Property management software suggestions for the self-managed duplex

Member since 2019 · 41 posts · 22 votes

Hey all, I'm looking into low cost (or free) software that will let me keep track of rental income and expenses for a duplex I just bought. It's our first property, so it doesn't have to be robust. I use QBO for an event rental company I own, but I think that's overkill. Short of building a spreadsheet, anyone have suggestions of a software that will handle a lot of the heavy lifting for reporting?

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Jim Johnson

Real Estate Agent · Memphis · Member since 2026 · 538 posts · 311 votes

6mo

For a duplex, you don’t need anything heavy.

If your main goal is income/expense tracking and clean reports, Stessa is popular and free — it’s built specifically for rental property financials and keeps things simple.

If you also want rent collection and light tenant management, Innago, Avail, or TurboTenant are solid low-cost/free options.

Since you’re already familiar with QBO, just avoid overcomplicating it. For 1–2 units, the best system is usually the one that’s simple enough to actually keep updated.

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Mia G.
Property Manager · Aurora, IL · Member since 2018 · 45 posts · 34 votes
6mo
For my first property, I started using apartments.com. It's very basic, but allows tenants to pay online. It allows you to input expenses and run a few type of reports, as well as market your property if you ever have a vacancy.
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- Mike Whitman
  OP
  Member since 2019 · 41 posts · 22 votes
  6mo
  Quote from @Mia G.:
  
  For my first property, I started using apartments.com. It's very basic, but allows tenants to pay online. It allows you to input expenses and run a few type of reports, as well as market your property if you ever have a vacancy.
  
  Thanks Mia, I'm big on analytics and reporting. Something simple that I can give to my accountants at the end of the year but also something I can run ad hoc to see how my financials are doing.
  
  I only have a duplex at the moment, but the growth plan is to see if I can add a property every year or two. My rental strategy is off-campus student housing around colleges and universities. So as the portfolio grows, I'm looking for something that is scalable. Right now I have an excel spreadsheet, but definitely not sustainable if I grow at a good clip.
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Sara TalamantesPro Member
Raleigh, NC · Member since 2023 · 13 posts · 7 votes
6mo
Baselane (Bank account that has built in accounting) was great for my personal properties. Tenants can pay online and it is able to track expenses and etc for my accountant.
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- Mike Whitman
  OP
  Member since 2019 · 41 posts · 22 votes
  6mo
  Quote from @Sara Talamantes:
  
  Baselane (Bank account that has built in accounting) was great for my personal properties. Tenants can pay online and it is able to track expenses and etc for my accountant.
  
  Thanks Sara, I'll check it out. If it requires an account with Baselane, it may not work for me, I already have my accounts set up with a local bank near the rental.
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Jim Johnson
Real Estate Agent · Memphis · Member since 2026 · 538 posts · 311 votes
6mo
For a duplex, you don’t need anything heavy.

If your main goal is income/expense tracking and clean reports, Stessa is popular and free — it’s built specifically for rental property financials and keeps things simple.

If you also want rent collection and light tenant management, Innago, Avail, or TurboTenant are solid low-cost/free options.

Since you’re already familiar with QBO, just avoid overcomplicating it. For 1–2 units, the best system is usually the one that’s simple enough to actually keep updated.
3 Reply
- Mike Whitman
  OP
  Member since 2019 · 41 posts · 22 votes
  6mo
  Quote from @Jim Johnson:
  
  For a duplex, you don’t need anything heavy.
  
  If your main goal is income/expense tracking and clean reports, Stessa is popular and free — it’s built specifically for rental property financials and keeps things simple.
  
  If you also want rent collection and light tenant management, Innago, Avail, or TurboTenant are solid low-cost/free options.
  
  Since you’re already familiar with QBO, just avoid overcomplicating it. For 1–2 units, the best system is usually the one that’s simple enough to actually keep updated.
  Thanks Jim. The duplex will be used for student housing, so two units, six bedrooms. Each bedroom will be leased separately. I'll take a look at Stessa. I had built a spreadsheet to keep up with expenses, but I prefer software to excel.
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Markus Shobe
Accountant · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2019 · 247 posts · 134 votes
6mo
Stessa, Baseline, Wave are all good and pretty easy to use.
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Rachid AbadliBusiness Member
Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2024 · 125 posts · 33 votes
3mo
I self-manage a small portfolio in Sacramento and went through the same evaluation last year. Here's what I landed on after trying a few things:

For a duplex, most of the big-name tools are overkill. What actually matters at that scale isn't the feature count — it's whether the software handles the stuff that bites you when you forget it. In California specifically:
- Rent cap tracking. AB 1482 means you need to know your allowable increase every year (CPI + 5%, capped at 10%). If your software doesn't track that, you're doing it in a spreadsheet anyway.
- Move-in/move-out photo documentation. AB 2801 changed the game — you now need timestamped condition reports with photos. If your tool doesn't handle that workflow, you're duct-taping it with your phone camera and a Google Doc.
- The 21-day deposit window. California gives you 21 days to return an itemized statement. Miss it and you owe the full deposit back. I need something that reminds me and tracks the itemization.
- Maintenance logs with timestamps. Not because I love paperwork, but because when a tenant disputes a deposit deduction, the maintenance timeline is your evidence.
Stessa is great for the financial side, but it's basically a bookkeeping tool — it won't help you with any of the above. TurboTenant and Avail cover some basics, but I found them thin on California compliance specifically.

What state are you in? That changes the answer a lot — a duplex in Texas versus California is almost a different business from a compliance standpoint.
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Ed BaronePro Member
Saratoga Springs, NY · Member since 2018 · 109 posts · 56 votes
2mo
Mike,

My guess is you've probably settled on something by now, but just in case, I wanted to share a few additional thoughts that may be helpful to you or others who come across this thread.

There are quite a few good options these days for self-managing a duplex, so I'd definitely spend a little time comparing them.

Even though you're just starting out, putting a good system in place from day one tends to pay dividends as you grow. It's much easier to build good habits now than it is to migrate years of leases, tenant information, payment history, maintenance records, and financial data to a new platform later. Even if you only have one or two units today, choosing software that can grow with you can save a lot of time and headaches down the road.

I recently came across this roundup from Baselane that compares several popular platforms—including Baselane, RentRedi, TurboTenant, Innago, Avail, and others, which I thought was a pretty balanced overview:
https://www.baselane.com/resources/rent-management-software-platform

One thing that's worth knowing if you're a BiggerPockets Pro member is that RentRedi is already included with your membership. Full disclosure: I'm a co-founder of RentRedi, so take my comments with that in mind.

Ultimately, I'd encourage anyone shopping for software to compare a few options and choose the one that best fits the way they want to manage their rentals rather than assuming there's a single "best" platform for everyone.

Hope to see you at BPCON in Orlando.

Ed
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Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
2mo
Rent-Redi
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Dan V.
Real Estate Consultant · Norfolk, VA · Member since 2017 · 342 posts · 200 votes
1mo
If you're just getting started, I'd keep it simple.

Use a free property management platform like Apartments.com to manage tenants, collect rent, and maintain lease records.

Set up a dedicated bank account (emphasis added) for the property (and a dedicated credit card if possible) so all rental income and expenses flow through the same accounts. This keeps your records clean and avoids commingling personal and rental transactions.

Each month, download your bank and credit card transactions into a spreadsheet and add a few key columns, such as Payee/Tenant, Description, Property, and Unit (if applicable). Developing this habit early will make bookkeeping, tax preparation, and future growth much easier.
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Amit PatelBusiness Member
Property Manager · Bartlett, IL · Member since 2025 · 141 posts · 57 votes
1mo
For a single self managed duplex you do not need anything heavy. Avail and TenantCloud both have solid free or low cost options that handle rent tracking, basic expenses, and simple reports without the complexity of full QuickBooks.

Stessa is another good one if your main goal is clean income and expense tracking with easy year end reports. It is free at the basic level and works well for owners who just want the numbers organized without managing a full property management platform.

A lot of first time owners start with one of those and only move up if they add more doors later. Spreadsheets work fine too if you keep them simple, but the free software options usually save time once you have a few months of activity.
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