Managing a few rental units might sound like a walk in the park, that is, until late rent payments, unreturned maintenance calls, and heaps of paperwork start to pile up. That’s exactly why using property management software for small landlords has become more than just a convenience; it’s a necessity.
From rent collection and lease tracking to maintenance requests and tenant screening, these tools help save time, reduce unnecessary stress, and keep your business running smoothly, even if it’s just you and a few doors to manage.
Whether you’re juggling duplexes or a dozen single-family homes, this list walks you through the best property management software options available for small landlords.
Best Property Management Software for Small Landlords
If you’re just starting out, managing rentals as a side hustle, or operating at a small scale, you should avoid tools with complex interfaces or high monthly fees. The platforms listed below offer all the features you need at little to no cost. These tools are perfect for small landlords who want simplicity without sacrificing functionality.
1- Yardi Breeze
If you’re familiar with Yardi Voyager but need a simpler platform for a smaller or growing portfolio, Yardi Breeze provides access to many core Yardi property management functions without the complexity of a larger enterprise system.
It is a more streamlined alternative to Yardi Voyager for landlords and property managers who need accounting, leasing, online rent collection, maintenance management, resident communication, and reporting in one platform.
As part of Yardi’s broader property management solutions, Breeze also gives growing property managers a path to more advanced Yardi products if their requirements become more complex.
For residential properties, Yardi Breeze currently starts at $1 per unit per month with a $100 monthly minimum, based on an annual agreement. There are no separate onboarding, training, or support fees listed for the standard Breeze residential plan.
2- TurboTenant
TurboTenant is a good option for self-managing landlords who want to handle basic rental tasks without paying a monthly software fee. Its Free plan includes unlimited property listings, online applications and screening, rent collection, and maintenance requests.
Landlords can manage their portfolio for $0 per month, while applicants generally pay for screening reports. TurboTenant also offers paid Essentials and Pro plans for landlords who need additional features such as lease agreements, e-signatures, faster rent payouts, and accounting tools.
Essentials currently starts at $12.42 per month when billed annually, while Pro starts at $16.58 per month when billed annually for portfolios of up to 10 units.
3- Innago
Innago is another option for landlords who want core property management software without a recurring subscription fee. The platform includes online rent collection, tenant screening, lease signing, maintenance management, tenant communication, listings, and expense reporting.
Innago currently charges landlords no monthly software fee, setup fee, or contract fee. Some services used through the platform, such as payment processing and tenant screening, may involve separate transaction charges.
For independent landlords who want to move rent collection, leases, maintenance requests, and tenant records out of spreadsheets without adding another monthly software subscription, Innago is worth considering.
4- TenantCloud
TenantCloud offers property management software for landlords who want to manage rent payments, maintenance, listings, applications, and tenant information from one platform.
Unlike older versions of TenantCloud, it no longer offers a permanent free plan. The Starter plan currently begins at $15 per month when billed annually, and a 14-day free trial is available. Higher-tier plans add features such as more advanced reporting, tax reports, bank reconciliation, and owner management tools.
This makes TenantCloud a more practical option for DIY landlords who are comfortable paying a modest subscription in exchange for having their day-to-day property management tools in one system.
5- Stessa
Stessa takes an accounting-first approach to rental property management. It is particularly useful for landlords and rental investors who want to track property-level income, expenses, bank transactions, financial reports, and other information related to the financial side of their portfolio.
Its Essentials plan is free and supports unlimited properties. The free plan currently includes automatic bank feeds, basic financial reports, rent collection, tenant screening, vacancy marketing, maintenance requests, and maintenance tracking.
Stessa also offers paid plans for landlords who want more advanced features. The Manage plan currently starts at $12 per month when paid annually. Stessa is part of Roofstock and was built specifically around rental property ownership and financial management.
6- Buildium
Buildium combines property accounting with broader property management tools, making it better suited to landlords and property management businesses that need more than basic rent collection and tenant tracking.
Its Essential plan includes core accounting, maintenance, leasing, communications, and reporting functionality. This can be useful for growing portfolios that want to manage both financial and operational workflows within the same platform.
Buildium currently starts at $62 per month for the Essential plan. Growth starts at $192 per month, while Premium starts at $400 per month. Buildium costs more than many landlord-focused tools on this list, but it also provides a broader property management feature set.
7- DoorLoop
DoorLoop brings rent collection, tenant portals, maintenance requests, accounting, reporting, and communication tools into one property management platform.
The Starter plan currently begins at $69 per month when billed annually for up to 10 units. The standard monthly price for the same plan is $99 per month. This makes DoorLoop more expensive than many free or low-cost options, but it provides a broader range of built-in management features.
DoorLoop also supports integration with QuickBooks Online, although QuickBooks Sync is not included with the Starter plan. Landlords who need that integration must use the Pro or Premium tier.
8- Rentec Direct
Rentec Direct combines rental accounting with tenant and property management tools. It can be useful for independent landlords who want more structured accounting and reporting without moving immediately to an enterprise property management system.
The Rentec Starter plan currently costs $25 per month for up to 10 properties and tenants. It includes property and tenant accounting, financial reporting, online rent payments, and onboarding support.
For landlords who need additional functionality, Rentec Pro starts at $50 per month and adds tools such as automatic bank transaction synchronization, QuickBooks synchronization, integrations, and support for larger portfolios. Rentec PM is designed more specifically for professional property managers.
9- RentRedi
RentRedi is designed around mobile property management, allowing landlords and tenants to handle many common rental tasks through their phones.
The platform includes rent collection, accounting and reporting, applications and screening, listings and leasing, maintenance management, tenant messaging, and mobile apps. RentRedi also offers features such as maintenance requests with photos and videos and optional rent reporting for tenants.
Pricing is currently $29.95 per month when paid monthly. Landlords who choose annual billing pay the equivalent of $12 per month, and the subscription includes unlimited properties and tenants.
10- Avail
Avail is built around the common tasks DIY landlords need to handle, including rental listings, applications, tenant screening, leases, rent collection, maintenance requests, tenant communication, and income and expense tracking.
Its Unlimited plan is free and supports unlimited units. This makes it particularly accessible to landlords who want essential property management functions without committing to a monthly software subscription.
Avail also offers Unlimited Plus for $9 per unit per month. The paid plan adds features such as faster rent payments, waived ACH fees, customizable applications and leases, reusable lease templates, and a branded property website.
11- Hemlane
Hemlane takes a slightly different approach by combining property management software with optional hands-on services. Landlords can use the software on its own or move to higher plans when they want help coordinating tasks such as repairs and tenant communication.
Hemlane now offers a Free Starter plan that includes rental advertising, tenant screening, bank synchronization, rental accounting, cash-flow reports, and income statements.
Its Basic software plan adds lease management, document storage, e-signatures, rent collection, tenant messaging, and other tools. Basic pricing starts with a $28 monthly platform fee plus $2 per unit.
Higher service tiers add more hands-on assistance. The Essential plan includes repair coordination, while Complete adds broader property management assistance and tenant communications.
12- AppFolio
AppFolio offers a broad property management platform that includes property accounting, leasing and marketing, work orders, inspections, communications, reporting, and integrations.
However, it is important to distinguish AppFolio from many of the small-landlord tools on this list. Its current Core plan has a 50-unit minimum as well as a minimum-spend requirement, making it better suited to professional property managers and larger or rapidly growing portfolios than landlords managing only a few rentals.
AppFolio no longer publishes the old $1.49-per-unit starting price. Current pricing is quote-based, so prospective customers need to contact AppFolio for pricing based on their portfolio and requirements.
For landlords approaching professional property management scale, it may be worth evaluating. For someone managing only a handful of properties, one of the lower-cost platforms above will generally be easier to justify.
13- Propertyware
Propertyware is primarily designed for single-family property management businesses, particularly those managing scattered-site portfolios across multiple locations.
The platform combines accounting, maintenance management, marketing, tenant and owner portals, screening, payments, reporting, inspections, e-signatures, and customization tools. This makes it considerably more comprehensive than basic landlord software.
Propertyware Basic currently starts at $1 per unit per month with a $250 monthly minimum. There is also an implementation fee equal to twice the monthly subscription price.
Because of that $250 minimum, Propertyware is generally better suited to larger or more complex single-family portfolios than landlords managing just a few properties.
A Side-by-Side Comparison
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the 13 best property management software for small landlords.
|
Software |
Pricing | Free Version | Key Features |
Best For |
| Yardi Breeze | $1/unit/month, $100 monthly minimum, annual agreement |
No |
Rent collection, tenant communication, maintenance, reporting | Small landlords with plans to scale |
| TurboTenant | Free for landlords (tenant pays for screening) |
Yes |
Rent collection, marketing, screening, digital leases | First-time landlords, small units |
| Innago | Free for landlords (tenant pays for services) |
Yes |
Rent collection, lease signing, maintenance tracking | Small landlords who need simple tools |
| TenantCloud | $15/mo billed annually or $18/mo monthly for Starter |
No free plan |
Maintenance, rent collection, accounting, flexible paid plans | Small landlords, flexible growth options |
| Stessa | Free Essentials plan |
Yes |
Income/expense tracking, tax data, reporting | Landlords focusing on accounting |
| Buildium | $62/month Essential |
No |
Accounting, leasing, rent collection, maintenance | Small-to-mid size landlords |
| DoorLoop | Starts at $69/month for 20 units |
No |
Rent tracking, maintenance, financial reporting, QuickBooks sync | Landlords needing an easy-to-use platform |
| Rentec Direct | $25/month Starter for up to 10 properties |
No |
Accounting, marketing, credit screening, portals | Independent landlords, customizable needs |
| RentRedi | Starts at $29.95/month |
No |
Mobile-first, video maintenance, credit-building rent payments | On-the-go landlords, mobile-focused users |
| Avail | Free version, Unlimited Plus $9/unit/month |
Yes |
Banking integrations, tenant management, ACH fee waivers | Simple, scalable platform for landlords |
| Hemlane | Free Starter; Basic = $28 platform fee + $2/unit |
Yes |
Leasing support, vendor coordination, maintenance tracking | Landlords needing hybrid support |
| AppFolio | Contact sales / quote-based; 50-unit minimum for Core |
No |
Lease summaries, smart reporting, robust accounting tools | Small landlords planning for growth |
| Propertyware | Starts at $1/unit/month (min $250/month) |
No |
Customization, marketing, maintenance, reporting | Landlords with scattered-site portfolios |
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right property management software for small landlords doesn’t mean picking the flashiest platform. It means finding what fits your current workflow and budget.
Take advantage of property software free trial offers, weigh your must-have features, and don’t get stuck paying for more than you need. Whether you’re using it to collect rent, run background checks, or just stay organized, the best tool is the one that makes your life easier consistently.
Try a few. Trust your instincts. And when you find the one that clicks, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.
Looking to integrate Yardi into your current workflows? ND Consulting can help.
