What is property management software?
Property management software is an online system for running rentals. It holds the tenants and leases, the rent charges and payments, the repair requests, and the documents for each unit, so landlords and property managers can stop relying on spreadsheets, paper files, and a phone full of repair texts.
What does property management software do?
Most products are built around the same records. They differ in how much they do beyond them.
- Tenant and lease records: who lives in each unit, how to reach them, the lease dates, the rent, and the deposit.
- A rent ledger: each charge and payment with a running balance, plus late fees under the rules in the lease.
- Maintenance requests: tenants report a problem with details and photos, and the landlord assigns a vendor and follows the job to completion.
- Documents and notices: leases, inspection reports, and notices filed with the property and the tenant they belong to.
- Portals: tenants, vendors, and owners each sign in to see their own part, so fewer updates go by phone and text.
- Reports and accounting: rent and property reports, with full bookkeeping in some products and a connection to software such as QuickBooks in others.
Some products also collect rent online, advertise vacancies on listing sites, screen applicants, or send leases for e-signature. Check which of these a product does itself and which it passes to another service, because that changes the price and the work left for you.
Who uses property management software?
Independent landlords with one rental up to about twenty units use it to keep rent and repairs in order without hiring a manager. They mostly need a clear ledger, an easy way for tenants to report repairs, and a price that makes sense for a few doors.
Property managers and their teams look after rentals for owners. They need roles so each person sees the right properties, reports for owners, a way to work with vendors, and connections to accounting and email. Larger portfolios also care about an audit history and getting their data out.
How is property management software priced?
Most products bill monthly, and the way a product counts your portfolio matters as much as the price on its pricing page. These are the common models:
- Per unit: a fee for each unit you manage, often whether or not it is occupied.
- Tiers: plans that cover a range of units, with more features on the higher ones.
- Minimums: a minimum monthly charge or number of units, common in products built for larger managers.
- Per active tenant: Rentals369 counts only active tenants, so vacant units and past tenants cost nothing.
- Add-ons and usage fees: online payments, screening, accounting connections, and e-signatures are often priced on top.
Ask for the total at your size, including setup fees, add-ons, and any annual contract. The property management software comparisons list published prices for eight products, with a link to the source for each one.
What should you look for?
- What it replaces. List the spreadsheets, apps, and paper files you use today and check that each job has a place.
- Who needs access. Tenants, owners, vendors, and staff, and what each of them should and should not see.
- Rent. Decide whether you want the software to collect payments or only to record them.
- Accounting. Built-in bookkeeping, a connection to the accounting software you already use, or reports you hand to a bookkeeper.
- Phone access. Whether you can check work and records away from a desk.
- Security. Two-factor sign-in, access by role, and a record of who changed what.
- Terms. Monthly or annual billing, setup fees, cancellation, and how you export your data.
- Moving over. Whether the company helps you bring in tenants, balances, and documents.
When is a spreadsheet no longer enough?
A spreadsheet works for one or two rentals. It starts to slip when a balance depends on remembering which payment covered which charge, when repair requests arrive by text, call, and email, and when finding a lease means searching your inbox. If you rebuild who owes what every month, a ledger for each tenant takes that step away. The guides to tracking rent for multiple tenants and handling maintenance requests work with or without software.
Where Rentals369 fits
Rentals369 is property management software for independent landlords and property managers. One plan includes every core feature: the rent ledger with late-fee rules, maintenance requests with vendor dispatch, tenant records, documents and notices, inspections, and portals for tenants, vendors, and owners. Landlords and managers can also use the Android app.
It costs $19.99 a month for up to 5 active tenants, then $1.50 for each tenant from 6 to 20 and $0.75 for each one after that, up to 1,000,000. Paying yearly costs 20% less.
Rentals369 does not collect rent online and does not syndicate listings. Applications hand off screening to TransUnion SmartMove, RentSpree, Zillow Rental Manager, or Apartments.com. If you need online rent collection, compare products that offer it.
See how it works for independent landlords or for property managers and teams, or calculate your price.
Common questions
Do small landlords need property management software?
Not always. With one rental and a tenant who pays on time, a careful spreadsheet and a folder can be enough. Software helps once you have several tenants, repairs to follow up, or another person who needs to see the records.
Can property management software collect rent?
Many products can, usually with a fee for each payment. Others, Rentals369 among them, record the payments you receive and keep each balance without processing payments.
What does property management software cost?
It ranges from free plans with paid extras to custom quotes with unit minimums. Rentals369 starts at $19.99 a month for up to 5 active tenants, with every core feature included.
Is property management software secure?
That depends on the product. Look for HTTPS, two-factor sign-in, access limited by role, encrypted sensitive fields, and an audit log. Rentals369 includes each of these on every plan.
