Property management software for small landlords: what actually matters

Enterprise property management systems are built for companies managing thousands of units. If you own a handful of rentals, most of that is noise. Four features do most of the work.

The four features that matter

1. Online rent collection. Automatic reminders and bank transfers cut late payments and save you from chasing cheques.
2. Tenant screening. Credit, background and eviction checks from inside the app, paid by the applicant in many cases.
3. Leases and e-signing. State-specific lease templates save legal fees and back-and-forth.
4. Maintenance requests. Tenants submit issues with photos, and you keep a record of every repair.

Free tools versus paid tools

Several landlord tools offer a free plan and charge for upgrades or pass screening costs to applicants. TurboTenant and Avail are common starting points for first-time landlords.

Paid tools such as DoorLoop, TenantCloud and RentRedi add accounting, more automation and better support. They are worth it once you pass a few units or start managing for others.

Don't forget the accounting

Rent collection apps track income, but you still need clean books at tax time. Stessa is built for rental investors and tracks income, expenses and receipts per property.

A simple setup for one to ten units

When you grow past a few dozen units or take on owner clients, look at full systems in Property Management such as AppFolio and Buildium.