What is trust accounting in property management?

Trust accounting keeps tenant security deposits and owner funds separate from your operating account, as required by most states. Property management software maintains separate trust ledgers, tracks deposit interest where required, and prevents commingling of funds to ensure legal compliance.

How does rent collection work in property management software?

Most platforms offer online rent payment portals where tenants pay via ACH, credit card, or debit. Payments automatically post to tenant ledgers, trigger late fee calculations, and flow into owner statements. Automated reminders reduce late payments by 20-40%.

What are owner statements in property management?

Owner statements are monthly or periodic reports showing each property owner their income, expenses, and net proceeds. Property management software generates these automatically from transaction data, including rent collected, maintenance costs, management fees, and reserves held.

Can QuickBooks handle property management accounting?

QuickBooks can track basic rental income and expenses but lacks property-specific features like trust accounting, tenant ledgers, and automated owner statements. Most property managers use dedicated software like Buildium or AppFolio, or pair QuickBooks with property management add-ons.

How much does property management accounting software cost?

Pricing varies by portfolio size: Small landlords (1-10 units) pay $15-100/month for tools like TenantCloud or Rentec Direct. Mid-size managers (10-200 units) pay $100-500/month for Buildium or similar. Large portfolios (200+ units) pay $500-2000+/month for AppFolio or enterprise solutions.

What is CAM reconciliation in commercial property management?

CAM (Common Area Maintenance) reconciliation calculates each tenant proportionate share of building operating expenses in commercial properties. Property management software tracks CAM expenses, calculates tenant allocations based on lease terms, and generates annual reconciliation statements.

How do I choose between Buildium and AppFolio?

Buildium is better for cost-conscious landlords who need solid accounting and straightforward operations ($62-400/month). AppFolio suits larger portfolios needing advanced AI features, marketing tools, and scalability. AppFolio requires contacting sales for pricing, typically starting higher than Buildium.

Property Management Guide

Best Property Management Accounting Software 2025

The best property management accounting software combines rent collection, trust accounting, and owner statements in one platform. Top picks for 2025: Buildium for full-time landlords ($62/month), TenantCloud for budget-conscious owners ($15/month), and AppFolio for large portfolios (contact for pricing).

Property management accounting requires tracking income and expenses per property, maintaining trust accounts for security deposits, and generating owner statements that generic accounting software cannot handle. This guide compares solutions by portfolio size and feature needs.

Try for one week Real Estate Bookkeeping

Property Management Software Impact

Landlords and property managers using dedicated software see measurable improvements across key metrics.

96%

Avg Rent Collected

with online payments

-30%

Late Payments

with auto-reminders

-60%

Bookkeeping Time

vs manual tracking

-50%

Owner Inquiries

with self-service portals

Why Landlords Need Property-Specific Accounting

Property management accounting differs from standard business bookkeeping in three critical ways: trust accounting compliance, per-property tracking, and owner reporting requirements. Generic accounting software misses these needs.

Trust Accounting Requirements

Security deposits must be held separately from operating funds
Owner funds require separate tracking per owner
Interest calculations required in some states
Audit trails for regulatory compliance

Property-Level Reporting

Income tracking by property, unit, and tenant
Expense allocation to specific properties
Profitability analysis per property or portfolio
Vacancy tracking and rent roll reports

Essential Property Management Accounting Features

Features that separate property management software from generic accounting tools.

Trust Accounting

Maintain separate ledgers for security deposits and owner funds to ensure legal compliance and prevent commingling.

Online Rent Collection

Accept ACH, credit cards, and debit payments through tenant portals with automatic ledger posting and late fee calculation.

Owner Statements

Generate automated monthly reports showing income, expenses, management fees, and net proceeds for each property owner.

Property-Level Tracking

Track income and expenses by individual property, unit, or portfolio for accurate profitability analysis.

1099 Reporting

Automatically calculate and e-file 1099s for property owners and vendors based on annual payment data.

Bank Reconciliation

Connect bank feeds for automatic transaction matching and fast monthly reconciliation across all accounts.

Property Management Software Comparison

Compare top solutions by features, pricing, and portfolio fit.

Software	Best For	Pricing	Key Highlights
Buildium	Full-time landlords	$62-400/month	Full general ledger, 1099 e-filing, bank feeds, professional-grade accounting
AppFolio	Large portfolios	Contact for pricing	AI-powered workflows, #1 G2 ranking, 89% user adoption, scalable
Rentec Direct	Small-mid landlords	$55-65/month	Affordable per-unit pricing, two plan options (Pro and PM)
TenantCloud	Budget-conscious landlords	From $15/month	Most affordable option, basic accounting, great for starters
DoorLoop	Growing portfolios	$59-399/month	Modern interface, QuickBooks sync, easy setup

Buildium

$62-400/month

Full general ledger, 1099 e-filing, bank feeds, professional-grade accounting

Best for: Full-time landlords

AppFolio

Contact for pricing

AI-powered workflows, #1 G2 ranking, 89% user adoption, scalable

Best for: Large portfolios

Rentec Direct

$55-65/month

Affordable per-unit pricing, two plan options (Pro and PM)

Best for: Small-mid landlords

Choosing Software by Portfolio Size

1-10 Units (Side Hustle Landlord)

Part-time landlords managing a handful of rentals. Need basic rent tracking, tenant communication, and simple reporting.

Priority Features:

• Online rent collection
• Basic expense tracking
• Tenant portal
• Mobile access

Best fit: TenantCloud ($15/mo), Rentec Pro ($55/mo)

10-100 Units (Professional Landlord)

Full-time property managers needing trust accounting compliance, owner statements, and professional-grade reporting.

Priority Features:

• Trust accounting
• Owner statements
• 1099 e-filing
• Bank reconciliation

Best fit: Buildium ($62-400/mo), DoorLoop ($59-399/mo)

100+ Units (Enterprise Portfolio)

Large property management companies needing AI automation, advanced reporting, and scalability across regions.

Priority Features:

• AI-powered workflows
• Multi-region support
• Advanced analytics
• API integrations

Best fit: AppFolio, Yardi Voyager

Document Processing for Property Managers

Process Property Documents with Zera Books

While property management software handles tenant accounting, Zera Books streamlines the document processing that feeds your bookkeeping. Process vendor invoices, bank statements, and owner documents to get clean data into QuickBooks or your property management system.

Document Types We Process

Vendor invoices for maintenance/repairs
Bank statements for trust account reconciliation
Utility bills for expense allocation
Insurance and tax documents

Integration Benefits

Export to QuickBooks, Xero, or CSV
AI categorization for expense allocation
Batch processing for month-end close
$79/month unlimited processing

Try for one week

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about property management accounting software features and selection.

Property management accounting software combines landlord bookkeeping with tenant management features: rent collection, trust accounting, owner statements, and expense tracking per property. Unlike generic accounting tools, it handles multi-property portfolios with separate ledgers, security deposit tracking, and 1099 reporting for property owners.