Landlords/PMS, what makes a good Property management software? Need your help

[Quin Ortiz]

Im a college student currently working on my capstone project where Im aiming to build a property management software. Im hoping to make it bigger than just a simple class project so Im seeking to learn from the best sources possible.

Here are a few questions, but feel free to share anything that comes to mind:

1. What property management software do you currently use?
   • Do you like it, or is it something you’re just putting up with for now?
   • Also, how many properties and doors do you manage?
2. Have you switched PMS apps before? If so, why?
   • Was it due to features, lack of scaling, or something else?
3. What are the absolute must-have features in a property management app? Any non useful ones?For example:
   • Tenant Management
   • Lease Automation & E-Signatures
   • Online Rent Payments
   • Tenant Screening
   • Maintenance Request Tracking
   • Market Vacant Properties
   • Income & Expense Tracking (Do you use QuickBooks and want to continue, or does your current PMS have its own solution?)
   • In-App Messaging
4. How important is a tenant portal for you?
   • Do you want tenants to have access to a portal where they can make rent payments, submit maintenance requests, and view lease terms? Would mobile app access be critical for tenants? If yes, is in-app messaging also critical? or is email sufficient?
5. What frustrates you about the current software you use?
   • Are there things it doesn’t do well, or improvements you think could be made? This could be anything from confusing UX to lack of certain integrations.
6. How useful would a custom listing site be for you?

Thank you so much in advance! Any advice you have is greatly appreciated, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!