Property management software

[Ramki D.]

Hello all.. I am exploring online property management software to self manage the rental property, but I see a lot of them like

Avail.co

Rentredi

Tenant cloud

Cozy

Zillow

Apppolio

Stessa and there are many. I am looking for simple and probably free software to list,screen, prepare lease and optionally receive rent. Are you using any of them listed above or any other software not listed here and pros and cons, would you please recommend any one? Thanks in advance.

[Nathan Gesner]

Rule #1: there is no perfect software.

Rule #2: what works for Landlord A may not work well for you.

It takes a little work, but I recommend you sit down and make a list of why you want the software. Common uses include receiving/processing applications, tracking rental units, leases, tenant contacts, payment history, accepting online payments, maintaining documentation, and tracking maintenance. Make a list and try to organize it based on what is most important to you.

Then you do 30 minutes of searching/research to see what the top options are for Landlords like yourself. Make a list of the Top 10. Go to their website and read what they can do. Try to narrow your list down to the top 3-4 that seem to have the features that are important to you.

Once your list is narrowed, it's time to test each one. Create an account. Enter a property. Test how they advertise available rentals. Look at their application process. Create a fake tenant account. Send a lease for e-signature. Look at how they track tenant payments, deposits, owner payments, etc. Check out the owner statements. Submit a fake maintenance request. Yadda-yadda.

This is not an inclusive list so I may have missed something important to you. The point is, you have to test each one to see what works best for you. Settle on one and use it.