Sometimes you choose the landlord life. Other times, it chooses you. In this day and age, it is becoming increasingly common for property owners to become “accidental landlords”—people who never intended to be landlords, but ended up playing the role due to necessity or just due to a desire to earn some passive income. Not everyone has to be a landlord full-time; in fact, many people aren’t. They’ve simply found a financial benefit in renting out their property.
Working as a landlord comes with a certain amount of responsibility, but it also allows you to collect some extra money and help tenants who need somewhere affordable to live. It’s unsurprising that more and more Americans are choosing to rent out their properties and homes, but some find that they’ve taken on a bit more than they can handle. If you’re working as a landlord and finding it to be a bit more overwhelming than you’d initially expected, perhaps you need to look into signing up for landlord software.
You can effectively screen tenants.
Reckless and negligent tenants can cost landlords hundreds and even thousands of dollars in repairs, while skilled con artists can string you along for months without paying rent. Some may provide fake references or scam multiple landlords under different aliases. These are only some of the horror stories that landlords have reported, but careful tenant screening can help you protect yourself and your property.
New landlords often report failing to notice red flags because they wanted to trust every new tenant. After all, if you wouldn’t scam your landlord, you’re unlikely to believe that another person would. It’s only human nature to want to believe the best in everyone. Unfortunately, there are plenty of less-than-reliable tenants in the world just waiting to find someone to take advantage of. Free landlord software is one of the most effective ways to screen tenants and ensure you know what you’re getting into. Finding a great tenant is the key to maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship.
One of the most popular features for landlords and tenants alike is the free rental application feature, which allows you to screen prospective tenants by reviewing personal information such as their monthly income, references, number of pets, phone number, and desired move-in date. If you’re looking to fill a vacancy fast, there is no better way to do so. If you find a tenant on a third-party website such as Craigslist, your screening process will be entirely manual and will undoubtedly take a longer time, whereas landlord software allows you to complete the process within seconds.
You can display your rental properties online.
Gone are the days of newspaper listings and lawn signs. Now, if you’re hoping to attract responsible and reliable tenants, the best place to be is online, and the best way to keep track of your properties is through property management software. In addition, it’s helpful for those among us who aren’t great at keeping track of small details. If you struggle with bookkeeping and the idea of maintaining a manual log on Excel makes you want to go outside and scream, you would definitely benefit from having streamlined, easily accessible, landlord software.
Landlord software opens up a world of possibility, allowing you to collect rent checks, manage maintenance requests, list vacant properties, and store all kinds of tenant documentation all in one convenient location. You can also reach interested leads at the click of a button. Tenants can quickly and easily contact you through the free rental application feature.
Property management software isn’t just for professional landlords who rent out thousands of properties. Even if you only rent out a spare room, you’ll find this intuitive and dynamic software makes a landlord’s job easier all around.