Property management software experience

[Karla Sosa]

Hey BP community!

I’m looking to get honest feedback from fellow landlords especially those managing small portfolios (1–20 units).

I’d love to know:

• What property management software do you currently use?

• What do you like most about it?

• What do you wish it did better?

• Have you tried any others and switched?

• What features are a MUST for you?

I’m in the early stages of real estate investing (looking at fourplexes in Bakersfield) and also doing some market research to understand what tools are actually helpful vs overkill for small landlords.

Would appreciate any recommendations, experiences, or even frustrations you've had with landlord software

Thanks in advance

[Daniel Rivera]

We manage small-to-mid-sized portfolios (1–20 units) for clients in New Jersey with Proactive Property Management, and we’ve tested a few property management platforms over the years, so I’m happy to share what’s worked and what hasn’t.

What we’re currently using:

We’re back on Buildium, and it’s been a great fit, especially for a growing portfolio.

What we like most:

1. Strong integrations (tenant screening, ACH payments, maintenance requests, accounting)

2. Clear owner and tenant portals

3. Scales well from just a few units to much larger portfolios

4. Professional-level reporting that’s easy to export for accounting and tax prep

Other platforms we’ve tried:

Hemlane – A solid choice for landlords who want to stay hands-on but need help coordinating leasing and repairs.

Doorloop – Clean interface and easy to use, but we ultimately switched back to Buildium for the deeper integration capabilities and more robust accounting tools. 

Must-have features for us:

1. Online rent collection with automatic late fees

2. Maintenance tracking with vendor assignment

3. Digital lease signing and tenant screening

4. Owner statements and financial reporting

Final thoughts:

If you’re starting with a fourplex, it’s important to choose a platform that offers enough automation to save you time but doesn’t overwhelm you with unnecessary complexity or cost. I believe Buildium hits that balance.