When it comes to choosing the best rental software for their properties, landlords have a variety of options. One of them, Apartments.com, has been rapidly expanding its rental manager tools for landlords, while Avail continues to develop new features as well. In this article, we compare Apartments.com Rental Manager and Avail landlord software to help you decide which is better for your rental property business.
Note: As of 4/20/23 Avail’s Unlimited Plus subscription pricing has been updated
- Advertise your property, find and screen tenants, sign leases, collect rent, and e-sign custom local leases, with tools built specifically for DIY landlords.
- Strength: Complete Solution
We’ll evaluate Apartments.com Rental Manager and Avail based on the following features:
Note:
Because Cozy has merged with Apartments.com, new landlords will have to sign up directly with Apartments.com to use the Apartments.com Rental Manager Tools. You can read more about my experience with the Apartments.com sign-up process.
Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Avail: Comparison at a Glance
Advertising Vacancies
Landlords can advertise their listings on over a dozen rental sites for free with Avail. While most are free, syndicating to the Zillow network requires a separate fee to Zillow Feed Connect. You can also include the property’s location, price, lease terms, pet policies, description, images, and any other amenities you offer in the listing. Avail also has a calendar sync feature that allows interested applicants to directly schedule showings from the listing. This feature makes the scheduling process hassle-free by removing the back-and-forth correspondence and possible double bookings.
On the other hand, Apartments.com accepts vacancy listings for free, but only some of its network sites are included. Moreover, you’ll have to pay for your listings to get more prominent ad placement and size. In our experience, free advertising with Apartments.com does not get your listing much exposure or leads. You would need to switch to a paid subscription to boost your reach, though these plans also include Virtual Tours, HD Video, Hi-Res Photos, Drone Video, and Online Tour Scheduling.
Also Read: Advertise Property For Rent: Landlord Gurus Ultimate Guide
Our take on Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Avail for advertising vacancies:
Avail is a clear winner as it allows you to syndicate your listing on multiple sites for free. Moreover, its scheduling tool gives you the ability to convert leads into actual showings. You can also set up time slots that work best for you, share your personal calendar, and allow renters to book appointments directly from the listing.
On the other hand, Apartments.com Rental Manager’s free advertising is not as useful and you’ll have to upgrade to their paid package for more features.
Advantage: Avail
Applications
Avail offers an online application that automatically requests standard information from interested renters. Moreover, landlords with an Unlimited Plus subscription can customize the application by adding custom questions. Once an applicant completes the application, the platform automatically contacts past landlords listed on their application for references.
With Apartments.com Rental Manager, landlords can place an “Apply Now” button on their ad, which also allows tenants to apply directly. Moreover, you can also require a prospective renter to purchase a screening report as a part of the application process. It is not possible to customize the Apartments.com rental application at this time.
Our take on Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Avail for applications:
Although both tools allow renters to apply directly from the listing, Avail takes the cake by offering application customization to landlords. They can easily save and store applications in their account. Moreover, it also automatically emails previous landlords for references so you don’t have to manually contact them yourself.
Advantage: Avail
Tenant Screening
With Avail, you can request credit, criminal background, and eviction checks at $30 each. You can also bundle these checks together for $55 or choose specific reports for every tenant. The renter has to pay for these reports as part of the application process.
Apartments.com Rental Manager also provides tenant screening reports (credit, criminal, and eviction reports) by TransUnion. Tenants have to verify their identities and pay for their own reports. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about spending the time and money to source them. Candidates can also run their reports for $24.99.
Our take on Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Avail for tenant screening:
Both tools provide comprehensive reporting on a candidate’s credit history, criminal background, evictions, and employment history. They allow candidates to pay for these reports so this service is free for landlords. However, Apartments.com offers a lower price to generate these reports.
Moreover, renters can share their application and screening reports for 30 days with up to 10 other participating landlords. This means that even if you don’t accept them for your property, they can apply to other participating Apartments.com landlords for no additional cost.
Advantage: Apartments.com
Lease Documents and E-Signing
Avail gives you access to lawyer-reviewed state-specific leases with all its subscription plans. The software also has a lease wizard that automatically translates your answers into proper legal terminology. Moreover, its LocalAssist feature enables you to include obligatory state-specific clauses, attachments, and disclosures based on your property’s location. Furthermore, both parties can sign the lease documents with e-signatures.
For Apartments.com, you need a paid subscription to create a customized lease. Similarly, their online lease wizard is easy to use. Also, the lease forms are reviewed by industry and local jurisdiction experts. It also allows both parties to conveniently sign lease agreements electronically.
Our take on Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Avail for lease documents and e-signing:
Avail is the clear winner here because it offers state-specific, customizable leases that are reviewed by lawyers. It also supports electronic signatures even if you don’t pay for its subscription. Conversely, Apartments.com Rental Manager doesn’t support lease customization in its free plan.
Advantage: Avail
Rent Collection
Avail has a built-in rent collection tool that allows renters to make direct payments. With the free Unlimited plan, landlords will receive funds within two business days, and tenants pay $2.50 per ACH transfer. Conversely, you can enroll for FastPay with the Unlimited Plus plan and receive funds in just one business day. Additionally, ACH and bank transfer fees are waived for your renters. However, for credit card payments, renters will be charged a 3.5% processing fee no matter which plan you have.
Apartments.com Rental Manager Tools also allow you to receive automatic payments. Tenants can set up recurring rent payments. They can either pay for free with their checking accounts or for a 2.75% fee when using a debit or credit card. The platform also automatically reminds tenants via email if rent is past due.
Our take on Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Avail for online rent collection:
Avail’s FastPay ACH transfers allow landlords to receive their payments within a day. Even with its free plan, you can receive your money within two business days. Therefore, Avail is a winner here due to its fast and convenient rent collection service.
Advantage: Avail
Financial Tracking and Reporting
Avail sends automatic reminder emails and built-in payment receipts, which also include late fees if the rent is past due. Moreover, it also offers payment tracking and rental reports via download. However, landlords can only assign expenses to open maintenance tickets, and downloading or creating a report of these costs appears to be limited.
With Apartments.com, you can manually input expenses and assign them to a property. You can also select tax categories, attach images or digital receipts, and export them in CSV and PDF formats for tax filing.
Our take on Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Avail for financial tracking and reporting:
Apartments.com is the winner in this category. While expense tracking only allows for manual entry, it is still more robust than Avail’s at this time.
Advantage: Apartments.com
Maintenance Request Tracking
With Avail, renters can submit maintenance requests round the clock. They only have to upload property images and inform you if there’s an emergency request. The portal allows landlords to communicate with renters as well as contractors. Moreover, you can also use Avail’s portal to add your own repair person or even find a different local contractor.
Apartments.com Rental Manager Tools also offer maintenance tickets and tracking. Renters can request repairs with all details, including photos and videos. Moreover, landlords can also email those details to contractors. Furthermore, you can update tenants about maintenance and contractor visits right from the portal.
Our take on Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Avail for maintenance request tracking:
Both Avail and Apartments.com support maintenance requests and tracking. However, the ability to find a local service professional through Avail makes it the winner here.
Advantage: Avail
Pricing
Avail has two pricing plans:
On the other hand, Apartments.com has four subscription levels starting from $199/month per property and up. Additionally, the level of package you choose determines how high your listing appears on the page. For higher-level packages (Diamond and Platinum), you need to call them to discuss pricing.
Our take on Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Avail for pricing:
Avail is the more affordable option that provides excellent value. Also, the pricing structure is simple and straightforward. On the other hand, Apartments.com has several tiers for pricing and does not offer more affordable packages to independent landlords. Additionally, Avail’s free plan still offers more property management features than Apartments.com.
Advantage: Avail
Takeaway: Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Avail
Both Avail and Apartments.com have great features for landlords and rental property owners. As each property is unique and every landlord is different, therefore we suggest you carefully consider your priorities before making any decision. However, based on our head-to-head comparison of both platforms, we believe Avail is the better solution for most independent landlords like us. We suggest you learn more or give it a try and let us know if you agree!
- Advertise your property, find and screen tenants, sign leases, collect rent, and e-sign custom local leases, with tools built specifically for DIY landlords.
- Strength: Complete Solution
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and Landlord Gurus may earn a commission. Our mission remains to provide valuable resources and information that helps landlords manage their rental properties efficiently and profitably. We link to these companies and their products because of their quality, not because of the commission.
