What is real estate bookkeeping software?

Real estate bookkeeping software is specialized accounting software designed for landlords, property managers, and real estate investors. Unlike general accounting tools, it includes property-specific features like rent tracking, lease management, property-level P&L statements, Schedule E tax reports, and tenant ledgers.

Can I use QuickBooks for real estate accounting?

Yes, QuickBooks can handle real estate accounting, but it lacks property-specific features. You would need to manually set up sub-accounts for each property and cannot track units individually or generate Schedule E reports automatically. Many landlords start with QuickBooks but switch to specialized software like Stessa or Buildium as their portfolio grows.

What is the best free real estate accounting software?

Stessa offers a robust free plan (Essentials tier) specifically designed for real estate investors. It includes automatic transaction importing, property-level tracking, Schedule E report generation, and basic financial reports. Paid plans starting at $12/month add features like rent collection and tenant screening.

What is a Schedule E report and why do landlords need it?

Schedule E (Form 1040) is the IRS form for reporting rental income and expenses. Real estate bookkeeping software that generates Schedule E reports automatically categorizes income and deductible expenses (repairs, insurance, property taxes, depreciation) in the format your tax preparer needs, saving hours at tax time.

What is the difference between property management software and bookkeeping software?

Property management software handles operational tasks: tenant screening, lease signing, rent collection, maintenance requests, and tenant communication. Bookkeeping software focuses on financials: income tracking, expense categorization, financial reports, and tax preparation. Platforms like Buildium and AppFolio combine both; Stessa focuses primarily on bookkeeping.

How much does real estate bookkeeping software cost?

Pricing varies widely: Stessa offers a free tier with paid plans from $12-28/month. Buildium starts at $62/month for small portfolios. AppFolio requires custom quotes for larger operations. For document processing to support your accounting system, Zera Books offers unlimited bank statement conversion at $79/month.

What reports should real estate bookkeeping software generate?

Essential reports include: property-level income statements (P&L), cash flow statements, Schedule E tax reports, tenant ledgers, rent roll, balance sheets, and expense reports by category. Look for software that can report at both individual property and portfolio levels for multi-property investors.

How do I track rental property expenses for taxes?

Use real estate bookkeeping software to automatically categorize expenses into IRS-deductible categories: repairs and maintenance, property management fees, insurance, property taxes, mortgage interest, utilities, and depreciation. Software like Stessa auto-categorizes bank transactions and generates tax-ready reports.

Industry Guide

Best Real Estate Bookkeeping Software 2025

Real estate bookkeeping software automates property-level accounting, generates Schedule E tax reports, and saves landlords an average of 150 hours per year. Top options include Stessa (free tier for DIY landlords), Buildium ($62+/month for professional managers), and AppFolio (enterprise portfolios). Look for auto-categorization, property-specific P&L, and IRS-compliant reporting.

This guide compares real estate accounting software by property tracking depth, rent collection, tax reporting, and pricing. Find the right solution whether you own one rental or manage hundreds.

Try for one week Real Estate Statement Converter

Why Landlords Need Specialized Software

General accounting software lacks the property-specific features landlords need for accurate tracking and tax compliance.

Spreadsheets & General Accounting Problems

No property-by-property P&L—only total portfolio view
Manual Schedule E preparation at tax time
No automatic expense categorization for deductions
No tenant ledgers or rent tracking per unit
Cannot generate owner statements for managed properties
Hours spent reconciling rent payments manually

Real Estate Software Advantages

Instant P&L for each property and unit
Auto-generated Schedule E tax reports
Bank transactions auto-categorized as deductions
Tenant ledgers with payment history
Owner statements for property management clients
Automatic rent payment tracking and late fees

150hours/year

Average time saved by landlords using specialized bookkeeping software vs. spreadsheets and manual tracking.

Essential Features for Landlords

Look for these capabilities when evaluating real estate bookkeeping software.

Property-Level Tracking

Track income and expenses per property

Individual property P&L
Unit-level tracking
Portfolio overview
Property comparison

Rent Collection

Accept and track rent payments

Online payments
Auto late fees
Payment history
Tenant ledgers

Schedule E Reports

Tax-ready rental income reports

IRS Schedule E format
Expense categorization
Depreciation tracking
Tax-ready exports

Expense Categorization

Auto-categorize deductible expenses

Repairs & maintenance
Insurance
Property taxes
Mortgage interest

Financial Reports

Income statements and cash flow

P&L by property
Cash flow analysis
Balance sheets
Rent roll

Tenant Management

Track leases and tenant data

Lease tracking
Tenant screening
Contact management
Payment history

Real Estate Bookkeeping Software Comparison

Compare top platforms by features, pricing, and target user.

Software	Best For	Pricing	Property Tracking	Schedule E	Rent Collection
Stessa	DIY landlords, small portfolios	Free - $28/month	Excellent	Built-in	Paid plans
Buildium	Professional managers, mid-large portfolios	$62 - $400/month	Comprehensive	Via reports	Built-in
AppFolio	Large portfolios, property management companies	Custom quote	Enterprise	Via reports	Built-in
Landlord Studio	Small landlords, mobile-first	Free - $12/month	Good	Built-in	Paid plans
REI Hub	Real estate investors, flippers	$15 - $35/month	Excellent	Built-in	Limited
QuickBooks + Add-ons	CPAs, accountants managing clients	$30 - $200/month	Manual setup	Manual	Via integrations

Stessa

Free - $28/month

DIY landlords, small portfolios

Pros

Free tier available
Schedule E reports
Auto-categorization
Easy to use

Cons

Limited property management
No maintenance tracking
Basic rent collection

Buildium

$62 - $400/month

Professional managers, mid-large portfolios

Pros

Full property management
Owner & tenant portals
Trust accounting
Scalable

Cons

Higher cost
Complexity for small portfolios
Learning curve

AppFolio

Custom quote

Large portfolios, property management companies

Pros

80+ custom reports
Full suite features
Commercial support
API access

Cons

Enterprise pricing
No public pricing
Overkill for individuals

Landlord Studio

Free - $12/month

Small landlords, mobile-first

Pros

Mobile app focus
Mileage tracking
Receipt scanning
Affordable

Cons

Fewer integrations
Limited for large portfolios
Basic reporting

Schedule E Deductible Expenses

Real estate bookkeeping software should auto-categorize these deductible expenses for tax reporting.

Repairs & Maintenance

HVAC repairs, plumbing fixes, appliance repairs, painting

Property Management

Management fees, leasing fees, advertising

Insurance

Landlord insurance, liability coverage, umbrella policy

Property Taxes

Annual property taxes, special assessments

Mortgage Interest

Interest portion of loan payments (not principal)

Depreciation

27.5-year depreciation of building value

Utilities

If paid by landlord: water, gas, electric, trash

Professional Services

Legal fees, accounting, tax preparation

Pro Tip: Connect your bank accounts to automatically import and categorize transactions. Most real estate software uses AI to match transactions to the correct expense categories.

“We were drowning in bank statements from two provinces and multiple revenue streams. Zera Books cut our month-end reconciliation from three days to about four hours.”

Manroop Gill

Co-Founder at Zoom Books

Complement Your Software with Zera Books

While real estate accounting software tracks your properties, Zera Books automates document processing—converting bank statements and financial documents for import.

Bank Statement Conversion

Convert bank statements from any bank to Excel, CSV, or QBO for import into Stessa, Buildium, or QuickBooks.

Property Expense Extraction

Extract expense data from vendor invoices, contractor bills, and receipts for accurate expense tracking.

Multi-Property Processing

Handle statements from multiple bank accounts across your property portfolio with batch processing.

Try Zera Books for one week

$79/month unlimited processing

Real Estate Bookkeeping FAQs

Related Resources

Best Bank Reconciliation Software

Compare top reconciliation tools for real estate

Industries

Explore solutions for different industries

Property Management Reconciliation

Multi-property reconciliation automation

Bank Statement Converter

Convert any bank PDF to Excel/CSV

Multi-Account Support

Auto-detect multiple accounts

AI Categorization

Auto-categorize transactions

Month-End Close

Speed up your month-end process

QuickBooks Import

Import statements to QuickBooks

Pricing

View pricing and plans

Streamline Your Property Accounting

Zera Books converts bank statements and financial documents into clean data for your real estate accounting software.

Try for one week

Best Real Estate Bookkeeping Software 2025

Why Landlords Need Specialized Software

Spreadsheets & General Accounting Problems

Real Estate Software Advantages

Essential Features for Landlords

Property-Level Tracking

Rent Collection

Schedule E Reports

Expense Categorization

Financial Reports

Tenant Management

Real Estate Bookkeeping Software Comparison

Stessa

Pros

Cons

Buildium

Pros

Cons

AppFolio

Pros

Cons

Landlord Studio

Pros

Cons

Schedule E Deductible Expenses

Repairs & Maintenance

Property Management

Insurance

Property Taxes

Mortgage Interest

Depreciation

Utilities

Professional Services

Complement Your Software with Zera Books

Bank Statement Conversion

Property Expense Extraction

Multi-Property Processing

Real Estate Bookkeeping FAQs

Related Resources

Real Estate Statement Converter

Landlord Multi-Property Tracking

QuickBooks Bank Statement Import

Related Resources

Streamline Your Property Accounting