What DIY property management software do you use?

General Landlording & Rental Properties
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What DIY property management software do you use?

Mauricio QuintanaPro Member
Houston, TX · Member since 2019 · 51 posts · 6 votes

BP Community,

I am in the process of renting out a property that is 4 states over.  As you can imagine, scheduling people to see the property, answering the same questions over and over via email and trying to create a process has been quite a task.

Here's the areas I'm struggling with:

Applications:  sending out word or PDF documents has been tough as most potential tenants don't have a home computer or printer access.

Showings:  I'm in Houston and property is in Atlanta.... and we are in the midst of CV-19.  I have local contacts that can help me with showings.  I'm thinking an open house would be the best way to go.  Any thoughts?

Interested parties:  How do I weed out the interested parties with those who are just looking around?

Collecting rent:  Class C tenants, however most are technologically savvy.  What do you use to collect rent electronically?  How much do you pay for it

If anyone has thoughts on the above or a specific software/app that alleviates many of these headaches, I would love to hear from you.

Thanks!

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Kenny Dahill
Investor · Tempe, AZ · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 731 votes
6y

Hi @Mauricio Quintana,

Congrats on the property.  I would find a free software site since you only have 1 property.  Sites like Buildium / Appfolio are great and powerful, however they start at about $50 per month.  With only one property, that is a large monthly expense.  There are plenty of sites that focus primarily on landlords and free.

Some feedback on your issues:

  • Applications:  You can try Google Forms.  Set up is simple and allows you to create any questions you want.  Send applicants a link and their responses will enter into a Google Sheets (i.e. Excel).  No printing.  No home computer needed, they can fill it out on their phone.
  • Showings:  Open houses always work best.  It is bulking your tasks over time.  If you have a local partner, this will reduce their efforts as well.  Pick a good evening or Saturday morning.  Then send all interested parties the date and time.
  • Interested Parties:  This is always tough because you can never truly know somebody's intent.  However, a sure sign is them responding to your open house schedule and filling out your Rent Application.  Even if you have 2 applications, a simple quick form to 'test' their interests and then a formal form that follows the standard questions.
  • Collecting Rent:  Any landlord software will have rent collection available.  ACH or credit card.  Sites vary but most charge the tents $1-5 per transaction.  However, there are sites that offer free ACH for tenants.  Although PayPal and Venmo are great payment apps, I would avoid using them because they do not prevent partial payments.  In case you ever need to evict a tenant, limiting to full payments will reduce your risk.  I've stopped accepting Venmo for that very reason.

Best of luck and please let me know if you have any questions.

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  • Shawn MoreyPro Member
    Property Manager · Burbank, CA · Member since 2009 · 74 posts · 19 votes
    6y

    The best software I have found for small portfolios is Buildium. It will have everything in one place for you. If you need a free option Tenantcloud is a good option

    1Reply
  • Kenny Dahill
    Investor · Tempe, AZ · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 731 votes
    6y

    Hi @Mauricio Quintana,

    Congrats on the property.  I would find a free software site since you only have 1 property.  Sites like Buildium / Appfolio are great and powerful, however they start at about $50 per month.  With only one property, that is a large monthly expense.  There are plenty of sites that focus primarily on landlords and free.

    Some feedback on your issues:

    • Applications:  You can try Google Forms.  Set up is simple and allows you to create any questions you want.  Send applicants a link and their responses will enter into a Google Sheets (i.e. Excel).  No printing.  No home computer needed, they can fill it out on their phone.
    • Showings:  Open houses always work best.  It is bulking your tasks over time.  If you have a local partner, this will reduce their efforts as well.  Pick a good evening or Saturday morning.  Then send all interested parties the date and time.
    • Interested Parties:  This is always tough because you can never truly know somebody's intent.  However, a sure sign is them responding to your open house schedule and filling out your Rent Application.  Even if you have 2 applications, a simple quick form to 'test' their interests and then a formal form that follows the standard questions.
    • Collecting Rent:  Any landlord software will have rent collection available.  ACH or credit card.  Sites vary but most charge the tents $1-5 per transaction.  However, there are sites that offer free ACH for tenants.  Although PayPal and Venmo are great payment apps, I would avoid using them because they do not prevent partial payments.  In case you ever need to evict a tenant, limiting to full payments will reduce your risk.  I've stopped accepting Venmo for that very reason.

    Best of luck and please let me know if you have any questions.

    2Reply
  • Dakota Wilde
    Member since 2018 · 100 posts · 94 votes
    6y

    Buildium is great for landlords with multiple properties but it costs 50$/mo. For small landlords, Tenant Cloud is the way to go since it offers a lot of free stuff. Rentler also has a free version and a great listing option. 

    You check out homepages of every software just to find out what functionality meets your requirements.

    1Reply
  • Ryan Swan
    Real Estate Agent · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2012 · 640 posts · 457 votes
    6y

    I've been using Buildium for at least 7 years now. It was a great value when it first came out, but now it's gotten quite expensive for small landlords. I still think it's a good value, because it handles accounting (books), website, online application, screening, e-pay, maintenance tracking, tenant portals, etc. It's probably overkill unless you have at least 10+ doors to manage. 

    1Reply
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