Rent Collection Platforms

Fresno, California
General Landlording & Rental Properties
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Rent Collection Platforms

Raylene Pranich
Member since 2026 · 8 posts · 16 votes

Tenants move in this month on the 15th, and this is our first time being landlords. We are doing some research on rent collection methods but are new to all of this, so if anyone has recommendations that would be great! We are looking for something that will help us out with automated pay, as well as something that might provide us a tax form at the end of the year. I've heard of baseline, Zillow rent collections, Zelle, etc, but not sure what direction to head. Any insight helps!

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Jim Johnson
Real Estate Agent · Memphis · Member since 2026 · 546 posts · 316 votes
6mo

For first rentals, most owners move toward a rent collection platform rather than apps like Zelle. The big benefit is automation, payment tracking, and cleaner records for taxes.

A few simple options many small landlords use:

  • Innago – Free and very straightforward. Tenants can set up auto-pay and the system tracks payments and late fees.

  • Avail – Good if you want rent collection plus leases, screening, and tenant communication in one place.

  • Zillow Rental Manager – Easy to use and keeps payment records with access to 1099s for tax season.

Most platforms let tenants set automatic monthly payments, send reminders, and keep a digital record of every transaction — which makes bookkeeping and tax time much easier.

For a first rental, the best choice is usually whichever platform is simple for tenants and easy for you to track payments consistently.

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  • Joel Miller
    Member since 2011 · 152 posts · 113 votes
    6mo

    As a veteran landlord, I typically have had tenants either arrange with their own bank to send a check through their own free  online bill pay service, or I have them make their payment through Apartments.com. My son chose TurboTenant.com when he started investing.

    1Reply
  • Miles Lerner
    Specialist · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2025 · 19 posts · 2 votes
    6mo

    Hey Raylene - congrats on entering the investing world!

    There are a number of free solutions out there that could help you collect rent (e.g. Zillow rent collection, Apartments.com), but may have limitations when it comes to reporting.

    If you're looking for an affordable solution that will certainly get the job done and then some, I'd be happy to give you a demo of the platform I run. Shoot me a DM if interested!

    0Reply
  • Bryon AndrewsBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Saint Paul, MN · Member since 2018 · 201 posts · 104 votes
    6mo

    I recommend to a lot of my clients who are just starting out investing in the Twin Cities to use the free version of Apartments.com. I started there when it was Cozy.co and it was great. As my portfolio grew, I switched to Buildium which does provide reporting, but there is a cost. 

    [email protected]715-892-4596
    Bryon Andrews Real Estate51 Review
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    0Reply
  • Jim Johnson
    Real Estate Agent · Memphis · Member since 2026 · 546 posts · 316 votes
    6mo

    For first rentals, most owners move toward a rent collection platform rather than apps like Zelle. The big benefit is automation, payment tracking, and cleaner records for taxes.

    A few simple options many small landlords use:

    • Innago – Free and very straightforward. Tenants can set up auto-pay and the system tracks payments and late fees.

    • Avail – Good if you want rent collection plus leases, screening, and tenant communication in one place.

    • Zillow Rental Manager – Easy to use and keeps payment records with access to 1099s for tax season.

    Most platforms let tenants set automatic monthly payments, send reminders, and keep a digital record of every transaction — which makes bookkeeping and tax time much easier.

    For a first rental, the best choice is usually whichever platform is simple for tenants and easy for you to track payments consistently.

    3Reply
  • Markus Shobe
    Accountant · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2019 · 247 posts · 134 votes
    6mo

    Apartments.com and Innago are both good. At this stage you want to keep it as simple as possible.

    2Reply
    • Mose Gebremeskel
      Investor · Member since 2022 · 234 posts · 144 votes
      6mo
      Quote from @Markus Shobe:

      Apartments.com and Innago are both good. At this stage you want to keep it as simple as possible.


       Agree with this!

      0Reply
  • Jillyan MacMorris
    Rental Property Investor · Chicago Suburbs, IL · Member since 2021 · 72 posts · 54 votes
    6mo

    The good news is there are a lot of great options for you! I wouldn't recommend Zelle for a lot of reasons, but many platforms can work.
    I'm a Baselane user myself! Baselane or a property management platform can help you to schedule out payments and send late payment reminders when necessary. They'll correspond with the length of your lease and automatically end when it ends. It's helpful to keep track as you begin to scale!

    0Reply
  • Ryan SpathBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Boise, ID · Member since 2017 · 557 posts · 376 votes
    6mo
    Quote from @Raylene Pranich:

    Tenants move in this month on the 15th, and this is our first time being landlords. We are doing some research on rent collection methods but are new to all of this, so if anyone has recommendations that would be great! We are looking for something that will help us out with automated pay, as well as something that might provide us a tax form at the end of the year. I've heard of baseline, Zillow rent collections, Zelle, etc, but not sure what direction to head. Any insight helps!


     Congrats! We used schedulemyrent.com for a long time. its pretty basic but does what you want. We have recently switched to Rentredi, its a little more advanced and does what you are asking for. 

    [email protected]208-600-2814
    1Reply
  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    6mo
    Quote from @Raylene Pranich:

    Tenants move in this month on the 15th, and this is our first time being landlords. We are doing some research on rent collection methods but are new to all of this, so if anyone has recommendations that would be great! We are looking for something that will help us out with automated pay, as well as something that might provide us a tax form at the end of the year. I've heard of baseline, Zillow rent collections, Zelle, etc, but not sure what direction to head. Any insight helps!


    Setup a separate bank account, preferably a business one (via DBA or LLC) and give tenants that account number to make payments physically at your bank or electronically.

    You only have one rental, keep it simple!

    [email protected]248-209-6824
    Logical Property Management4.9451 Reviews
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    0Reply
  • Paul Belessis
    Member since 2025 · 25 posts · 6 votes
    17h

    I’d look at Baselane if you want more than just a way to receive the payment. Zelle obviously works for getting money from A → B, but I like having rent collection connected to the rest of the property financials so there’s less cleanup later.

    0Reply
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