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

Investor · Atlanta GA Huntsville, AL · Member since 2014 · 64 posts · 14 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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Lorelai Germain

Real Estate Consultant · Seattle, WA · Member since 2026 · 37 posts · 14 votes

i'm using ZOOM phone. You can pick a nb with whatever area code you want.

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Terry ConwayPro Member
Member since 2024 · 5 posts · 4 votes
6d
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 · 64 posts · 14 votes
6d
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 · 92 posts · 36 votes
  5d
  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.
  1 Reply
Lorelai Germain
Real Estate Consultant · Seattle, WA · Member since 2026 · 37 posts · 14 votes
6d
i'm using ZOOM phone. You can pick a nb with whatever area code you want.
2 Reply
John Cafarelli
Member since 2026 · 40 posts · 14 votes
6d
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 · 746 votes
5d
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 · 379 posts · 251 votes
5d
@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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- Jerry RobinsonPro Member
  OP
  Investor · Atlanta GA Huntsville, AL · Member since 2014 · 64 posts · 14 votes
  5d
  Thank Carl, I am starting off with Rent Redi my only concern is the bookeeping capabilities. Do you use another platform for booking? I was considering Baseline to use in conjuction with Rent Redi for the banking features.
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Jaimee LaTorra
Property Manager · Denver, CO · Member since 2026 · 23 posts · 10 votes
5d
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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- Jerry RobinsonPro Member
  OP
  Investor · Atlanta GA Huntsville, AL · Member since 2014 · 64 posts · 14 votes
  4d
  I heard of that before of using a seperate gmail, but I didnt know why and now reading your examples makes a lot of sense. Thank you
  0 Reply
Lee Futcher
Technology · Vancouver, BC · Member since 2026 · 265 posts · 70 votes
5d
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 · 319 posts · 78 votes
5d
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 · 171 posts · 67 votes
5d
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 · 40 posts · 16 votes
5d
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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Ming Yi
Investor · San Francisco · Member since 2026 · 67 posts · 31 votes
5d
Google Voice is a solid answer and it is what I would start with, especially at one property. The free version gives you a separate number, voicemail transcription, and the ability to text from an app without handing out your personal cell. The main catch is that it is tied to a Google account, so set it up under an account you control for the rentals, not a personal one you might abandon.
Two things I would add. First, give tenants one written channel for maintenance requests, text or a portal, and ask them to use it instead of calling. A call is fine for an emergency, but a written request with a photo creates a record and stops the "I told you about the leak three weeks ago" problem. Second, set expectations on response time in the lease or the move-in packet: emergencies get an immediate response, routine items within one business day. The number matters less than the boundary around it.
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Jon K.
Rental Property Investor · Perry Hall, MD · Member since 2016 · 592 posts · 608 votes
5d
I used to use OpenPhone when I self managed (looks like they've rebranded as Quo): https://www.quo.com/
One of the nice features was it was very easy to share access to the number with others so if you're co-managing with a spouse for example you can each have accounts that allow you to use the same number, see the same text threads etc.
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Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 13k+ posts · 9k+ votes
5d
Yes, use GoogleVoice!
Challenge is the setting for incoming calls:
- Option #1: caller ID will show the number, but you will NOT know if they are calling your personal or GV number
- Option #2: caller ID will show the GV number so you know it's NOT personal, but you also don't know who's calling
You can also SMS with GV # and access from your computer.
- Makes maintaining a history of calls & SMS pretty easy.
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Harrison C.
Member since 2017 · 123 posts · 63 votes
4d
Jerry, on the bookkeeping question you asked Carl: with one property, whichever app or bank you pick matters less than three habits you set up now.
1. One bank account for the rental and nothing else. Rent in, every expense out. If the account is clean, the books are half done before you open any software.
2. Keep the security deposit apart from rent. It is money you owe back, not income, so it should never show up in your income total. A lot of landlords get this wrong the first year and pay tax on money they later refund.
3. Tag every expense the way your tax return asks for it: repairs, cleaning and maintenance, insurance, utilities, mortgage interest, taxes, supplies. Then your year end is a total per line, not a weekend with a shoebox. Snap the receipt the day you pay it.
The thing to test before you pair two tools: can you get one report at the end of the year that shows income and expenses per property, with the deposit left out? If the rent tool and the bank tool each only show half, you end up rebuilding it in a spreadsheet anyway. Ask both for a sample of that report before you commit.
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Jerry RobinsonPro Member
OP
Investor · Atlanta GA Huntsville, AL · Member since 2014 · 64 posts · 14 votes
4d
While I'm in the process of taking on one issue at a time, which for me know is listing the property. The Book keeping aspect is some I am trying to resolve before I get started. I didnt want to give the tenant two platforms like listing and submitting application and maintance request through rent redi but then having them deposit rent in Baseline type of platform since they allow me to setup different bank account for rent and security deposit. Thank you for you response it gets me to be thinking in the right direction as I will be solving that part of my buisness.
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Harrison C.
Member since 2017 · 123 posts · 63 votes
4d
Jerry, that makes sense, and I would keep the tenant on one app if you can. Two logins is usually where tenants go back to texting your cell, which is the thing you started this thread to stop.
You do not need the rent tool to split the bank accounts for you. Let the deposit come in the same way rent does, then move it to the deposit account the day it clears and write down the date and amount. One transfer per tenant, once. Your books then show it where it belongs, as money you owe back, not rent.
So the one question for RentRedi is: does it record the deposit as its own line, separate from rent, so your year end income number leaves it out? If yes, one app is enough. If not, that is when a second tool earns its place.
1 Reply
Jim Johnson
Real Estate Agent · Memphis · Member since 2026 · 632 posts · 363 votes
4d
Google Voice is a good starting point for one rental, especially if you just want to keep your personal number separate. The free version should cover basic calls, texts, and voicemail for eligible US accounts. Once you're managing more properties, something like OpenPhone (now Quo) might be worth comparing if you need shared access or better message organization. No need to pay for a more complicated setup before you actually need it.
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Richard NeesePro Member
Rental Property Investor · South Vinemont, AL · Member since 2026 · 80 posts · 33 votes
4d
Hey Jerry, We are south of you on the Cullman/Morgan County line. We run our management and construction business through Google voice and take advantage of the recording option. We currently use buildium as our portal but our considering a move to RentRedi after we talked with them at the BP Con in Orlando. Google Voice also allowed us to grow and pass of "on call" role and hours. We actually use one for business hours and turn it off in the evening with our tenants having an Emergency line. that way we aren't taking application calls at 10pm but we know if it is an emergency we can answer and respond accordingly. Hope this helps. Thank you for contributing to our community.
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Deborah Scott
Member since 2026 · 5 posts · 6 votes
3d
Hi Jerry - I am new to using google voice. I have not had any issues with it and I do have texts coming in and replying just fine. I have the number on my biz cards and it’s at the top of my webpage getinvestmentmoneynow.com
It’s a great starting place and you can always upgrade to something else if you need to later.
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Daniel Jung
Member since 2026 · 89 posts · 31 votes
3d
Jerry, the separate number is the right first step, and the part that trips people up is usually not the app, it is the handover at move-in.
Put the business number in the lease and on the move-in sheet, and leave your personal number off both. If the personal number is anywhere in writing, tenants will use it, however good the system is.
Record a short voicemail greeting that names the rental business and says how to leave a message, and set up a simple auto-reply for texts saying when you check messages. That alone cuts down late-night calls.
Then test it the way a tenant would. Send a text and leave a voicemail from another phone, and check that both reach you. Check it again every month or two, because a number that stops working quietly is worse than no number at all.
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