What is the best landlord software?

Question

I am looking for a software that will automate the land lording process. One stop shop for leasing, showing, advertising , p/l statement , taxes, work orders , and rent collection. I need a software that not ridiculously expensive either.

Pls help I am trying to streamline with low overhead cost.

Caleb L. · Answer

Hi @Faisal Khan! Great question. When you manage the properties yourself, you are going to have to do some work. But, software does make the job a lot easier. I've heard great things about Cozy.co and Buildium. Cozy is FREE and allows you to advertise your rental, collect rent, screen tenants, set automatic payments and late fees, rent estimates, back round checks, receive maintenance requests from tenants, track your expenses for each property, prepare for taxes, and more for FREE! Cozy.co Buildium is great too. It has a lot more helpful features that Cozy doesn't have, and is NOT FREE. It's more in depth with great features. Pricing is pretty affordable. It really depends on what your want to spend. Buildium is NOT FREE, but comes with more features. And Cozy is FREE, but doesn't have as many features as Buildium. Although, Cozy gives you everything you need to manage your rentals. I recommend Cozy!There are also others like AppFolio, Avail, Zoho, and Tenant Cloud that might work out better than what I've already suggested. Look into each one to find the best for you.

David Campbell · Answer

@Faisal Khan I use Tenant Cloud. Very very cost effective and has some great functionality. Not the best for accounting but great for the landlording if that makes sense.

Vincent Gable · Answer

i just started using tellus and so far so good. got my first tenant signed up this morning and got to see both sides of the app. on his end he can set up auto pay or make a one time payment on rent. it also allows for him to put in work orders. on my end i can set up expenses, communications with tenants, see who has paid rent and set up late fees. its all free but since i have not set up anyone else yet or collected rent because its mid month i couldnt give a total feedback yet. if this all sounds good then PM me and ill let you know how it went here in the coming weeks.

Laine Fury · Answer

We use Tenant Cloud, and it links seamlessly to our Quickbooks, I looked into a lot of software when we started but found these options seemed to work best for our team from an annual cost, online payments, and ease of use. We currently own 23 properties between rentals and flips in Ohio.

Sathish Sekar · Answer

Use the Google Drive suite of software products (docs, spreadsheets, forms, maps, calendar). These are all free and have robust functionality. They are cloud based so you can access them anywhere with an internet connection (including smartphone). If you are organized when you set this up, Google drive will work just fine. Once you obtain more than 10 units in your portfolio you may need to switch to a dedicated property management software.

Steve Maginnis · Answer

I have used a good number of software packages in the past. I found it's difficult to find out which will be best with you until after you have been using it for a while. The "trial period" usually is not long enough to really get a feel for how it will function By this time, you have already done a lot of work to set all your properties up, which can be time consuming. Also you need to consider your state specific regulations. For example, in NC, you can only charge 5% late fees on residential leases. The software I currently use allows for this, but it charges 5% on the entire past due balance. We can only charge the 5% on the rent charged that month. Seems like a minor issue, but with a lot of properties, it takes some time having to audit each property every month to make the corrections. It may be impossible for you to find the perfect software right away. Of course, it's quite conceivable you may pick one that you can live with and do some "work arounds". I suggest making a list of all the features you really want and all other parameters you think you will need. Then go down the list with a representative from that company to ensure they will meet your expectations. Best of luck.

Thomas Dougherty · Answer

Try Tellus! I use it for all my property management stuff, from listing, screening tenants, rent collection to tracking all the financial reports. You can check everything related with your property on the phone because they're mobile friendly. Now I don't need a property manager or find a property management company and I can manage everything from the app. I can also chat directly with my tenants from the phone instead of text, call and email.

Sathish Sekar · Answer

Faisal, congratulations on the 45 units! However I imagine it must be a challenge at times. As you found out with your stealing assistant.

Caleb L. · Answer

@Faisal Khan Have you ever considered getting a property management company? Or do you want to manage all of them yourself? Both ways have there advantages and disadvantages, but I think a property management company would be a great asset and save you time and even money in the long run. If your in Texas, I have some great suggestions for property management companies if your interested? Are you going to keep building up your units?

Faisal Khan · Answer

@Caleb L.Great advice I will definitely look into both those systems.