rent collecting sites

[Anthony Cortello]

Currently I'm using rent spree as a platform to allow my tenants on line payments, it is secure however the site is very basic. I have 16 units that I would like to set up collecting rents on that make it easy for my renters, any suggestions would be appreciated? 

[Nathan Miller]

@Anthony Cortello Good news, you have a lot of options.  Most online rent payment services also provide functions for managing the accounting, maintenance, etc of your properties as well.  You'll find two major classes of software, and they both enable you to accept online payments for your tenants.

The more mature platforms that are designed for landlords/property managers include Rentec Direct, Buildium, Appfolio, Propertyware, and Rent Manager. These platforms typically have billing policies where you pay a per unit fee per month to the software and you get regular updates and support each month - some of these include online renter payments for free, some upcharge a bit for it.

There are also a number of low-cost platforms available that are able to offer you a lower price by passing along some of the costs to your tenants (payment processing fees, applications, tenant screening, etc). These platforms include RentRedi, Stessa, Avail, Innago, Apartments.com (formerly Cozy), and TenantCloud.

The best way for you to figure this out is visit the platforms and explore their free trial (if offered). Run through some of the features you will need like setting up a property, moving in a tenant, receiving rent payments, and publishing online applications.

Pay attention to which platform feels the best to you as you perform these functions. Each platform does it a bit different and you are going to like some more than others. While trying it out, call their customer service and see how they treat you and how knowledgeable they are on their product. Ask their customer service to walk you through the above options if needed.