One record per tenant answers the questions that take the most time: who has paid, when the lease ends and what was agreed.

Tenant management software keeps one record for each renter: their application, lease, payments, messages and repair requests. For a landlord, that record answers the questions that take the most time. Has rent been paid? When does the lease end? What did we agree about the fence?

What Tenant Management Software Tracks

  • Contact and household details: everyone on the lease and how to reach them.
  • Application and screening: the application, consent and any reports you reviewed.
  • Lease: the signed agreement, its dates, rent and deposit.
  • Payments: every charge, payment, late fee and receipt.
  • Messages: a dated thread instead of scattered texts and emails.
  • Maintenance: each request, its photos, status and cost.

Before the Lease: Leads and Applicants

Tenant management starts before anyone signs. Good software collects inquiries, sends an online application and records the applicant's consent before a screening report is ordered. Use the same written criteria for every applicant, and check your local rules on application fees. See how this works in Rentari's online rental application and tenant screening.

During the Lease: Rent, Messages and Repairs

Once the lease is signed, the daily work is rent and repairs. Look for:

  1. A tenant portal or app where tenants pay rent, see their balance and send requests.
  2. Autopay and reminders, so on-time rent does not depend on memory.
  3. Repair requests with photos, each with a status both sides can see.
  4. One message thread per tenant, kept with the tenancy.

In Rentari, tenants pay online on paid plans by bank transfer or card, and Mozart drafts reminders and replies for you to approve. Rentari's tenant management software keeps all of it on the tenant's record.

At the End: Renewal and Move-Out

A lease ending is easy to miss. The software should show leases ending soon, so you can offer a renewal or plan a vacancy in time. At move-out you need the payment history, the deposit record and the condition notes in one place. Keep the record after the tenant leaves; you may need it for a reference, a dispute or your tax return.

Questions to Ask Before You Choose

  1. What does the tenant pay to apply and to pay rent by each method?
  2. Can tenants do everything on a phone, without installing anything if they prefer?
  3. Who can see a tenant's record, and can you limit access for a partner or helper?
  4. Can you export a tenant's ledger and documents?
  5. What happens to past tenants' records if you change plans?

For reference, Rentari's plans and fees are public: the Free plan has no time limit, no card requirement and no property or unit cap; Prime is $120 a year for up to 10 units; Scale adds $24 a year for each additional unit. Online rent collection on paid plans costs $6 per bank payment or 3.49% by card, and screening reports are charged separately with the payer shown first.

Your Next Step

Try the software with one real tenant: add the lease, record this month's rent and send a test message. See the tenant management software page for how Rentari handles each step, or read the rental property management software checklist to compare products.