Managing operations, tracking expenses, staying compliant, and keeping stakeholders informed are major challenges for commercial real estate landlords. The right property management software can make those tasks far easier to handle.
QuickBooks Online remains one of the most trusted accounting and widely used platforms for small and mid-sized businesses. But to maximize the value of QuickBooks in the real estate world, it’s crucial to pair it with property management software that complements its strengths and fills in the gaps.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at some of the best tools that work with QuickBooks. These solutions help create a more efficient and connected system for managing both your finances and property operations.
Why Use QuickBooks for Property Management?
Many real estate professionals use QuickBooks to manage their finances. They appreciate its easy interface, strong reporting tools, and cloud access. However, when it comes to core property management tasks such as tracking leases, handling maintenance requests, and communicating with tenants, QuickBooks falls short on its own.
That’s where property management software makes a huge difference. These tools help close operational gaps. They sync financial data directly to your QuickBooks Online account, which eliminates double data entry and improves accuracy.
Top Property Management Software to Use with QuickBooks
STRATAFOLIO
STRATAFOLIO is a leading commercial real estate software that helps commercial real estate owners and managers track assets, finances, operations, and investors from a single platform. Its seamless, bi-directional QuickBooks integration delivers powerful analytics through interactive dashboards, utilizing both historical and real-time data. Key features include automated common area maintenance (CAM) reconciliation, lease escalations, ACH payments, document management, and a tenant portal.
Finance Management: STRATAFOLIO consolidates financial data across multiple QuickBooks companies. This offers a global or granular view of payroll, expenses, rental income, debt, and cash flow through centralized dashboards.
Asset Management: Users can track properties, rental income, square footage, and key documents all in one place. The platform also includes tools for managing rent rolls, work orders, and tenant communications. It also tracks certificates of insurance (COI) for each tenant and automatically notifies you of any changes.
Operations Management: The program automates routine tasks, such as lease escalations, CAM reconciliation, invoicing, reminders, and work order tracking. This automation helps reduce errors and save time.
Investor Management: The system gives a clear view of investor activity. It has tools to track investments, returns, and guarantors across different entities.
Many users highlight STRATAFOLIO’s broad functionality, smooth onboarding process, and time-saving features, making it the top choice for managing commercial real estate portfolios.
Buildium
Buildium is a software solution designed for residential-first property managers and real estate professionals, streamlining accounting, leasing, maintenance, and communication.
Key features include online rent collection, vendor payments, 1099 e-filing, secure bank management, and portals for tenants and owners. The program simplifies leasing with online applications, eSignatures, and comprehensive tenant screening. Meanwhile, integration with HappyCo supports mobile inspections and efficient maintenance workflows.
Acquired by RealPage in 2019 for $580 million, Buildium targets the small to mid-sized property management market. Users praise its intuitive interface, robust feature set, built-in communication tools, and responsive support.
However, some reports indicate that extra fees for certain features can increase costs. Drawbacks include limited third-party integrations, no direct integration with QuickBooks, a less capable mobile app, and restricted customization options for reports and templates.
AppFolio Property Manager
AppFolio Property Manager is a software solution designed for residential-first multifamily, single-family, commercial, affordable, and student housing. It features robust accounting and reporting tools, real-time financial data, CAM tracking, online payments, and API integration. Advanced maintenance capabilities include smart bill entry, online work orders, mobile inspections, and unit turnboards.
AppFolio helps businesses grow with custom user roles, audit logs, dashboards, performance insights, and strong integration options for scalability. Users praise its intuitive interface and comprehensive functionality, which streamlines maintenance, payments, leasing, and communication, along with regular feature updates.
The downsides: some cite a steep learning curve and occasional customer support challenges. Its pricing may also be too expensive for smaller property management companies. While it is built to support residential property management, it does not directly integrate with QuickBooks and may not cover all commercial property needs.
Rentec Direct
Rentec Direct is a property management system designed for landlords and property managers of 25 to 5,000 residential units. It offers no startup fees, long-term commitments, and unlimited U.S.-based support.
Benefits include general ledger accounting that syncs with QuickBooks. It also includes tenant and owner portals, custom websites, and work order tracking. You can make online payments and use listing syndication. It also has applications with DocuSign, utility billing, 1099 e-filing, and tenant screening.
Security features include two-factor authentication, third-party verification, and real-time encrypted backups. Users praise Rentec Direct for its intuitive interface, affordability, comprehensive tools, strong security, and responsive support. It works well on Windows, Mac, and mobile devices.
The drawbacks include limited integrations with potential fees, inconsistent mobile app performance, customization restrictions, and manual processes that can be time-consuming for larger portfolios.
Yardi Breeze
Yardi Breeze is a property management software solution designed for residential-first, affordable housing, self-storage, and manufactured housing properties. It offers a unified interface with online payments, secure portals, built-in accounting, and CRM. The system simplifies maintenance tracking, AI chat, CAM reconciliation, compliance workflows, and financial reporting.
Yardi Breeze takes the hassle out of tasks like onboarding, certifications, maintenance, rent collection, and financial management. Users like how easy it is to use. It has built-in accounting, great support from the U.S., and access to the cloud.
Some users, however, report limited customization for reports and templates. Additionally, users report limitations with complex CAM reconciliation, resulting in people working outside of the system to complete the activity. It also has mixed mobile app performance, a lack of automation for some tasks, delays in chat support, and no direct integration with QuickBooks.
DoorLoop
DoorLoop is an accessible, cloud-based property management tool designed specifically for small residential businesses and solo property managers. It enables property managers to stay on top of accounting, maintenance, reporting, tenant communications, and online payments—all in one place. There is an integration with QuickBooks, but it is a 1-way sync from DoorLoop into QuickBooks.
With features like rent tracking, API connections, and solid customer support, it’s a great option if you’re looking to simplify your property management. Users often praise the simplicity of use and the flexibility of access from anywhere.
That said, some users wish there were more options for customizing reports and templates. The mobile app sometimes performs poorly, and users may take some time to complete specific manual tasks. Chat support isn’t always instant, either.
SimplifyEM
SimplifyEm is a software designed for small to mid-sized, residential-first building owners and property managers. It streamlines property accounting, tenant management, lease tracking, bank reconciliation, maintenance scheduling, and vendor management.
The platform manages accounts payable and receivable, handles recurring charges, and tracks transaction history. It can also generate monthly statements and export data to QuickBooks and Excel.
SimplifyEm enhances visibility into occupied and vacant units, offering tools for tenant tracking, insurance monitoring, lease storage, deadline tracking, invoicing, and online rent collection. It also supports bulk communications for rent reminders, maintenance alerts, and other tenant notices.
Some users say there’s not much flexibility when it comes to customizing reports or lease templates. There’s also no mobile app for tenants, which can be a hassle. The accounting, management, and integration features are quite simple. If you need more advanced tools, you may have to buy extra software.
The basic plan is affordable. However, only the premium plan offers features like 24/7 maintenance support and vendor access. A few users also mention that there’s a bit of a learning curve with certain features, such as maintenance tracking and accounting.
Hemlane
Hemlane is a cloud-based residential property management software built for small businesses. It helps property managers market rentals, screen applicants, track leases, collect rent, and manage maintenance.
The software also provides lease renewal alerts, cloud-based document storage, instant bank verification, and income and expense reporting. Available via a monthly subscription, Hemlane includes support through email, phone, and an online knowledge base.
Hemlane does come with a few downsides. Reports and lease templates are difficult to customize, and the program does not integrate with QuickBooks, though you can manually export data. There is no mobile app for tenants, only a mobile-friendly website. Some advanced features, like 24/7 maintenance support or access to trusted vendors, require upgrading to pricier plans. And while it’s generally easy to use, some parts (like maintenance tracking) take a little getting used to.
Choosing the Right QuickBooks-Integrated Property Management Software
Ready to try property management software that integrates with QuickBooks? Before making a purchase, it’s essential to consider a few key factors.
Some property management platforms cater more to smaller residential real estate portfolios, while others suit larger commercial portfolios better. As you consider your options, it’s vital to be aware of the difference.
If you manage multiple properties or entities, make sure the software integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks to avoid future headaches.
The software should also support essential functions such as tax reporting, 1099 preparation, and depreciation tracking, which are critical features for real estate investors. Also, look out for helpful features, such as simple invoice creation, real-time reporting, and automated bank feeds.
Lastly, pay close attention to customer service. Some of these programs take a little while to learn, and reliable, responsive customer service support makes a world of difference when significant issues arise.
Set the Foundation for Success
Pairing the right property management software with QuickBooks can help you see the bigger picture, keep your numbers accurate, and free up your time. No matter if you have a handful of rentals or a whole bunch of commercial properties, it can streamline your workflow, eliminate mistakes resulting in missed revenue, and reduce your exposure from insurance polices that have expired.
As the industry becomes increasingly tech-driven, the synergy between QuickBooks and commercial property management platforms will become even more critical. Investing in the right tool today can set the foundation for long-term operational and financial success.
To learn more about why STRATAFOLIO might be the best choice for you, schedule a 1:1 demo today.
