Best Landlord App: Simplify Your Property Operations

Curious about which apps could boost your rental property business? You might think software for rent collection and tracking is enough, assuming you can handle everything else with basic spreadsheets and email. But as your property portfolio expands, will this manual approach still be enough?

This article explores how the right property management software can go beyond basic rent collection and spreadsheets, using industry-specific solutions to support your business operations. You'll learn what to look for to make the best choice for your needs. We also cover additional apps for inspections and tenant lead management.

Discover the best landlord app for your evaluation shortlist, and see how it can help you select quality tenants, maintain relationships, and grow profits.

Why you need property management software

Ask any experienced landlord, and you'll find they couldn't manage their rentals without great software. Here are a few reasons why:

• Scalability: Property management software lets you add properties without significantly increasing your administrative workload. Automation handles data entry and coordinating tasks like maintenance in one place.
• Data-driven decisions: Property management software with built-in accounting helps you decide whether to raise the rent or if you need to find ways to reduce expenses.
• Better tenant experience: The happier your tenants are, the fewer vacancies you'll have. Giving renters easy ways to pay rent, submit maintenance requests, and communicate with you can increase tenant satisfaction.
• Manage from anywhere: Property management software lets you efficiently handle the operations of your business no matter where you are. You can check on rent payments, approve maintenance requests, or review applications from your mobile phone in any location.

What to look for in a rental property management app

Every day, you're running around trying to find new tenants, show properties, collect rent, keep up with maintenance, and track financial performance. The best property management apps to help you run your investment business day to day include the following capabilities.

Fill vacancies

When it's time to fill your rental property, property management tools can help you find reliable tenants. Look for software with online applications and comprehensive tenant screening. This lets you customize applications to pre-screen before spending time and money on detailed vetting. The full screening process then helps maximize revenue, reduce evictions, and lowers the risk of property damage. A good property management app includes the following:

• Credit checks
• Background checks
• Income verification
• Rental history

Create lease agreements

Once you find the best tenants, you'll need a good way to create lease agreements that set clear rules and protect all parties legally. A good property management app should let you customize agreements for your specific needs and state regulations. The solution should allow you to add terms like these:

• Rental fees
• Pet rules and addendums
• Non-smoking policy
• Guest policy
• Subletting or subleasing rules
• Maintenance responsibilities

Collect rent

After tenant screening, an app's second most important capability is online rent collection. Traditional methods like getting checks by mail or collecting cash take time away from growing your business. Look for solutions that do the following:

• Offer flexible payment options like ACH and credit or debit cards.
• Help you collect one-time payments like security deposits and other fees.
• Have low transaction fees so you or your renters aren't paying excessive charges for online payments.
• Block partial payments to avoid legal issues if you need to handle evictions.

Manage tenant relationships

The property management software you choose should help you manage tenants daily. This means using the platform for the following:

• Allowing tenants to submit maintenance requests that you can track.
• Answering questions about leases or the property by finding information quickly in a centralized location.
• Handling evictions with easily accessible documentation.

Optimize finances

You need a good way to track the property's overall accounting. Built-in accounting features help you see rental income and expenses so you can take action on any changes. Good property management software also makes tax time easier by providing reports and details you need to do the following:

• Summarize income and expenses with profit and loss statements.
• Prepare 1099 forms for contractors.
• Organize receipts and financial documents.

Retain tenants

The right property management solution can help you retain tenants and reduce turnover by giving them extra features that make their lives easier. Here are some examples:

• Providing a tenant portal so renters can easily see the status of their rent payments.
• Offering features that help tenants build credit.
• Connecting tenants with renter's insurance to protect their belongings.

Store documents

As things happen in your rental business, you need a good system for records and documentation. This includes copies of tenant notices, communication, and lease agreements. Knowing you can access this information in one place can prevent stress. Look for central and secure document storage solutions to keep your rental business organized and efficient.

One experienced landlord, Reddit user inventingme, shared the following on the r/landlord subreddit:

"I've just sold off my properties after 10 years of landlord ingredients. Here's what I did, and what I wish I had done. File structure: Top folder called Properties or whatever, then folders for each property by address. Within those, Purchase folder w HUD statement, contracts whatever, Upfit folder with any contractor contracts or documents, such as painter, glass man, etc. Current Tenant, Past Tenants and Applications. Then, each tenant gets a folder Smith Lease, and within it, a Word file of the lease, a scanned executed lease, any notices sent, utility bills not paid, etc."

A centralized approach can help landlords keep track of important documents for each property and tenant, making it easier to access information when you need it.

Comprehensive property management apps

A property manager or landlord needs full-featured property management software to simplify operations. Here are a few of the best property management apps to check out:

1. Azibo

Azibo is an all-in-one property management solution that gives real estate investors everything they need to run their businesses. Even better, most features are free for landlords, no matter how many units they have. Supporting your operations from a single platform helps keep expenses low and reduce operational costs.

Key features:

• Tenant screening: Choose the best tenants for your rental properties with detailed screening reports that include credit checks, background checks, income verification, and rental histories.
• Rent collection: Easily collect rent online and offer flexible payment options for tenants. You can customize your rent collection process, including grace periods and late fees, and even send rent reminders.
• Lease agreements: Create legally compliant state-specific lease agreements so you don't have to worry if you are following your local laws. Use built-in e-sign for all parties to easily execute the agreement.
• Accounting: You don't have to worry about manually recording rent payments or operating costs if you use Azibo's rental accounting features. This integration connects to your bank account and automatically pulls transactions to simplify the entire process.
• Maintenance management: Allow tenants to use the mobile app to submit maintenance requests and upload pictures or videos of the problem. You can then leverage Azibo for overall maintenance tracking to see the status and prioritize.
• Document storage: Throughout a tenancy, you'll accumulate documents like lease agreements, payment history, or even potential copies of notices like lease violations. Using an integrated platform like Azibo makes it so much easier to store your documents all in one place versus using many different storage apps.
• Tenant benefits: Azibo offers services for tenants like Credit Boost, which helps improve credit scores just by paying rent, and renters insurance to protect their personal property.

Pricing:

• For landlords: Most features are free. Lease agreements with e-sign capabilities are $29.99.
• For tenants: Tenant screenings are $39.99. Credit/debit card rent payments have a 2.99% convenience fee. Credit Boost is $4.99/month, and renter's insurance pricing depends on each tenant's specific needs.

2. Apartments.com

Apartments.com is primarily a platform for rental listings, but it does have capabilities for property managers to collect rent online and handle tenant screening.

Key features:

• Rental listings: Landlords can use the platform to fill vacancies by advertising rental listings and scheduling property showings.
• Tenant screening: Screen potential tenants with eviction reports, criminal history, and credit scores.
• Rent collection: Allow online payments using ACH, debit/credit cards, or Google Pay.

Pricing:

• For landlords: You can place rental listings for free or upgrade to the premium plan, which increases visibility, unlocks property videos, and provides more details.
• For tenants: Tenant screening reports are $29.99. Credit/debit card or Google Pay rent payments have a 2.75% transaction fee.

3. Landlord Studio

Landlord Studio's property management app provides a range of capabilities that are free for up to three units.

Key features:

• Rental listings: Landlord Studio offers rental listing syndication, which allows you to share your vacancies across multiple listing websites.
• Rent collection: Accept online rent payments, set up rent reminders, and block partial payments. Landlord Studio accepts ACH payments only.
• Maintenance: Enable tenants to submit maintenance requests via a tenant portal, and track the status of repairs.

Pricing:

• For landlords: Free plan up to three rental properties and tenant screening is $50.00. The paid plan is $12.00/month and $45.00 for each tenant screening.
• For tenants: ACH rent payments are $2.50 per transaction.

4. RentRedi

RentRedi provides a set of features for rental property owners to manage their investments.

Key features:

• Tenant screening: Landlords can get credit, eviction, and criminal reports for potential tenants.
• Premium maintenance: Tenants can submit maintenance requests, and the platform automatically connects with service providers to simplify rental management.
• e-Sign: RentRedi allows you to upload and collect digital signatures for leases, but it doesn't offer built-in lease generation.

Pricing:

• For landlords: RentRedi starts at $29.00 per month if you choose not to commit to a longer term.
• For tenants: ACH payments are $1.00 per transaction. Debit/credit card payments incur a 3.1% fee plus $0.30 per transaction.

5. TurboTenant

TurboTenant's rental property management software supports multiple operational areas for your rental business.

Key features:

• Rental listings: Property owners can build a listing for your rental property and use TurboTenant's syndication service to advertise on multiple rental platforms.
• Rental applications: Online rental applications collect basic information to start pre-screening tenants, asking about rental history, income, and other information like pets and smoking.
• Accounting: TurboTenant offers integrated accounting at an additional cost based on the number of rental properties.

Pricing:

• For landlords: TurboTenant offers a free basic plan with many features. Premium plans are $119.04 per year, including lease agreements and a forms pack, which cost $59 per lease and $199 on the basic plan. Integrated accounting ranges from $15 to $85 per month based on unit count.
• For tenants: ACH rent payments incur a $2.00 fee per transaction, waived if the landlord has a premium plan. Credit/debit card payments have a 3.49% convenience fee. Tenant screening costs $55.00.

6. Zillow Rental Manager

The property management industry primarily uses Zillow to list rental properties or find homes for sale. The platform also offers some property management capabilities.

Key features:

• Advertise vacancies: Use the platform to list vacant rental units and reach potential tenants across Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads, which together attract 30 million visitors per month.
• Lease agreements: You can upload your own rental agreement or create a state-specific one if your rental property is in one of the 37 states where Zillow offers agreements.
• Rent collection: Collect rent online and enable tenants to pay via ACH or credit/debit cards.

Pricing:

• For landlords: You can post a listing for free or pay for premium listings that increase exposure.
• For tenants: ACH rent payments are free, credit card transactions have a 2.95% fee, and debit payments cost $9.95. Screening reports are $35.00, and the renter can use the same report to apply to other participating rentals for 30 days.

Niche property management apps

While comprehensive property management apps offer a wide range of features, some landlords may find they need more specialized tools for other areas of their business. Here are a few niche apps that complement your primary property management platform.

Tenant leasing and scheduling software

You can use specialized software to manage tenant leads and schedule showings, eliminating the need for in-person contact and reducing rental scams. Users discuss these tools on Reddit forums like the r/propertymanagement subreddit, where they share best practices for handling remote showings. One user, whoisjon_galt, shared the following:

"ShowMojo is who my company uses, and it's been great. There's a ton of anti-fraud measures built into their processes to guard against all the potentially devious ways people may try to abuse the system. It's worked well for us."

This feedback highlights the benefits of using specialized property management apps for managing tenant leads and scheduling showings, emphasizing their effectiveness in reducing fraud and improving overall management processes.

A couple of options for scheduling and remote showings to consider include the following:

1. ShowMojo

This app allows prospective tenants to book appointments online, and it provides self-showing options for automation and convenience. The app also provides call center services for tenant qualification and scheduling. You can choose several features to create your pricing plan for this property management app.

Pricing:

• For landlords: Basic pricing starts at $68.00/month for one property, with listing, scheduling, and self-guided tours. Lockboxes are $5.00/month for each box.

2. TenantTurner

TenantTurner's service helps landlords manage renter leads. It offers CRM software to track applicants, call center support to assist with scheduling showings, and automated responses to potential tenants.

Pricing:

• For landlords: Pricing starts at $1.20 per unit per month, with a minimum charge of $60.00 per month. This includes automated answering, unlimited leads, calendar support, and access for unlimited users. Additional features include a lockbox add-on starting at $90.00/month plus a $5.00 monthly service fee per lockbox and a call center for tenant leads starting at $100.00/month for up to 50 minutes.

Property inspection software

Every time a tenant moves in or out, you need an inspection. You should also plan for annual inspections to keep your properties in good shape. Managing these can be much easier with property management apps built specifically for these tasks. In the r/PropertyManagement subreddit, user thepongwiz asked the following:

"Hello! Our city is requiring us to provide very detailed written pre-move in assessments to incoming tenants. I have just been using a Google doc I made but I am wondering if anyone knows of an app that I could use to document room by room condition and then generate a PDF report to send to the tenant?"

Property managers can use inspection tools to meet regulatory requirements and maintain detailed records. A few options to check out include the following:

1. Z Inspector

This app allows detailed property inspections with 360-degree photos, customizable templates, and time-stamped records for documentation.

Pricing:

• For landlords: Z Inspector offers a free plan for up to five units, and paid plans start at $60.00/month for unlimited inspections, users, and devices.

2. Property Inspect

You can leverage this digital platform for detailed inspection reports with photos, notes, and signatures.

Pricing:

• For landlords: Property Inspect starts at $49.00/month for unlimited inspections, one user, and up to 100 units.

3. SnapInspect

Leverage this property management app to create video and photo documentation, customizable templates, and automated reports.

Pricing:

• For landlords: Pricing starts at $199.00/month for unlimited inspections and multiple checklist types.

Best rental management app

Selecting the right property management apps can improve a landlord's business operations. Comprehensive solutions like Azibo handle everything from tenant screening to rent collection, and specialized tools assist with inspections and showings. Using the right tech stack can improve your process and reduce stress.

Take a close look at your current approach. Are you still relying on spreadsheets and email for tasks that you could automate? Are you struggling to keep up with maintenance requests or document organization? If so, it's time to upgrade your landlord software tools.

Start by identifying your biggest pain points, then explore the apps discussed in this article. The right software can make a big difference for your business.

Best landlord app: FAQs

Is Cash App good for landlords?

Cash App is convenient but lacks features like automated reminders and blocking partial payments.

Are real estate apps worth it?

Yes, real estate apps are worth it for managing tasks like property management, tenant screening, and rent collection.

What is the app that tracks rent payments?

Azibo is a free app that tracks rent payments. It allows landlords to monitor rent collection, automate reminders, and keep detailed payment records.