TurboTenant, Pros and Cons?

Question

Good morning BP community. I am weighing my options perteining to managing my townhome in Richmond Hill, GA. I've run across a  property management tool called TurboTenant. Has anyone had any experience with it? Pros and cons? Would you recommend? What advice would you give to a new user? Better alternatives? A little guidance would go a long way, thanks!

Bo Brown · Answer

Do not trust this company with you rent payments.  My email was hacked and they allowed someone from another state change my password, remove my bank account and add another bank account that was not even in my name and expedited payments to this person.  TurboTenant promised me they would get the payments back for me.  Then after about a week told me that they could not and was nothing else they could do.  I was escalated to Melissa (Director of Customer experience)   who basically told me this was not their fault and then stonewalled me and would not escalate any further.  Nothing in there system red flagged these transactions, there was no dual redundancy that required these actions to also be verified by text or a phone call.  They cost me almost $6000 and would not even answer basic questions.

Thomas P. · Answer

Be wary!  It's not free as they advertise if you aren't using their applications and they notice.  Our property management company did not accept TurboTenant applications because their screening process is not as thorough as we prefer.  An applicant applied for our property through TurboTenant because TurboTenant automatically turns on their application button when you syndicate your properties for rent and does not allow you to turn it off.  We told the applicant we don't accept applications from TurboTenant and they must apply directly through us.  They were very unhappy they had spent the money with TurboTenant and it is apparently not communicated that not all property managers/landlords will accept TurboTenant applications. When the prospective tenant demanded a refund from TurboTenant, TurboTenant sent us an email saying if we didn't start paying a monthly fee in order to use our own application, they would terminate our account in 5 days. What happen to...and I quote directly off their homepage:"TurboTenant is the all-in-one, FREE property management tool that streamlines how you manage the rental process. The world’s easiest way to screen tenants, market your rental, receive applications and collect rent online."I asked them if this is how they treated property managers/landlords, by giving ultimatums and terminating accounts. You just shrank you the property options pool for your money making prospective tenant pool.  Nice job!  Way to save your foot by cutting off your hand!  All this to say, this service is free until they realize you aren't using their applications.

Also, when I went in to check that it had been terminated, the prompt said I was blocked for "suspicious activity"!  Hah!  Really?  Shady business practices on the property management side and prospective tenant side.  Look elsewhere!  And honestly, the leads weren't great.  Zillow may cost more, but the leads are much higher quality!