Most landlords want to spend less time handling day-to-day operations and more time finding new properties to grow their business. How can you do that when you're chasing down rent payments, coordinating maintenance requests, and trying to find new tenants for your vacancies? That's where property management software comes in.
This article covers free rental property management solutions that can make your life as a landlord much easier. While rent collection or tenant screening might be your immediate concern, these platforms often offer much more functionality, such as automating your accounting and streamlining maintenance management.
We'll explore the best free options on the market, highlighting key features, what's truly free, and any potential costs for you or your tenants.
Ready to automate more of your rental operations? Keep reading to discover how you can start working smarter, not harder.
What to look for in free property management software
Even though you're looking at free software, it will still take time for you and your team to learn the platform, set it up, and leverage it in your business. You'll want to make the best decision so you don't waste months on a solution that doesn't give you what you need. Here's what to look for:
Rental applications
Finding and choosing tenants is much easier when you use online rental applications. Choose a property management platform that allows you to customize your application to meet your criteria and needs. By incorporating specific requirements into your application, you can filter candidates before scheduling viewings or interviews.
Tenant screening
Look for a platform that simplifies tenant screening by automatically importing data from rental applications. The best screening services offer a complete background check that covers credit history, criminal records, and past rental information. These comprehensive reports help you make decisions quickly, reducing vacancy times and potentially avoiding costly evictions down the line.
Lease agreements
After selecting tenants, your rental property management platform should help with lease agreements. These agreements protect both you and the tenant and serve as your go-to resource if issues arise. While you can find generic agreements online and attempt to customize them to comply with state and local laws (or hire a lawyer to create one), there's a better option.
The ideal solution is to use a management platform that provides both of the following:
This approach verifies that your lease agreements are both legally sound and convenient.
Rent collection
The main reason for owning rental properties is to generate rental income, so your property management software should simplify collecting rent. Online rent payments are far more efficient than collecting cash or checks from tenants.
A good system lets you set rules, such as not accepting partial payments. It also sends rent reminders, provides receipts, and keeps records of payments across all your rental properties.
Integrated accounting
Rental property accounting isn't always the most fun task in the world. You need to keep track of rent payments, operational expense tracking, and other fees that affect your rental property business.
Look for a free property management platform that can automatically import bank transactions so you don't have to do all this work manually.
Financial management
Understanding the property's overall financial health is key for property managers or landlords. Rental property management platforms should provide capabilities like budgeting and forecasting so you can make strategic decisions about your investment.
Maintenance management
Look for free a property management platform that allows you to track maintenance requests easily. Solutions should allow tenants to submit requests online and upload pictures or videos with specific details. From there, you should be able to use the platform to assign resources and track status.
The best options will also help with scheduling routine maintenance, managing vendor relationships, and generating reports to keep you on top of your property's needs.
Document storage
Throughout the course of a tenancy, you'll accumulate documents like the lease agreement, rent payment receipts, maintenance records, and even notices like warnings or evictions. It's always a good idea to save documentation, and a good property management platform allows you to keep everything in one digital place so you can find it when you need it.
Customer support
Look for property management software with great reviews and multiple support options to help you troubleshoot issues quickly.
5 best free property management software platforms
Here are five free property management platform recommendations to help you maximize your daily operations.
1. Azibo
Azibo's all-in-one platform covers everything you need to operate your business. Most of the capabilities are free, no matter how many properties you have.
Key features:
- Rental applications: Azibo offers a customizable online rental application you can use to collect information from potential tenants easily.
- Tenant screening: Get detailed reports on a potential tenant's financial situation and rental history, including eviction reports and criminal background checks.
- Online rent collection: Collect rent online and allow tenants to pay via ACH or credit/debit.
- Lease agreements: Azibo's state-specific lease agreements include digital e-sign so that you can easily send, sign, and store your lease documents online.
- Accounting and financial management: Azbio's integrated accounting allows you to automate expense tracking and rental income status.
- Maintenance requests: Maintenance management features let you see and respond to requests in real-time, allowing you to stay ahead of property upkeep, protect your investments, and keep tenants happy.
- Document storage: Property owners can leverage Azibo's secure document storage to keep everything in one place and easily find the information they need without digging through paper files or multiple software tools.
What's free and what isn't?
- Landlords: Everything is free except for $29.99 per state-specific rental agreement.
- Tenants: $39.99 per tenant screening. For rent payments, there's a 2.99% convenience fee for credit/debit cards and no fees for ACH transfers.
Azibo user testimonial
In the r/landlord subreddit, one user shared their experience with Azibo:
"Landlord here. It's AWESOME! I love it. It is quite surprising to me why it's not popular among landlords. I collect rent, security deposits, renters insurance, other payments and all through Azibo. I used to manage my bookkeeping aside, but have started using Azibo since I am working with three bank accounts and one credit card for my rentals. Azibo can connect to these bank accounts and manage all transactions into one place (no more manually downloading/exporting transactions!)."
2. Apartments.com
Apartments.com purchased Cozy in 2018, allowing the platform to collect rent online and adding other property management capabilities.
Key features:
- Property listings: The site is one of the largest sites for advertising vacancies and finding potential tenants.
- Tenant screening: Apartments.com also provides capabilities for screening potential tenants with credit reports and rental history verification.
- Rent payment: You can collect rent payments, automate late fees, and record offline payments in the system.
What's free and what isn't?
- Landlords: Most offerings are free. Landlords can choose to pay for premium listings.
- Tenants: Screening is $29.99. Rent payments via checking accounts are free, but credit/debit card payments have a 2.75% fee.
3. TurboTenant
TurboTenant's management platform has a free plan for landlords to manage their rental investments.
Key features:
- Tenant screening: TurboTenant provides comprehensive background checks, credit reports, and eviction history for potential tenants.
- Rental agreements: Create customized rental agreements that specify your property's rules and details.
- Accounting: Utilize built-in accounting features to generate income statements and gain visibility into your overall financial status.
What's free and what isn't?
- Landlords: There is a free plan, but landlords can pay $9.92/month for additional features like customizable lease agreements, unlimited document storage, and priority customer support.
- Tenants: Under the free plan, tenants pay $55 for screenings, $2 for ACH fees, and a 3.49% credit/debit card fee.
4. Rentler
Rentler is primarily an advertisement site for real estate investors to post open rental listings, but it also has some property management capabilities.
Key features:
- Property rental listing: Create and manage rental listings to attract potential tenants.
- Tenant screening: Background checks include credit, bankruptcy, eviction, income, and criminal records.
- Rent collection: Landlords can use Rentler for online rent payments, including monthly fees and one-time payments like security deposits.
What's free and what isn't?
- Landlords: Many features are free. Landlords can pay $19.95 for Rentler's rentability report and $25 for access to legal forms. Advertising rental listings starts at $15/day.
- Tenants: For online rent collection, ACH fees are $1.95 per transaction, credit/debit cards 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction. Screening reports are $45 for 30 days of use on any rental listing on the site.
5. Zillow rental manager
Zillow is a major marketplace for both sales and rentals, and it offers property management capabilities within its platform.
Key features:
- Rental listings: A property manager can create and manage rental listings on Zillow, Trulia, and Hotpads.
- Collect rent: Zillow's online rent payments feature allows a landlord or property management company to set up automatic payments, charge late fees, and send rent reminders.
- Maintenance: Tenants can submit requests online, and landlords can create work orders to track their status.
What's free and what isn't?
- Landlords: Most features are free. Premium listings are $29.99 for up to 90 days.
- Tenants: Potential tenants pay a $35 tenant screening and application fee. Rent payment fees include a 2.95% fee for credit cards and a $9.95 fee for debit card payments. ACH is free.
Free property rental software
Implementing the right property management platform can be a turning point for landlords. These free tools provide comprehensive solutions to streamline operations and save time.
When selecting a platform, consider which features best suit your current needs and future goals. Whether you need tenant screening, maintenance tracking, or financial reporting, there's likely a free option that fits the bill.
Don't wait to modernize your property management approach. With these free tools at your fingertips, there's no reason to stick with outdated methods.
Free rental property management software: FAQs
How much is the RentRedi app?
RentRedi costs $29.95/month or $12/month with an annual plan.
Can you use Excel for property management?
Yes, you can use Excel for property management to track rent payments and expenses, but specialized software provides more robust features and automation.
Written by
Nichole Stohler
Download Now: Master Rent Collection with Firmness and Empathy
Download Now: Master Rent Collection with Firmness and Empathy
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