Your vacation rental business will have a lot of moving parts. Between managing bookings, taking reservations, cleaning houses, marketing your properties, vetting potential guests, and more, there’s a lot to keep track of as a property manager. Chances are high that you probably don’t have time to micromanage all these moving pieces. That’s why property management software can be so helpful for growing your business.
The right software can automate many of the tedious tasks associated with operating a vacation rental business and help you drive growth in other areas of your company. But with so many options out there, how do you know which property management software is best for your specific needs?
Read on to learn more about the different kinds of property management software and which factors you should consider before choosing one.
Property management software (or PM software) is a tool you can use to manage all parts of your vacation rental business. You can perform functions like bookings, listing management, guest relationship management (or CRM), cleaning functions, rule enforcement, and more. You can also use PM software to handle accounting and automate repetitive tasks like reporting, billing, and payment reminders.
All the different components of PM software are meant to work together as an integrated system. This helps streamline your workflow and improve efficiency across the board. Whether you’re processing bookings, dispatching cleaners, or growing your marketing efforts, good PM software can help you make the most of your time.
Vacation rental management tools can help you streamline your business and increase profits. Although the exact benefits will depend on the specific tools you use, PM software can help you with the following:
All of these benefits come with one major advantage: PM software will help you get more done with less effort. You’ll no longer have to perform tedious, repetitive tasks manually. Simply tell your software what to do and it will handle it for you. PM software can help you get more out of your vacation rental business without having to put in more hours. That’s why many property managers say it’s a worthwhile investment.
Remember, PM software is only as good as the specific tools it offers. So before making a choice, it’s important to consider the specific functions that you need. The best vacation rental property management software will offer booking management, calendar management, guest relationship management, cleaning/maintenance, inventory management, and reporting. Some PM systems will also help you with marketing, payment processing, and more.
Basically, its main goal is to help you grow and manage your business in a way that works for you. It can also help you streamline administrative tasks so that you can focus on growing your business. PM software will vary in features and functionality, so it's important to consider your specific needs to find the best property management software for your business.
Some of the factors you should consider when choosing a property management software include the following:
By answering each of these questions you’ll be able to choose a PM software that makes your life easier, automates your day-to-day workflow, and serves you well for many years to come.
There are many different property management software solutions available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. This can make it tricky to find the best solution for your organization's needs. That said, the best property management software is likely to be easy to use, integrate with other important business systems, and offer an intuitive user experience.
It should also have the functionality you need, for example, being able to track maintenance work orders and invoices, and it should come with great customer support so that any issues can be ironed out before they become a big problem.
Hostaway is one of the best property management software tools for both large and small property management companies. This software provides a seamless experience for both hosts and guests and makes managing your rental property business easier than ever before. It’s essentially an all-in-one solution that supports every aspect of your operations.
You can manage your bookings, inventory, revenue, and staff via a single platform. Additionally, Hostaway offers a solution for your guest relations team. This will let you respond quickly and courteously to guest issues. Hostaway also offers access to a wide range of professional services to help you expand your operations and scale as your business grows.
Guesty is a software solution designed specifically for vacation rental hosts. The platform offers full management of your listings and lets you easily accept and manage bookings. Guesty also integrates with a variety of other tools and services to streamline your business operations. It also lets you customize your listings to ensure they meet your brand standards and target the right guests for your property.
With Guesty you can manage your calendar and easily accept and respond to guest inquiries via email and phone. The software also offers a variety of payment methods and lets you set different rates for different types of guests. Guesty also features integrations with third-party solutions for cleanings, bookings, and customer service. Overall, Guesty is an excellent option for property managers looking for a simple, all-in-one solution.
Uplisting is a real estate search engine marketing tool designed to help you reach new guests at a lower cost per lead. This software lets you list your properties on major travel booking websites, including Booking.com, Airbnb, and Expedia. Once you integrate your property management system with Uplisting, you can quickly create listings and manage your campaign.
The platform also lets you track the performance of your listings and adjust your marketing strategy as needed. It’s a fully managed solution that is easy to set up and use right away. Uplisting is best for companies that want to expand their reach. It empowers you to get more bookings from existing guests and reach a wider audience.
Lodgify offers a comprehensive solution for Airbnb hosts and other types of vacation rental businesses. With Lodgify, you can manage your listing, calendar, and guest communications from a single platform. It offers a wide range of features, including advanced cleaning and maintenance scheduling, revenue tracking, and more.
Lodgify also integrates with a variety of third-party solutions and lets you customize your property listing as needed. The platform features a variety of visual templates and lets you add custom content where needed. Lodgify is a good fit for businesses that need a fully self-contained real estate property management system. It's easy to use and set up, making it an excellent choice for new hosts.
365Villas is an all-in-one solution designed to manage every aspect of your vacation rental business. The software lets you create and manage your listing, view and respond to bookings, and communicate with guests. It also lets you manage your calendar, inventory, and payments. 365Villas basically lets you manage your entire vacation rental business from one place, making it easy to scale your operations.
The platform also integrates with a variety of third-party solutions, including cleaning and management services. Overall, 365Villas is an excellent choice for hosts and managers looking for a powerful property management system. It’s easy to set up and use, yet it has all the functionality you need to manage a complex rental business.
Hostify is a cloud-based property management software solution specifically designed for hosts and property managers who manage multiple properties. It helps you manage all aspects of your properties and communicate with guests, tenants, vendors, and other stakeholders through a customer-friendly interface.
The system includes a built-in calendar, time tracking, expense tracking, a searchable directory, lead generation, and more. It also includes a customer support team that is available 24/7. Hostify has a proven track record with more than 1,000,000 guests served worldwide. Plus, It offers a variety of pricing plans to suit your business needs.
Cloudbeds is another cloud-based property management software for those who manage one or more short-term rental properties. The software comes with a built-in calendar, booking engine, and great customer support. It features a variety of integrations, including Zendesk, Google Calendar, and Stripe, making it easy to manage your reservations, inventory, and payments.
With Cloudbeds, you can easily create a booking page and manage your rates, inventory, and bookings from anywhere. It even allows you to add team members and send them access invitations. All things considered, it’s a great option for hosts and property managers that want to handle bookings and manage their team from one centralized system.
OwnerRez is a property management software solution that helps real estate investors manage their income properties. The software is cloud-based and integrates with a number of different third-party applications. You can use it to manage your tenants, properties, and rental income.
You can also use OwnerRez to generate and track leads, send automatic emails, and share documents. The software includes a built-in calendar, tenant tracking, and expense tracking. It also has a searchable directory, lead generation, and guest satisfaction surveys.
BookingSync is a cloud-based property management software for short-term rental hosts. The software comes with an auto-booking feature that automatically selects the best rates for your listings. It also allows you to create a booking page and manage your rates, inventory, and bookings from anywhere.
The platform has a built-in calendar, guest satisfaction surveys, and automatic emails. It also has integrations with third-party applications, including Zendesk and Google Calendar, which makes it easy to manage your bookings and payment system. All in all, BookingSync is a good option for hosts and property managers looking for an all-in-one solution.
Hostfully is an all-in-one property management software solution for hosts and managers of vacation rental properties. The software includes a booking engine, online calendar, tenant tracking, expense tracking, and much more. It also allows you to create booking pages and optimize them to generate more leads from potential guests.
Plus, Hostfully also allows you to manage your bookings, rates, and inventory from the cloud or through an app on your phone, which makes it an ideal solution for property managers on the go. So, if you manage multiple rental units and you’re often bouncing back and forth between them, then Hostfully might be a great choice for you.
To choose the best property management system, you should consider three main factors above all else: functionality, ease of use, and support. Let’s briefly touch on each of these things so that you understand why they are so important when choosing a PM software tool.
Functionality: First, you should consider the functionality of each system. How does it help you run your business? What features does it offer? You want to make sure it includes everything you need to simplify your job and automate your workflow.
Ease of Use: Next, you should consider how easy each system is to use. You don’t want to spend hours learning how to navigate the system. You also want the system to be intuitive enough for your employees to use easily. Remember, PM software should uncomplicate your life, not make things more difficult.
Support: Finally, you should consider the software company’s support. You want a company that offers responsive support, including a support team that’s available 24/7. This will make everything so much easier in the event of an emergency and is one of the most important things to look out for when choosing a PM software system.
One of the most important aspects of managing a rental property business is keeping your vacation rental clean and tidy. First impressions are everything when it comes to vacation rentals and if your place is dirty, you had better believe you’ll be getting a bad review.
Fortunately, there are cleaning services out there which can integrate with the best property management tools so that you can automate the turnover cleaning process and ensure that your rental unit is always clean and looking great.
TIDY is one of the very best cleaning services on the market. Plus, the platform can be set up to sync with all of the property management tools we’ve looked at in this article. This means that regardless of which property management tool you choose, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your rental units are always clean when your guests arrive.
The TIDY software also features numerous tools that make it easy to manage the cleaning and maintenance process, including an in-app chat function, the ability to dispatch cleaners in the event of an emergency, and much more.
If you’re a vacation rental property manager, it’s important to choose the right property management software for your specific needs. The best PM software will help you streamline your workflow, optimize your calendar, manage guest information, manage your cleaning and maintenance, and analyze your finances.
We highly recommend TIDY, especially when it comes to cleaning and maintenance services. TIDY can help you automate your turnover cleaning process, dispatch cleaning crews, and much more. Best of all, TIDY can sync with many of the best property management tools, so that you can rest easy knowing that your property is always clean.
TIDY'S Property Management Software Guide
Stay on top of tools to help you manage rental properties.
This eBook gathers the most useful software for property managers!
Get a Demo
Let us prove to you how much better we can make your cleaning & maintenance management. We can set up a risk-free (and actually free) pilot for you to see it in action.
Book a DemoLearn How TIDY Helps Offer Cleaning as a Benefit
A widely-loved and unique pre-tax benefit.
LEARN MORE