A landlord app to collect rent is a reasonable purchase for anyone past about five tenancies, and the products aimed at that size are priced and built very differently from the ones aimed at agencies. Four questions sort them, and none is about features. They are about the minimum you will pay, who carries the transaction cost, what the ledger does when reality is untidy, and how hard it is to leave.
The minimum, divided by your units
Most apps have a monthly floor. At six units a floor of thirty dollars is five dollars a unit regardless of what the per-unit rate claims. Do that division before comparing anything; it reorders shortlists at this size more reliably than any feature. Some apps are free to the landlord and earn from the tenant instead, which is a different trade rather than a cheaper one.
Who pays the fee, and whether that is allowed
Bank debit is usually free or nearly so; card is a percentage and is commonly passed to the tenant as a convenience fee. Several states restrict what may be charged on top of rent, so an app's default is not automatically lawful where you are. Decide the policy, check it against the state rule, and put it in the lease rather than letting the app introduce it.
What the ledger does with a part payment
Send a partial payment during the trial. Some apps refuse anything less than the full amount, which turns a tenant who is trying into a tenant in full arrears and leaves your ledger disagreeing with your bank. Others accept it and apply it in an order you cannot set. Either can be lived with; not knowing which cannot.
Leaving, and what comes with you
Payment authorisations rarely transfer between providers, so switching means every tenant re-authorising and some reverting to transfers. Ask what the export contains, whether it includes documents and full ledger history, and test it in the trial. At this size the cost of being stuck is higher than any monthly fee you are comparing.
Questions people ask about landlord app to collect rent
Is a free rent collection app really free?
To you, often. The cost usually sits with the tenant as a fee, or with you as slower settlement. Read which before adopting it.
How many units before an app is worth it?
Around the point where reconciliation stops being a glance, which for most landlords is five to ten tenancies rather than a fixed number.
Should I move all tenants at once?
Move new tenancies first and existing ones at renewal. A portfolio-wide migration on one rent day is the version that goes wrong.