Property management software marketed to big operators is overkill for a fourplex, and a spreadsheet is underkill the moment you have more than two tenants. The sweet spot for 1-10 unit landlords is a platform that handles rent collection, ledgers, maintenance requests, and year-end tax forms without enterprise pricing.
What a Small Landlord Actually Needs
- Online rent collection with ACH (and card as an option)
- Per-property ledgers that map cleanly to Schedule E categories
- Maintenance request intake with photo uploads
- Document storage: leases, addenda, insurance declarations
- Tenant screening with application fees paid by applicants
- 1099 preparation for contractors and 1098 mortgage interest forms
Nice-to-haves: listing syndication, e-signatures, RUBS/utility billing support.
The Main Contenders
| Platform | Pricing Model | Strengths | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avail (by Realtor.com) | Free tier; paid ~$60/yr per unit | Strong free tier, syndication, e-signatures | Limited accounting depth |
| TurboTenant | Free core; fees on services | Great screening flow, free listings | Payment fees on some tiers |
| RentRedi | ~$12-20/mo flat | Mobile-first, tenant app, maintenance video | Accounting is basic |
| Stessa (by Roofstock) | Free core | Excellent income/expense tracking tied to Schedule E | Rent collection is a paid add-on |
| Buildium | ~$55+/mo | Full accounting, scalable past 10 units | Priced and complex for tiny portfolios |
| AppFolio | Enterprise-ish | Industry standard at scale | Overkill under ~20 units |
| Baselane | Free core | Banking + bookkeeping + rent in one | Newer platform, fewer integrations |
Matching the Tool to Your Strategy
Self-managing 1-3 units, want free
Avail or TurboTenant. Free rent collection (tenant-paid fees optional), solid screening, and enough structure to stay organized. Pair with a simple expense spreadsheet or Stessa for bookkeeping.
4-10 units, want real books
Stessa + RentRedi, or Buildium if you want one system. At this size, clean per-property expense tracking saves real money at tax time — every documented dollar is a Schedule E deduction (see our Schedule E guide).
Planning to scale past 10 units
Start on Buildium or AppFolio early. Migrating ledgers mid-growth is painful; the monthly fee is cheaper than the migration.
The ACH Fee Math
Most platforms charge tenants $0-$2 for ACH payments and 2.75-3.5% for cards. Best practice: make ACH the default and free, charge card fees to tenants who choose cards, and never absorb card fees on rent — a $1,800 rent paid by card at 3% is $54/month of margin gone.
Setup Checklist for Any Platform
- Add each property and unit separately (this powers per-unit ledgers)
- Enter opening balances: deposits held, prepaid rent, outstanding balances
- Upload leases and insurance documents
- Set rent due dates, grace periods, and late fee rules to match your lease
- Invite tenants and require ACH
- Connect bank feeds for automatic expense categorization
- Export a test Schedule E report before year-end — fix categories in November, not April
The Bottom Line
For most 2-4 unit landlords, a free tier of Avail or TurboTenant plus Stessa for books covers 95% of needs at near-zero cost. Pay for software only when a specific problem — scale, accounting depth, or maintenance volume — demands it.
Once your books are clean, your T-12-style numbers feed directly into the Multifamily Cash Flow & NOI Calculator for accurate deal analysis and refinancing packages.