Best Free Property Management Software
Investor · Broomfield, CO · Member since 2010 · 187 posts · 54 votes
Best Free Property Management Software
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Investor · Member since 2017 · 239 posts · 149 votes
7yNone that I've encountered plus the customer service is really quick to respond which is not typical for this category of software! haha
My husband has been using it for about a year, I joined a few months after and added my own rentals, and my husband also lists me as a co-manager of his homes. the app support multi-user which comes in handy when husband takes a picture of a receipt and I can see it on my side, too. Oh and it captures tenant chat with read receipts because some of my tenants prefer to message me instead of email. basically it covers everything I need. I don't have 100+ units so I'm not looking for something like appfolio or buildium, I just want something high quality that tenants will find professional, that backs everything up, lets me download my data if I ever need to, etc. And Tellus fits that, plus it's free! you can see the feature list at tellusapp.com, I'm probably forgetting a few.
36 Replies
- 7yDan MackinBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Erie, CO · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 512 votes
Haven't dealt with Hunt personally, but know many people who are using Cozy and they have all been quite happy with it. Haven't heard any complaints so far.
- Investor · Member since 2017 · 239 posts · 149 votes7y@Reid Kurtenbach I think it depends on what format you want to use. I wanted mobile so I use an app called Tellus. Tenants like the notifications. It covers a ton of extra features like financial reports and free listings and screenings. My mom and husband use it too. Also some platforms don’t work as well if you want to rent out room by room.
- Investor · Broomfield, CO · Member since 2010 · 187 posts · 54 votes7y
@Connie Chan - How long have you been using that app? I had no idea it existed. Are there any limitations with it?
- Investor · Member since 2017 · 239 posts · 149 votes7y
None that I've encountered plus the customer service is really quick to respond which is not typical for this category of software! haha
My husband has been using it for about a year, I joined a few months after and added my own rentals, and my husband also lists me as a co-manager of his homes. the app support multi-user which comes in handy when husband takes a picture of a receipt and I can see it on my side, too. Oh and it captures tenant chat with read receipts because some of my tenants prefer to message me instead of email. basically it covers everything I need. I don't have 100+ units so I'm not looking for something like appfolio or buildium, I just want something high quality that tenants will find professional, that backs everything up, lets me download my data if I ever need to, etc. And Tellus fits that, plus it's free! you can see the feature list at tellusapp.com, I'm probably forgetting a few.
- 7yJordan MoorheadBusiness MemberReal Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2015 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
@Reid Kurtenbach I love Cozy
The Moorhead Team5140 Reviews - Rental Property Investor · Albany, NY · Member since 2016 · 37 posts · 42 votes7y
@Account Closed have you used Tellus to screen tenants? How was it? The only reason I am skeptical is that most platforms charge $30-$40 to screen tenants and Tellus is completely free.
- Investor · Member since 2017 · 239 posts · 149 votes7y
Originally posted by @Shamus Wheeler:
@Account Closed have you used Tellus to screen tenants? How was it? The only reason I am skeptical is that most platforms charge $30-$40 to screen tenants and Tellus is completely free.
I haven't had tenants move out yet so no, but my mom has looked into it for one of her rentals that might need to be listed soon. I believe customer service told her they partner with a screening company and have some corporate deal. Maybe you can ask for a sample report?
- Rental Property Investor · Albany, NY · Member since 2016 · 37 posts · 42 votes7y
Originally posted by @Connie Chan:
Originally posted by @Shamus Wheeler:
@Account Closed have you used Tellus to screen tenants? How was it? The only reason I am skeptical is that most platforms charge $30-$40 to screen tenants and Tellus is completely free.
I haven't had tenants move out yet so no, but my mom has looked into it for one of her rentals that might need to be listed soon. I believe customer service told her they partner with a screening company and have some corporate deal. Maybe you can ask for a sample report?
Right, they have a partnership with Naborly. Does anyone on this thread have experience with Naborly? There was only one forum post about it and it was from 2016. It all seems good though - I'll probably give it a shot and report back.
- Investor · Broomfield, CO · Member since 2010 · 187 posts · 54 votes7y
@Shamus Wheeler - I read that Naborly offers background and credit checks on tenants for free for tenants AND landlords in the USA. That's pretty incredible! I found the excerpt below from their website.
"Naborly offers unlimited FREE tenant screening & credit reports to every landlord & property manager in the United States and Canada. Optional criminal background checks are free for US customers and only $25 for Canadian customers. There are NO ANNUAL FEES and NO HIDDEN COSTS. We make money by simply offering tenants the option to purchase their Renter's Insurance with us once they are approved for a property."
- Rental Property Investor · Albany, NY · Member since 2016 · 37 posts · 42 votes7y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
@Shamus Wheeler - I read that Naborly offers background and credit checks on tenants for free for tenants AND landlords in the USA. That's pretty incredible! I found the excerpt below from their website.
"Naborly offers unlimited FREE tenant screening & credit reports to every landlord & property manager in the United States and Canada. Optional criminal background checks are free for US customers and only $25 for Canadian customers. There are NO ANNUAL FEES and NO HIDDEN COSTS. We make money by simply offering tenants the option to purchase their Renter's Insurance with us once they are approved for a property."
Yeah, it seems like an amazing service! I was deciding between the same PM software you are (how I found this thread), and now I'm definitely going to try Tellus!
- Investor · Broomfield, CO · Member since 2010 · 187 posts · 54 votes7y
I just want to know now the differences between Cozy and Tellus. It seems like Tellus integrates with Cozy so I wonder what Cozy offers that Tellus doesn't.
- Member since 2018 · 5 posts · 1 vote7y
Great feedback. I’ve heard Cozy mentioned many times elsewhere too. I prefer free but what are the pros to the top paid softwares vs these?
- Rental Property Investor · Albany, NY · Member since 2016 · 37 posts · 42 votes7y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
I just want to know now the differences between Cozy and Tellus. It seems like Tellus integrates with Cozy so I wonder what Cozy offers that Tellus doesn't.
Tellus offers a mobile solution, while Cozy doesn't. Cozy offers a desktop solution, while Tellus doesn't. If there's a reason why you need both for work orders, you could use the integration? I can't see another reason, but this is just based on my basic research into both. I'm sure one may have stronger features than the other one that someone with more experience with them could point out.
- Investor · Broomfield, CO · Member since 2010 · 187 posts · 54 votes7y
I communicated with the founder of Tellus via email. He sent me a screen recording of the mobile property management app in action. It looks pretty cool. Check out the Tellus screen recording he sent me. I will definitely be testing it out.
- Investor · Broomfield, CO · Member since 2010 · 187 posts · 54 votes7y
@Rachel Jacobson - I'm a little confused as to why you integrate with Cozy. What's the reasoning? Are there features that Cozy does that Tellus can't?
- Spartanburg, SC · Member since 2016 · 5 posts · 10 votes7y
I signed up for Tellus. I would like the human founder to contact me.
I am going to give it a chance but boy do they have major glitches. For example, I used their tenant screening and wanted to buy NaborlyShield insurance for LLs. Couldn’t do it through Tellus. So had a conference call at Naborly with a real Human to buy NaborlyShield (Tellus just has chats were you often need to repeat your issues because they or their AI or humans don’t understand the first time.) (Also, they work on PST time which means most of your East Coast business day may be done before they open chats on laid back time.)
Turns out that Tellus sent me the WRONG REPORT for my tenant. Naborly’s Report has a higher score, an Equifax Credit Summary and two forms of ID. The Tellus “Naborly” report sent through Tellus had none of that. Huge interface screwup. Naborly has no idea what Tellus sent me as a supposed “Naborly” Report.
Here are other issues. (Note, I’m willing to suspect myself for operator error, but come on, get the app together and finished.)
-Glitched on allowing you to set up an account to receive money and required a secret 4 digit code sent to an email address. But it glitches on accepting email changes. (It also allows you to have Tellus go into your bank account via internet?? No way I’m allowing unknown folks my internet bank access.). Finally after many chats they said it was fixed. I tried it. They sent 4-5 emails with my secret code at the same time. When I went back to Tellus to enter, it said the code expired. So good luck getting cash into your account easily. The Chat Room apologized and said they would set up my account for me. Their work around required me to send copies of my ID, old utility bills, set up a Facebook account or google account.
Finally I did my own work around of using the old non-account related email. I just don’t have time for them to double check and test their code- which they should have done already.)
I was later notified that their email verification system and invitation codes was fixed/updated. I can’t confirm.
-Glitch of booting me out of Tellus when adding a property. Had to get in and start again. That’s not normal.
- Glitch - doesn’t allow you to enter both a phone number AND an email for tenant unless tenant signs in and does it themselves. So you can only enter one but not the other. Huhhhhhh? Really? Sounds like poor app development.
-Glitch can create other people’s contact profile, but you can’t delete. . If you entered someone’s info (wrong or without permission) you can’t delete it. You must ask Chatters to remove it off their entire system as well as your contact list. Really? A delete button would be good. I asked to delete a third party profile I erroneously created days ago, and it’s still there. Hello Tellus Chatters? How long does it take to delete on your end?
-Glitch with pro-rated rent. They assumed that I wanted the rent prorated and paid the first of the month. (That’s so old fashioned.) So they said the tenant was late for the pro-rated month and presumably late fees assessed EVEN THOUGH COLLECTION DOESNT START TILL THE NEXT MONTH.
Then they told me a Chatter “fixed” it on their end so no prorated rent is due now
Next thing I know, Tellus says I have received income of the prorated rent in my accounts. WHAT THE WHAT?? Unless Tellus is paying me the phantom pro-rated amount, Tellus better not screw with the rent roll accounting so badly.
So Tellus founder, contact me please. Not a Chatter or minion please. Your app has potential, but right now it looks like you are creating too many liabilities for landlords. Slow it up. Focus on getting Landlord management right.
- Rental Property Investor · Mountain View, CA · Member since 2018 · 1 post · 0 votes7y
I’ve had quite a few problems myself. Getting my sister on a property with me was a nightmare. Support tried fixing this by resetting her account but when she signed back up and established OUR property as her own, Tellus said the property was already owned. On my side of things, I tried to invite her and she didn’t even get the notification. Really screwed up backend.
Now I’m trying to rent one side of my duplex but the address on the listings Tellus is syndicating has the property address from the other side. oh my. Too many problems to deal with I think.
Cozy has been my go to. I’ll wait to see the Tellus web application release before I try it out again.
- Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 0 votes7y
Originally posted by @Shamus Wheeler:
@Account Closed recommended it to me a few days ago. I just signed up today, and I am impressed! Very solid technology, completely free, and it doesn't seem like there are any limitations. I think I am going to use it for my first property that I'm closing on this week. It is mobile-only. I don't personally mind this, but I could see some people wanting software that has a desktop version.
@Shamus Wheeler , how has the Tellus app been working for you on your first property? I'm in the position of choosing something and undecided but considering Cozy and Tellus. - Rental Property Investor · Albany, NY · Member since 2016 · 37 posts · 42 votes7y
@Albert David Penney I actually didn’t end up going with Cozy or Tellus. I decided to use RentRedi (https://rentredi.com) , and couldn’t be happier with the decision. In order, of most to least important, here is why:
1. Beyond amazing customer support. I think RentRedi is a smaller platform, and they are able to offer incredible support. I have always had my chat answered within a minute (literally), and always by the two cofounders, Ryan or Ed. They have answered my questions 100% of the time and have been patient with first-time landlord questions that I have had :)
2. Great product. They have both mobile, which my tenants require (lower income, no computer in household necessarily) and desktop, which is nice to use to crank out work as a landlord. The platform has everything that you need to run property management. I just had my first two units turnover, and that process was made easier by RentRedi. Tenants like the professional look of the pre-application, and I found that potential tenants who most likely won’t qualify don’t even bother to apply when you send them an official looking application (I’m sure the same is true with other platforms as well, just can’t speak to those personally). Tenant screening are done through TransUnion SmartMove, which is seamless. Payments come through Intuit, which has low transaction costs.
3. BP Pro Discount. With the discount, RentRedi is like $14/month. Can’t go wrong. I can see being able to scale RentRedi to a decent sized portfolio, and the price is fixed. The BP pro discount is what initially made me go with RentRedi. I felt that if someone at BP thought they were good enough to put them in the discount program, then they must be good. The “BP seal of approval” was more important than the discount to me, and honestly, I would still pay $20/month for RentRedi if I didn’t have a BP pro account.
Hope this helps. Sorry to give you one more platform to evaluate. I am biased because RentRedi is the only platform I have used, but it has been a great experience for me. Let me know if you have any questions - I’d be happy to answer them.
- Member since 2019 · 8 posts · 0 votes7y
@Shamus Wheeler Thanks for the update and info on RentRedi. Though having both an app and desktop interface are good features, it seems like a big jump to go from considering free platforms to something that charges a monthly fee. Were there other factors that led you to use RentRedi?
- Rental Property Investor · Albany, NY · Member since 2016 · 37 posts · 42 votes7y
@Albert David Penney I initially thought the same thing, but its a $14 jump. This is obviously a personal decision, but it was worth it for me. I am self-managing, so $14/month to make life easier seemed like a no-brainer. I have 4 units now ($3.50/unit/month). When I have 20 units, it will be $0.70/unit/month. I like this fixed price structure. I feel like RentRedi is perfect for self-managing landlords who have a goal of getting their management done inexpensively until they grow to the point where they need enterprise-level software or professional management (~100 units in my mind). I know that this thread was originally for free property management software, but this has been my experience, and I have found RentRedi to be a great value.
The top reason why I went with RentRedi is their customer service. I met the founder, @Ryan Barone , at a conference and he introduced me to the product. He pitched them as having great customer service, and he has not disappointed.
- Specialist · Rapid City, SD · Member since 2016 · 100 posts · 46 votes7y
I had used Cozy previously. I found it good for rent collection, but was not satisfied with still having to have separate solutions for leases. It makes sense to me to have a solution that handles my needs end to end.
I’ve no experience using Hunt and know little about their product.
Ultimately there’s 100 different solutions or ways to do it yourself. I’d start from a point of what do you need done(literally create a detailed checklist), and then choose the tool that best meets your needs.
Best of luck!
- Multifamily Syndicator · Houston, TX · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes7y
Honestly, when I see BEST + FREE, my brain can't stop but think this is an Oxymoron!
When it comes to Software, "the best things in life are free" doesn't apply lol. Facebook, even, isn't free! Different debate... Everything comes with a price [and there are no discounts] :)
We've used TenantCloud and it is free, yes, it has some bugs and challenges but that is to be expected it is FREE lol. Of course, as mentioned Cozy and the others work well.
For larger properties and tenant size, I think Buildium has been a very good software.
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