Update: This post has been updated with new scoring and winners based on changes or upgrades to some of the products and services. We have also included new products that have come to our attention since the last update. Read on to see our winners for the best software for residential lease agreements for 2022:
Property management software is a useful tool for small and independent landlords to improve efficiency, ease, and profitability. We have previously written overviews of several top software products that offer solutions for various property management tasks from advertising and applications to tenant screening, lease signing and rent collection. We have also previously discussed the pros and cons of having your tenants sign their residential lease agreements remotely. Here we compare how each of them handle the lease creation, signing and storing process.
Top Benefits of Using Property Management Software for Residential Lease Agreements
- Convenience: The logistics of getting all parties together at the same time to review the lease agreement and sign in person can be challenging. Prior to pandemic lockdown times, people had busy or irregular schedules. These days, it is recommended to try and sign residential lease agreements remotely if at all possible.
- Document creation: With software, it is easier to create quality documentation where property and landlord and tenant information is automatically populated in the lease agreement consistently and accurately. No more white-out or marked up documents!
- Strength of the agreement: Similarly, special clauses and addendums can be easily inserted into the electronic document as needed. This provides for additional protection for all parties against circumstances that a standard lease might not account for.
- Cost: No printing, scanning, faxing or filing. Everything can be completed online and stored in the cloud for additional safety and security.
- Expediency: Signing your residential lease agreements online is virtually instantaneous. Simply login to your property management software and sign.
The Best Residential Lease Agreements
Here are our winners for the software that is best for residential lease agreements:
SERVICE | DESCRIPTION | RATING | MORE |
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BEST OVERALL
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Avail
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![]() 52.0 |
Read ReviewSign Up Here |
BEST FOR LEASES ONLY
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ezLandlordForms
|
![]() 51.5 |
Read ReviewSign Up Here |
NEXT HYBRID SOLUTION
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Hemlane
|
![]() 47.0 |
Read ReviewSign Up Here |
Best Overall Residential Lease Agreements:
The property management software that handles the lease agreement process best for small landlords in our comparison is Avail. Avail stands out from the competition because it offers city and state-specific lease templates that include the required disclosures and attachments necessary to comply with local ordinances. Avail also makes it easy to create new leases from tenants’ application and screening information. Signing leases electronically is a simple, secure process for both you and your tenants. While Avail’s document storage features are not as robust as the others, it’s Local Assist feature is unique. Not only does it help ensure your leases are compliant in your property’s location, it also helps set the right rent price, late fees and guidance.
- 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




Best if You Primarily Need Residential Lease Agreements:
Many of our readers are looking to solve a specific problem, not necessarily re-work the entire way they manage their rental property. Like PayRent for online rent collection, ezLandlordForms focuses narrowly on one task; helping landlords build strong residential lease agreements that are enforceable and compliant. If this is what you’re after we think theirs is the best offering. Additionally, ezLandlordForms offers a free application and access to tenant screening reports. Once you have an applicant you like, you can easily take them through screening and signing their lease.
- With a range of free rental applications and lease templates, landlords can easily create legally binding documents in minutes using EZ Landlord Forms.
- Strength: Leases & e-Signing
Best Next-Gen Property Management Resource with Lease Builder:
Hemlane does well on our scoring for residential lease agreements, but they make this best-of list because they offer state-specific leases as well as a unique property management service model. As with many industries, companies are using technology to create tools that disrupt the status quo. Hemlane has three packages, providing tools for those who want to self-manage, as well as those who want to outsource most or all property management tasks at flat fee pricing. We’ve included Hemlane here because the combination of their lease builder and their unique set of features will present a compelling option for some landlords.
- Hemlane is a next-gen property management tool that helps property owners manage their rentals. More than simply property management software, Hemlane is a platform that bridges the gap between DIY and full service property management.
- Strength: Hybrid Full-Service Mgmt

The Contenders:
We considered the following rental property management software products for the best residential lease agreements:

Avail
Advertise your property, find and screen tenants, sign leases, collect rent, and e-sign custom local leases, with tools built specifically for DIY landlords. Read Review >

Buildium
Whether you manage five doors or five thousand, Buildium provides a simple but sophisticated property management platform to help you grow and improve your business. Read Review >

Hemlane
Hemlane is a next-gen property management tool that helps property owners manage their rentals. More than simply property management software, Hemlane is a platform that bridges the gap between DIY and full service property management. Read Review >

Rentec Direct
Designed to address the needs of DIY landlords as well as property management companies, Rentec Direct includes all the tools necessary to manage and rent your properties. Read Review >

RentRedi
RentRedi is an all-inclusive landlord-tenant app. Manage vacancies, screening, and rent collection from wherever you are, on any device. Read Review >

SparkRental
Property management software including online rent collection, expense tracking and ledgers, communications with renters, photo and document storage, and more. Read Review >

TenantCloud
End-to-end property management solution. Receive payments online, advertise properties and screen potential tenants. Robust accounting and maintenance features. Read Review >

ezLandlordForms
With a range of free rental applications and lease templates, landlords can easily create legally binding documents in minutes using EZ Landlord Forms. Read Review >

LeaseRunner
LeaseRunner property management software is a powerful resource for property owners and managers looking to fill vacancies and make sure their lease agreements are in line with current local laws. Read Review>
The Best Residential Lease Agreement Criteria and Scores:
To determine the best property management software for residential lease agreements, we graded each service on 5 key rent collection features on a ten point scale, and also included a bonus feature. Then we tallied to scores to choose a winner in a couple of different categories. Here’s how they stack up:
CRITERIA: |
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State-Specific Leases | 10 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 9 |
Customization | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
Document Creation | 10 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 9 |
Electronic Signing | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Pricing | 10 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 10 | 9 |
Bonus Features | +2 | +1 | - | +1 | +1 | +2 | +2 | - | +2 |
TOTAL | 52 | 38 | 40 | 43 | 50 | 51.5 | 29.5 | 49 | 47 |
Get Legal Help
Additionally, these rules are continuing to change and evolve as housing becomes increasingly difficult to secure in many places. If you would like further legal help, you can sign up for Rocket Laywer and try their legal services free for 7 days. You can also create and purchase a state-specific residential lease agreement online.
Rocket Lawyer is an online legal service company that connects people to the legal help they need. Above all, Rocket Lawyer makes the law simple and affordable with thousands of easy-to-create legal documents, quick access to independent local attorneys, and much more.
As a member, you receive:
- Unlimited access to all legal documents
- Document reviews by an attorney
- Discounts on Incorporation Services
- Ask a Lawyer questions
- 30-minute attorney consultations on each new legal matter
- Up to 40% discount on attorney fees (For longer-term engagements)
- eSigning
- On-line dashboard and document storage
- Rocket Lawyer makes the law simple and affordable with thousands of easy-to-create legal documents, quick access to independent local attorneys, and much more.
- Strength: Legal Services
Download Strong Lease Forms
You can also download these popular state-specific leases and landlord-tenant guides from Nolo:
- Arizona residential lease agreement
- California residential lease agreement
- Florida residential lease agreement
- Georgia residential lease agreement
- Illinois residential lease agreement
- Nevada residential lease agreement
- New Jersey residential lease agreement
- Ohio residential lease agreement
- Pennsylvania residential lease agreement
- Texas residential lease agreement
- Virginia residential lease agreement
- Landlord/Tenant forms
Takeaway
We have reviewed several of the top residential lease agreement software that can protect you and your property from unwanted legal action. In conclusion, we encourage you to take a look at our product overviews and decide which is right for you and your needs. You can also take a look at our comparison table below:
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.
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash