Best alternative for tentants to reach me other than my personal cell

Investor · Atlanta GA Huntsville, AL · Member since 2014 · 60 posts · 10 votes

I dicided to start manging my properites and I wanted to get some advice on using a service like google voice so I am not giving out my personal number. Has anyone used google voice (free version) would you recomended it or are there better service out there? I currently have one property but looking to scale in the future. Thank for any advice you can offer.

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Terry ConwayPro Member

Member since 2024 · 4 posts · 1 vote

Hi Gerry, I’ve used it for things other than managing properties. It’s a dependable service even free. The only thing to watch out for is if you don’t use it for a period of I want to say 90 days. Your number will be repurposed elsewhere if you’re using it constantly then you have nothing to worry about.

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Terry ConwayPro Member
Member since 2024 · 4 posts · 1 vote
1d
Hi Gerry, I’ve used it for things other than managing properties. It’s a dependable service even free. The only thing to watch out for is if you don’t use it for a period of I want to say 90 days. Your number will be repurposed elsewhere if you’re using it constantly then you have nothing to worry about.
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Jerry RobinsonPro Member
OP
Investor · Atlanta GA Huntsville, AL · Member since 2014 · 60 posts · 10 votes
1d
Is the 90days count for incomming and outgoing calls? Since I ony have one property now.
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- Dan Worth
  Pittsburgh, Allegheny County · Member since 2026 · 78 posts · 29 votes
  6h
  Incoming calls and texts alone won't keep a free Google Voice number. Google's help pages say you need to make a call, send a text, or listen to a voicemail before the reclaim date (roughly every three months), so with one property just send a text from it now and then. If it does get reclaimed, you have 45 days to take it back. Once you scale, a paid business phone line or a property management app with built-in tenant messaging keeps everything out of your personal accounts.
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Lorelai Germain
Real Estate Consultant · Seattle, WA · Member since 2026 · 28 posts · 7 votes
15h
i'm using ZOOM phone. You can pick a nb with whatever area code you want.
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John Cafarelli
Member since 2026 · 22 posts · 6 votes
11h
Jerry, keeping a personal number private is a good move, especially when scaling from one property. The number itself matters less than the system around it.
Most experienced owners recommend one separate business number that is used only for tenants, with one written channel for routine requests and a clear rule for emergencies. That way, every maintenance request, rent question, and notice stays in one place and is easy to find later, instead of being mixed in with personal calls and texts.
A system that works well is to set out the basics in writing at move-in: the business number, the hours when non-urgent messages are answered, how to report maintenance, and what counts as urgent, such as water, heat, or a safety issue. A short voicemail greeting and an automatic reply outside business hours can set the same expectation without a late-night call.
For a small owner, the test is simple: can a tenant reach the right place in one step, and can the owner find the full history of that request later? If the answer is yes, the setup is working, and it will scale far better than a personal phone.
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James JonesPro Member
Investor · Collierville, TN 38017 · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 700 votes
11h
Jerry, you are solving the right problem. The point is not which app you pick, it is that tenants never get your personal number. With one property you can run a separate number and it works fine. At 236 houses, the rule is the same: every tenant contact goes through one channel that is not my phone, and everything stays in writing. That protects your time and it protects you when a dispute comes up about what was said and when. Two things I would add. First, make sure the number stays active even when you are not using it — Terry is right that free numbers can get repurposed if they sit idle. Second, set the expectation that maintenance requests come through the channel in writing, not as a call at midnight. A separate number is cheap. A tenant calling your personal phone at scale is not.
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Carl Millsap
Investor · Midwest · Member since 2019 · 372 posts · 244 votes
10h
@Jerry Robinson as everyone has shared GV works. I'd recommend a small investment in Rent Redi or similar platform for maintenance, rent collection etc. I'm not a Rent. Redi affiliate or anything but I did have the service until I needed more than it was providing.
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Jaimee LaTorra
Property Manager · Denver, CO · Member since 2026 · 19 posts · 7 votes
8h
On your 90 days question, I'm honestly not sure incoming calls count, so the safe move is to send a text or make a quick call from it every month or so. Google's help page on keeping your number spells out what counts if you want to be sure.
One thing I'd do now while it's one property: set it up on a separate Google account, not your personal gmail. If you ever add a partner, a VA or a handyman who needs to field calls, you can hand over that login without giving anyone access to your personal email and photos.
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Lee Futcher
Technology · Vancouver, BC · Member since 2026 · 187 posts · 41 votes
8h
Hey @Jerry Robinson,
Keeping your personal number out of it from the very first property is a smart move, and it's much easier to set up now than to change once you have several tenants.
Whichever service you pick, I'd add one habit to what James and the others said: ask tenants to send every maintenance request by text with three things, which property, what's wrong and a photo. With one house it can feel like overkill, but every request then already has what a plumber or handyman needs to price the job.
It also quietly builds a written history of each property, which is exactly what you'll want as you grow, whether that's to spot a repair that keeps coming back or to hand things to a manager one day.
Cheers,
Lee
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Leo SteinBusiness Member
Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 296 posts · 69 votes
8h
Jerry, I self managed for years and used a separate number from day one. One thing nobody mentioned: pick a service that lets tenants text, since most routine requests come by text now. Put the number in the lease and the move-in packet, and tell tenants it is the only number you answer for maintenance and rent questions. I also keep a simple note for each unit with the date and what was reported, so there is a record if something drags on. Set quiet hours in the app so a leaky faucet at 11 pm waits until morning, and spell out in writing what counts as an emergency.
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BJ Everson
Realtor · Columbus, Franklin County · Member since 2026 · 135 posts · 49 votes
7h
1. Jerry, a separate number is the right first step. The number matters less than the rules around it:
- One written channel for routine requests (a portal or text to the business line) so every request, photo and reply is time-stamped.
- A clear definition of an emergency (no heat in winter, active water leak, gas smell, no power, lockout) and how to reach you for those. Put it in the lease and on a move-in sheet.
- Use the line regularly. As others said, inactive free numbers can be reclaimed.
- Save texts with the tenant ledger so you have a record if a dispute comes up later. If you scale, a rent-collection and maintenance portal usually replaces most of the phone calls anyway.
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Joseph Thon
Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 33 posts · 8 votes
42m
I’ve used a Google number before and it’s helpful but I recently decided to only communicate through my in-house operations platform that I built. It functions like text messaging and tenants communicate directly through their portal. The best part about this is keeping a record of the conversation. I can search by tenant or unit and the history is right there. No scrolling through hundreds of text threads to find out who said what.
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