If the software is not simplifying your life or making you more accurate, you shouldn't use it.Software does have extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button and your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.

It's in my lease that electronic payments are allowed but that date received is when funds have cleared landlord's account. 

Most tenants can’t even put a fresh battery in their smoke detectors that chirp profusely much less program and maIntaIn an electronic device for the central air system .

We have a complete list of items necessary to set up an STR including electronic lock, wifi thermostat, owner's door lock, replacing the door knob on the entrance door with a handle, and many more things that are often overlooked.  

Make sure it does the following things for you (this will also guard your friendship and help you learn good business practices):  ----1) accept security deposit & rent payments electronically (according to the lease) ----2) automatically charge late fees (according to the lease)Then keep to the lease and never accept payments outside of the free service like Apartments.comI hope that helps!

(PaymentReport also has a version offered through landlords that requires electronic rent payments.)Boom: For an enrollment fee of $10 and a monthly fee of $2, users can get their rent reported to all three credit bureaus.

I have not had any direct communication with tenants for the past 10 years as everything is managed electronically.

I am a retired electronics engineer that has managed all of his own investments for the last 27 years.

Welcome  Carl , always good to meet a fellow investor , I to am investing in fix and flip properties and am always interested in expanding my Rolodex ( electronic now ..lol ) of other investors and or real estate professionals ..

They provide a sign and the electronic lockbox used by all mls listings (and links to sales contracts, property disclosure statements).