’s just add that you’ll get your report instantly, as all the questions are already asked during the application process. Property management software companies usually use soft inquiry when doing credit reports, and TurboTenant isn’t an exception. Your tenants won’t have their credit history affected by the research.

Communication

Communicating with your tenants is of utmost importance. TurboTenant lets you shoot off an email or text to your tenant from within the platform and with a simple button click.

Considering the platform comes equipped with automatic text and email notifications, your leads and applicants won’t have problems reaching out. They can quickly respond, too, by using the in-app messaging chatbox.

There is even an option to distribute bulk messages to multiple leads. We hope that this property management software will add text messaging and other communication channels between tenants and landowners in the future. Still, the system works well as long as your tenants have internet access.

Payment Processing

Your tenants will be able to pay their rent by credit card, and the platform will send them automatic email reminders in case they forget to. All the rent payments, debts, and expenses will be listed in the app, which helps you easily keep track of what’s going on.

After your tenants make a payment, you’ll get a notification, and the money will be sent directly to your account. To keep the personal and financial information of you and your tenants safe, TurboTenant uses a trusted payment processor, Stripe.

Ease of Use and Customer Service

Good property management software for small landlords should be easy to use and have excellent customer service. We’re happy to report that TurboTenant meets both of these criteria. The platform is user-friendly, and the customer service team is very responsive.

When setting up an account, all you have to do is enter your property information, and you’re good to go. We loved how easy it was to get started with TurboTenant!

When it comes to customer support agents, you can reach out to them via live chat or email. They will answer within a couple of hours at most.

If you want to solve the problem without their help or simply learn more about the platform, there’s an extensive knowledge base with forms and documents, tools and calculators, landlord-tenant laws, and frequent questions.

Pricing 

Free rental property management software that doesn’t skimp out on features isn’t something you see every day, but TurboTenant offers precisely that.

All the features mentioned above are included in your landlords’ account and won’t cost you a penny, whereas renters are required to pay $45 for application and screening. TurboTenant charges additional fees for optional services such as lease agreements, electronic signatures, and landlord forms.

TurboTenant Bottom Line

TurboTenant makes a landlord’s life much easier. From initial scanning to maintenance requests and rental payments, everything is streamlined and easily accessible within the platform. You can even post announcements on the resident portal for everyone to see.

Even if you pay for some bonus features, TurboTenant is an affordable property management software with superb management resources that will generate leads in no time. We would recommend it to any property manager looking for an efficient way to handle their rentals.

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Buildium

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Recurring rent payments in resident center
  • ⦿Showings coordinator tool
  • ⦿Free e-books and podcasts about industry hot topics

The Buildium property management software is tailored to the needs of residential property managers and those working with community associations. It offers an end-to-end solution for property maintenance, real estate marketing, and efficient communication with vendors, renters, and owners at an affordable price.

Maintenance management – No matter where the maintenance request is coming from – a tenant or a team member – you’ll always have insight into the whole situation. If an occupant notices an issue, they can report it through their resident center, accessible from any device. After that, you can email them through the apartment rental software and notify them that help is on the way. Or you can just add the tenant to the work order you create for a vendor.

Once your repairman is in the field, he can rely on the Buildium mobile inspection app to log the damage and repairs. They can use an existing inspection template or create one of their own. Filling it out doesn’t require any cell or Wi-Fi coverage; the data will be synced to the Buildium system afterward.

All the stakeholders – renters, property managers, and vendors – can add photos, videos, and even documents to the work order and share it with others so everyone is in the loop. The Buildium property management tool also lets you create recurring tasks, or maintenance requests.

Marketing – The best property management companies have a brand identity that helps them stand out in the crowd and attract tenants. If you want to follow in their footsteps, you need a business website.

And with Buildium, you get to create one free of charge. Use it to promote listings and fill vacancies. Your website is also a great place to share resident handbooks and floor plans of your properties so prospects can consult them without contacting you.

This smart software also saves you time on ILS postings. With the click of a button, you can push a listing to various rental listing sites. Currently, Buildium partners with the entire Zillow Rentals Network, Craigslist, Trulia, Apartment List, and Lovely.

After sharing unit characteristics on one of those sites, the Buildium property management system software stores the data so you can upload it in a flash the next time it becomes vacant.

Communication – As your website does its job of attracting leads, you’ll be getting a lot of showing requests. But arranging a time that works for you and the prospective tenants can be a hassle.

That’s why the Buildium engineering team created a Showings Coordinator tool. It connects to your Google calendar and exchanges texts and emails with leads until it sets up a time when you’re available to show them the real estate.

As for communication with renters and owners, this professional property management software streamlines it too. Occupants can use the Buildium resident center to store and share important documents, pay their rent, and send maintenance requests.

Each property owner also has a portal that gives them insight into how their real estate is performing. Without having to call or email you, they can see expenses and earnings and generate reports that are of interest to them. This transparency both builds trust and saves time.

You can provide the community association stakeholders with the same level of insight thanks to the Board Communications feature. Homeowners, non-owner residents, and board members can use this online portal to pay bills or access reports, payment ledgers, and directories. According to Buildium reviews, providing so much information at stakeholders’ discretion has helped many property managers land new clients.

buildium screenshot image

Tenant screening – Tenant screening is the difference between finding a great tenant and an okay one. Making sure you always get great renters, the Buildium software delivers a screening tool built right into the app.

Powered by TransUnion, a consumer credit reporting agency, Buildium pulls credit scores, criminal and eviction history information, and TransUnion resident scores.

The Essential plan covers basic tenant screening, while with the Growth and Premium plans, you get both basic and premium screening. Tenants must approve the screening for rent managers using the Buildium Essential plan. Tenant involvement is not required for the Growth and Premium users.

Payment processing and accounting features – Property managers’ reviews of Buildium accounting features are nothing but positive. You don’t need a degree in accounting to keep your books in order.

You can record and view every transaction, fee, deposit, and refund in the general ledger. The system automatically reconciles bank statements with the checks and payments you recorded in the system, saving you hours on this tedious task.

Tax season doesn’t have to be an all-hands-on-deck time at the office. With the e-filing of 1099 tax forms, you’ll be out of the office showing properties to prospects instead of being stuck at your desk. The Buildium 1099 software enables you to meet key tax deadlines and helps you deliver accurate information to the IRS.

As for rent money collection, both property managers and renters enjoy the recurring fee features. Renters can enter their bank account details in their tenant portal and set when to automatically transfer funds to your account. The set-it-and-forget-it approach reduces late fees and takes one thing off residents’ to-do lists.

Ease of use and customer support – Buildium offers a minimalistic and modern interface that is simple to navigate. Users are happy with the information layout, describing the user experience as effortless.

Buildium earned a spot on our list of the best property management software companies not just for its amazing features but for the invaluable industry resources it boasts. On the Buildium website, you’ll find a number of free e-books and property management industry reports that will benefit you even if you’re not a user of this software.

And if you are a user looking for advice, you can explore webinars, articles, guides, and even podcasts. On the Buildium website, you’ll also find Buildium Academy with courses that will benefit every manager and user of this software. No matter what you prefer, Buildium has you covered.

Still having doubts about the system? You can reach out to customer support via phone and contact form. If you choose the Premium plan, onboarding support is optional and costs extra. The price of the Premium plan, which depends on your portfolio, starts at $479 per month.

Pricing – Buildium’s pricing seems to be on the affordable end of the spectrum, but the company charges extra for some features. You can start using it for $52 a month if you manage up to 150 units. This is the Buildium cost for the Essential plan, which includes accounting, budgeting, and reporting features; leasing management and electronic leases; tenant and owner portals; and maintenance management functionality.

If you get this plan, the bank account will cost $99 to set up, while property inspections start at $40 a month. Electronic lease signing is charged $5 per lease. Incoming and outgoing online payments cost $1 and $0.50 per transaction, respectively. Transactions with a credit card are subject to a fee of 2.95% per transaction. AppFolio includes these services in the monthly fee.

Next, there is the Growth plan with a price tag of $166 a month. Apart from the features included in the Essentials plan, it also covers free property inspections, unlimited electronic leases, and free incoming online payments. The fees for outgoing transactions and credit card payments are the same as in the previous plan. The Growth plan also offers five free bank accounts and live phone support.

The Buildium Premium plan starts at $479 a month. The extra costs of this multifamily property management software are reduced for users of this plan. Incoming EFT payments are free, whereas outgoing and credit card ones are charged, just like in the Growth plan. With this plan, you get access to all the features from the Growth plan plus business analytics, open API, the Buildium rewards, and a dedicated growth consultant for new client leads.

Buildium bottom line – The Buildium real estate property management software is a powerful tool for attracting property owners, community association boards, and tenants. The on-demand insight into financial reports, payment transactions, and relevant documents will help you woo the first two parties.

And with a unique website, showings coordination tool, and top-notch screening process, you’ll secure trustworthy tenants. Buildium is capable of helping you manage over 5,000 units, but it lacks the AI features of AppFolio.

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Cozy

Marketing

good

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Tenant profiles
  • ⦿In-app communication with all the roommates
  • ⦿Lots of learning materials and a podcast

For free property management software, Cozy surpassed all our expectations. It delivers all key features – from finding new tenants on rental listing websites to keeping track of expenses and receiving rent money online. And it is truly free for landlords. Another thing that makes Cozy amazing is the slew of helpful materials that will teach you everything you need to know about running a successful rental business. The only downside – it’s not really scalable. As you add on more properties to your portfolio, you’ll wish for more advanced functionalities.

Maintenance management  – Just like the paid solutions we’ve reviewed, the Cozy rental freeware enables in-app communication between you and your renters about any maintenance work that needs to get done. Tenants can let you know about the broken AC via Cozy. They can even include photos and videos with the message, saving you a trip to the property. Just forward the material to your repairman and let renters know when they’re arriving. Since roommates are a part of the conversation too, you won’t have to send the same message twice. By attaching the corresponding receipts to each maintenance request, as well as your personal notes, you’ll stay organized with this free landlord software.

Another feature worth mentioning here is the renters insurance you can offer occupants through Cozy. Reduce risk of damage to your own property and renters’ belongings by requiring renters to carry an insurance policy provided by Cozy’s partner Assurant. The average monthly fee of $20 and a $250 deductible won’t be much of a burden on your tenants. And it can save you both hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, in case a tenant accidentally starts a fire, for example, or gets robbed.

Marketing – Find the best tenants for your place by creating a detailed listing on this property management web site. Include a gallery of photos that showcase your property. List the number of rooms and all the amenities. Share your pet policy. Once you’ve created your listing, you’ll receive a link from Cozy which you can share on social media or on your website, if you have one. There’s no option to create a dedicated website to market the properties you manage as with Rent Manager and Rentec Direct. But considering the fact that landlords use Cozy without any costs involved, they can’t really complain.

This free online property management software has partnerships with Realtor.com and Doorsteps.com so you can post your listing there too. Admittedly, these websites aren’t as popular with renters as Zillow and Trulia but they can still generate leads. And if you optimize your price, you’ll be sure to fill a vacancy before long. There to help you attain this goal is the Cozy Rent Estimate feature.

Investing $19.99 in a thorough analysis of the competition is a smart move for landlords who live overseas and don’t have a finger on the pulse of local real estate anymore. The report – which includes rent amounts of units similar to yours from the same area, an estimate for the price you could charge, and local vacancy rates – is tremendously helpful in setting the right price.

Tenant screening and communication – All the applications you receive will be safely stored in this landlord management software. Through these forms you’ll gather information about prospects’ employment and income, rental history, and references. For a clear comparison of the top candidates, you can pull their applications side-by-side and see how much of their income would go to rent.

Once you narrow down your search, you can request a credit and background check. Your top prospects will then pay the screening fee and run a “soft inquiry” that won’t affect their credit scores negatively. After they review the reports, they share them with you.

Cozy is the best free property management software because it delivers the Experian credit reports in an easy-to-read format with colorful graphs. For peace of mind, you can ask for a background check as well. It will be run by Checkr, a modern background check company that’ll scour national and county records to find any data on your tenants’ evictions and arrests. Communication with renters through Cozy will save you time on scrolling through calls, emails and texts.

Payment processing and accounting features – All rent payments that tenants make through the Cozy property management system are processed in a secure manner by Stripe. After agreeing with tenants on the rent amount and the due date, you’ll invite them to pay via this residential property management software. If the occupants turn on recurring payments, then you can all rest assured that the rent money is coming on time. And best of all, there are no setup fees for landlords.

Even tenants can get off without a transaction fee if they pay with their checking accounts. Alternatively, they’ll pay  a 2.75% fee if they charge the amount on a debit or credit card. If your tenants are always late with rent, automatic late fees might encourage them to pay rent before expenses.

The Transaction tab in this single family property management software will give you a clear overview of how current your tenants are with payments. You can also keep track of deposit fees and move-in costs with Cozy. Come tax season, you can export payment history with a single click.

Ease of use and customer support – Overall, Cozy reviews are glowing with the majority of landlords stressing how simple it is to set up and use this browser-based apartment management software. Cozy users are extremely satisfied with the reliability of the payment process. Even though the interface is fairly self-explanatory there are plenty of video guides and articles backed with photos you can go through to clear any doubts. Cozy even has a Q&A podcast where an experienced property manager gives answers to landlords’ questions.

We love the fact that Cozy articles address both sides involved. There are tips for landlords on how to attract the right tenants as well as advice for renters to negotiate their way to the best deal possible. Rounding up a great customer experience, there’s the support team. They provide practical replies within 24 hours, 7 days a week, which is not bad for a free property management software company.

Pricing – Landlords can use Cozy without paying a dime since the software is free and tenants bear the screening fees. The $19.99 rent estimate fee is optional but helpful when your unit is sitting empty for months. If you want to speed up the payout process you may choose to cough up $2.99 per month per unit. After that, payments made with checking accounts will be available in three days instead of the usual five-to-six business days.

The tenant screening fees are also competitive. For $39.99, renters can purchase the background check and credit report bundle. Getting just one of the two will cost them $24.99 which is more affordable than Avail’s fees.

Cozy bottom line – Cozy is the best landlord software you can get for free. It’s super simple to use and provides all the features you need to move renters in, communicate with them, receive payments, and track expenses. A mobile app would improve the user experience for both parties but the software works from a browser well enough. Landlords with one or two properties find Cozy the prefect free solution.

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Rent Manager

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Work orders app
  • ⦿Inspection app
  • ⦿Dozens of integrations
  • ⦿Customer conferences
  • ⦿Free website builder

Rent Manager is one of the leading property management software programs for landlords and property management companies dealing with family homes, commercial real estate and student housing. You can adapt this extremely scalable and customizable solution to fit your business needs, regardless of how big or small your portfolio is.

Maintenance management – Keeping your rental unit in good condition is a time-consuming task but Rent Manager work orders speed things along. This functionality allows you to translate maintenance tasks into trackable projects. Both you and your staff will be in the loop on what needs to be done and it needs to be done by, thanks to the Rent Manager service app available on iOS and Android.

Measuring how much water, electricity, or gas was spent in each unit can take up much of your valuable time. So does entering the data into the software for property management. With the Rent Manager hand-held meter, you’ll get accurate reads every time. Later on, the data is uploaded onto the rent manager software using a USB port.

Marketing – Rent Manager helps you get the word out about your vacancies in many different ways. If you own a property management agency with an up-and-running website, you can integrate it with the Rent Manager online application forms and collect leads from there. On the other hand, if you are a landlord with just a few properties and no website, you can use this property management software free website builder to easily create a polished site that will attract new tenants.

If you find that posting on ILS platforms such as Trulia and Apartments.com brings you more success, you can certainly continue to use them with Rent Manager. And with the Prospect Manager feature, you can analyze which marketing channel is bringing you most leads, and present them with a property that matches their needs best.

Tenant screening and communication – Rent Manager really excels in this area. The tenant screening process goes from tedious and cumbersome to fast and simple with the right integration. Instead of wasting time on endless phone calls and emails, you can plug-in the LandLord Verification or Rental History Reports integration into your property management software and get all the information you need about your future tenants.

Once your trust-worthy renters have moved in, you can rely on Rent Manager to provide a platform for efficient communication. With the built-in VOIP system, all your phone calls with stakeholders will be recorded and your phone bills will be under control.

When you need to notify all the tenants from a single building about the upcoming repairs, you no longer have to dial every person to communicate the same message over and over again. Instead, use the Rent Manager text or phone broadcasting functionality and send it to everyone at once. And when a tenant wants to report a maintenance request, they can do so through the Tenant Web Access portal.

Payment processing and accounting features – With this real estate property management solution rent payments are processed online, eliminating the need for both you and your lessees to go to the bank. Your renters can fill out a form on the Tenant portal and the payment will be processed by PayLease’s advanced online payment gateway and instantly recorded in the Rent Manager software.

In fact, this amazing product comes with a complete accounting suite. With Rent Manager, you can track and manage your accounts payable and accounts receivable, as well as make electronic bank reconciliations. On top of all that, the system lets both you and the real estate owners, generate as many as 250 financial and property reports. And as we’ve mentioned before, you can customize the accounting system and reports any way you like. The only thing that’s missing from this rental management system is the tax management feature.

Ease of use and customer support – This software can be bent and twisted to accommodate almost any of your needs which makes the setup somewhat challenging. However, the dedicated technical support team is there to help you every step of the way. Upon their Rent Manager download, new users receive one-on-one setup assistance, and can later join product training sessions that are held regularly. From weekly webinars and “Tech Tuesdays” to online classrooms, there’s a variety of ways you can engage with a Rent Manager expert to expand your knowledge of the system.

Users writing Rent Manager reviews rarely miss the chance to compliment the friendly support team. They can be reached directly from the Rent Manager account, via email or phone. They are available on weekdays from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm ET.

Going the extra mile, Rent Manager organizes annual conferences for its users. These events are a great opportunity to learn more about the software but also to connect with like-minded people and learn from your peers.

Pricing – Since Rent Manager doesn’t provide a one-size-fits-all kind of solution, it offers custom pricing to each of its users. The amount you’ll pay for this estate management software depends on the type of properties you manage, the number of units, whether you’re a landlord or a property management company and other factors. You can book a free demo to get to know more about the product, or request Rent Manager pricing information right away.

Rent Manager bottom line

You can’t go wrong with Rent Manager, whether you’ve got five units or 5,000. This software helps you take care of all the aspects of your business by providing a slew of functionalities. If you realize that a feature you need is lacking, you’ll probably find it in the integration section. If not, your IT team or a hired programmer can use the Rent Manager API to integrate external software programs and develop custom apps. Among the many property management tools we’ve reviewed, Rent Manager stands out for its amazing customer service. So if you’re looking for an adjustable solution with reliable support, look no further.

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Rentec Direct

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

excellent

  • ⦿Urgency levels of maintenance requests
  • ⦿1099 e-filing
  • ⦿Unlimited and secure file storage

Rentec Direct simplifies family home and apartment management by offering a central platform for communicating with tenants and owners, storing all relevant documents, and doing accounting. Even though you can scale the platform infinitely, it works best for those managing between 10 and 2,500 units. This rental management software comes in two versions. One is intended for private landlords. The other is for professional property managers.

Maintenance management – Whether you’re dealing with regular property maintenance or an issue reported by a tenant, you can log all the details of it in Rentec Direct. Great news for property managers with many moving parts to their maintenance tasks is that they can sort their maintenance requests by urgency level. A leaky sink needs immediate attention from your handyman whereas a fence with a hole in it is less pressing.

You can let tenants and owners get insight into every work order you create in this program at your own discretion. Both you and the tenants can attach as many photos to the maintenance request as you’d like. The real estate software comes with unlimited and secure file storage.

Marketing – When one of your units becomes vacant, you can search for new tenants for it on rental listing sites like Hotpads, Trulia, and Realtor.com. This is a tried and tested way of securing new renters, and it works really well for landlords with a couple of units. But if you have multiple family homes or an entire apartment building to rent out, a professional-looking website of your own would serve you well.

Instead of spending a fortune on a programmer or paying a monthly fee for a website builder software, you can rely on the free built-in website creator you get with Rentec Direct property manager software. Prospective tenants can fill out application forms on your SEO-optimized website and you can capture leads and receive application fees.

Tenant screening – As soon as you get an application form you like, you can instantly run a background search right from the system. From eviction and criminal records to credit reports and FICO scores, you can get all the relevant data on the lead right from the system. There’s a small fee for running such searches but it’s deducted from tenants’ application fees. At just $7 per screening, Rentec Direct offers the most affordable price.

Communication – Rentec Direct doesn’t come with an integrated VOIP system that saves you money on phone bills like Rent Manager but it offers a handsome suit of communication features. You can email both tenants and owners directly from the rental property management software.

And to avoid sending important documents like lease agreements and maintenance bills via email, where they can get lost in the noise, you can save them in the Tenant portal. That way, both you and the lessee can access them whenever you need them. The portal is also a place where interested parties can check payment history and where tenants can report issues to the property.

If you get the software version with the features for property managers, you’ll have access to the owner portal as well. It provides property owners you work for real-time data of property performance, and photos and documents shared by you and the tenants.

Payment processing and accounting features – With Rentec Direct property accounting software you get access to the general ledger accounting module which was designed to fit the needs of the real estate industry. Thanks to this amazing functionality, you can review, edit, and print ledgers for every property, tenant, owner, and bank account. The system automatically takes care of double transaction entries, saving you time and reducing errors.

When the rent money is due, your occupants can either use the AHC online payment method for a secure and quick money transfer or they can bring cash to one of the 20,000 Rentec Direct nationwide locations. PayNearMe, the leading property management cash payment network, will accept the cash payments and deposit the money into your account. This feature is available to top property management companies on the Rentec Direct PM plan who manage more than 50 properties and receive more than 10 cash payments each month. On top of dozens of financial reports that can be drafted anytime by yourself or the property owner, the Rentec Direct system lets you e-file 1099 tax reports.

Ease of use and customer support – Judging by Rentec Direct reviews left by long-time users, the system is fairly simple to navigate. Though, we’d add that the interface is in dire need of a revamp.

New clients who are learning about the system can explore the library of pre-recorded webinars. These recordings go granular explaining how to get the most out of Rentec Direct. If you need guidance from a technical support agent, you can get in touch with one via phone, email or chat. The friendly US-based team is responsive and eager to help.

Pricing – Out of all the top property management software providers on our list, Rentec Direct offers one of the most affordable pricing schemes. For just $35 a month, landlords can start using the system on a single property, while property managers would need to pay $40 for the same number of units. Both the landlord and the property manager plans come with unlimited storage and number of users.

The company doesn’t charge extra for system setup nor for getting the online rent collection feature up and running. However, there’s a $200 setup fee for accepting cash payment from tenants. Your monthly charges will grow only as you add on new units to your portfolio. To kick the tires on the system, sign up for the two-week free trial here.

Rentec Direct bottom line – If you are looking for affordable residential management software that can support your growth, Rentec Direct is definitely worth exploring. It offers a well-rounded set of features for property managers and landlords alike. But if your portfolio exceeds 2,500 units, more robust systems like Buildium might be a better solution.

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Yardi Breeze

Marketing

excellent

Maintenance

excellent

Payments & Accounting

good

  • ⦿Screening Works Pro add-on for tenant screening in under a minute
  • ⦿Automatic listing information updates across ILS websites
  • ⦿Self-service functionalities for owners and tenants

The Yardi property management solutions are so robust you can use them to manage literally any type of property. Residential units for any number of families, condos, co-ops, HOAs, student, affordable and military housing, office, industrial and retail properties of any size. Even ports, airports, and other government-owned real estate rentals can be managed with this top-of-the-line integrated property management software.

We need to point out that Yardi software comes in two variations: Yardi Voyager, designed for large mixed portfolios that include governmental properties, and Yardi Breeze for small and mid-sized portfolios of commercial and residential units. In this review, we’ll focus on the latter.

Maintenance management – Keeping your portfolio up to code and oozing curb appeal is simple with the Yardi property management maintenance software. It provides a central location for receiving maintenance requests from residents, storing photos and videos of the property before and after repairs, as well as invoices associated with the maintenance work.

No matter who issued the request, a tenant who noticed something’s wrong or a property manager in charge of regular maintenance, there’s the option to set the priority level. This way, your maintenance crew will know which site to hit first. You can also use the app to let the crew know whether they’re allowed to enter the property with a key or not. You may want to enable the repair staff to add notes too. Add purchase orders, invoices, and other relevant documents to each maintenance request and consult it anytime.

Marketing – Yardi Breeze property rentals software provides a unique platform for sharing your listings with prospective residents. It’s called RENTCafé and it connects seamlessly with your Yardi property database as well as with dozens of rental websites. This means that you need to populate listing details only once, in your database and then share it across marketing platforms with a few clicks.

When you change the pricing in your Yardi account, the software will update the information for you on every website. Occupancy changes will also be updated without your involvement by this real time property management tool. Real estate management companies that are marketing hundreds of properties on multiple listing sites are especially pleased with this feature.

Adding photos, videos, and property blueprints straight from the Yardi app are among the many functionalities that end up saving you and your team a lot of time. There’s also the ability to review applications and approve or decline candidates from the Yardi software. Whatever you decide about a prospect, the system will store their data for future reference.

Tenant screening – Once the interested tenants complete an online application, it gets sent to your account. The application form will give you an idea of what that tenant is like since it collects information as reasons for leaving previous residences, and whether or not they gave a 30-day notice. Since you can’t rely solely on tenants’ honesty in this process, you can use Yardi property management software to run a thorough background check.

And if you need to move in new occupants real fast, you can add on a feature from the Yardi Voyager suite – ScreeningWorks Pro. With it, the system will generate a report containing eviction history, credit scores and sex ofender records in under a minute. If everything checks out, send out the lease agreement for e-signing and impress your new renters with your efficiency.

Communication – Yardi Breeze practically eliminates the need for a property management CRM by allowing you to store tenants information and text and email them from the app. You can even add the leasing documents to a renter’s profile and share it with them. And with access to a personal resident profile, each tenant can pay bills online, see previous transactions, and submit maintenance requests without having to call or visit your office.

The Yardi Breeze owner profiles deliver even more self-service functionalities. Property owners no longer have to request reports, statements and documents from you and then wait until you have the time to deliver them. Instead, they can log into their account and generate the reports they’re interested in whenever they need to.

Yardi has made our best property management software list because at the same time it allows for information transparency and confidentiality. Owners can access reports at their own convenience from any internet-connected device but you are the one who chooses which data to make available.

Payment processing and accounting features – If late rent payments are giving you a headache now, switching to Yardi Breeze might change all that. When you enable tenants the option to pay rent online instead of mailing you checks every month, you’ll save both them and yourself a lot of trouble. With this residential and commercial real estate management software, renters can log into their resident profiles and complete payments with a few clicks, without the need for buying envelopes, stamps, and going to the post office.

Yardi Breeze accounting software applies a general ledger system in which you can track accounts receivable and accounts payable. Yardi reviews suggest that the bank reconciliation feature needs some improvement.On the other hand, other users are saying that even someone without an accounting background can master the system quickly.

Ease of use and customer support – From the moment you book a Yardi software demo you’ll see how intuitive the system is. Everything is right where you’d expect it to be. And there are some impressive time-savers. Adding a new owner to your property management platform is as simple as scanning their driver’s licence. Yardi Breeze will pull all the data relevant to you and upload it to the system in seconds.

The demo is also a chance to form an opinion about the customer service provided by this. The sales agent will give you a custom-tailored presentation of what the system can do for your business without being overly pushy. For any technical questions you might have, you can consult an agent via live chat. They’re available from 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM (CST) on weekdays. During setup, you also get eight hours of phone assistance.

Pricing – Considering its scalability and the fact that it’s suited for managing mixed portfolios, Yardi Breeze is a fairly cheap property management software. Yardi pricing is formed based on the number and type of units you manage.

Each commercial property and affordable housing unit from your portfolio will be charged $2 per month. Residential real estate and manufactured housing units will cost you $1 per unit per month. At $0.50 per unit per month, homeowners’ associations and storage space units are the most affordable.

The company doesn’t charge any on-boarding, training or support fees. Though, there is a minimum monthly charge associated with using this realty management software. It’s either $100 or $200 a month, depending on the dominant real estate type in your portfolio.

Yardi Breeze bottom line – For a medium-sized property management company, Yardi Breeze is the way to go. It adapts to the specific needs of versatile portfolios and it boasts a tone of features that will speed up most of your every-day activities. As you continue to build your company, you’ll be able to transition easily to the more robust Yardi Voyager software that will lead the way to professional real estate management on a whole other level.

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FAQ

What is property management?

Property management is a complex process of overseeing a piece of real estate be it residential, commercial or industrial, and making sure it’s in good condition and profitable. Landlords with a small portfolio can manage their properties on their own, whereas real estate owners with many estates in various locations delegate the task to licensed property managers. Both are more efficient at their jobs when using the best rental property software. Property managers are in charge of creating budgets, advertising rental properties, screening tenants, collecting rent, and property maintenance. Ensuring compliance with the local landlord-tenant and real estate board laws also falls within the scope of their responsibilities.

What is the best landlord software?

Cozy and Avail are programs geared towards landlords instead of property managers. Cozy is the most popular property management software among landlords with a unit or two and no budget at all. It provides a comprehensive set of features completely free of charge. Another solution popular among landlords is Avail. It is reasonably priced and it boasts better marketing features and some functionalities that Cozy lacks, like a tool that helps you decide whether to invest in a property or not.

Is QuickBooks good for property management?

As powerful as QuickBooks is, it simply wasn’t designed with property management needs in mind. There are some adjustments you can make to the system to set it up for this purpose. But you don’t have to jump through these hoops when all the best real estate management software solutions come with built-in accounting features.

How much does Buildium cost?

Buildium is one of the higher-priced property management systems from our list. This makes sense since the software is designed with property management companies in mind. Its most affordable plan, intended for managing 50 units, starts at $47 a month. On top of that basic fee, the Core plan pricing goes up depending on how many online payments you receive and how many electronic leases you sign a month. Buildium pricing is influenced by the number of units you manage and the additional services you use every month. To get information about how much it would cost you, have a look at their pricing page.

How much is a property management software?

The price of property management software is determined by the number of units you manage and their type. Typically, the price per unit per month goes up to $2. Keep in mind that some solutions like Yardi Breeze have a minimum monthly fee of $100 and that other programs like Cozy are free.

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