Buildium Property Management Software Review 2024
With the help of our in-house editorial team, our platform’s members and external subject matter experts, this comprehensive review of Buildium property management software became possible and available for free to those considering this solution!
In this review we evaluated Buildium’s features, plans, pricing and other important aspects to help our readers make a more educated purchase decision.
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What Is Buildium?
Buildium is a property management software solution that enables landlords and managers to organize and manage their entire rental portfolio under one roof.
The software takes property managers through the entire process of rental management, from advertising vacancies and finding suitable renters to onboarding them as residents and collecting rent.
Besides landlords and managers, the end-to-end platform is also used by tenants for various purposes, including making rent payments and requesting maintenance, among other uses.
Users can access the software via a web browser or through the Buildium app for Android and iOS devices.
What Is Buildium Used For?
Buildium incorporates all the services property managers may need to manage their rentals. Here’s how landlords, managers, and tenants can use the platform.
- Marketing vacant rental units — Buildium enables users to create personal-branded marketing websites where they can create and publish their property listings to potential tenants. Prospective renters, on the other end, will be able to view the property and apply for the unit.
- Rental listing syndication — In addition to your own marketing website, you can also advertise your rental listing on popular listing websites like Apartments.com and Zillow to find renters faster.
- Online rental application — Prospective tenants can send applications directly to landlords through Buildium. Landlords, on the other end, can then request tenant background checks from the applicants to determine whether they qualify for residency.
- Tenant background check and credit check — With Buildium, landlords and managers are able to conduct tenant screening with a click of a button. You will be able to access the full credit, criminal, and eviction data of all your candidates.
- Lease management — Buildium allows property managers to create lease templates that they can send to fit candidates. The candidates can then sign the lease electronically, and the manager will be instantly notified via email.
- Property inspections — Buildium has a certain rental property inspection software functionality. It lets property managers inspect their properties, thanks to several inspection templates provided. This ensures all your units are in perfect condition for renting.
- Maintenance tracking — Residents and owners can submit maintenance requests through Buildium and attach documents, photos, and videos of the areas requiring maintenance. Managers, on the other end, can assign contractors to the task and pay them all within the platform.
- Online rent payment and collection — Tenants can add their bank accounts and pay rent online on Buildium. Similarly, landlords and property owners can add their bank accounts to receive payments. All payment records will be saved and readily available on the platform.
- Real estate investor accounting software — Buildium has built-in calculators that show you how much you owe and are owed. The platform also automatically reconciles your bank statements and provides 1099 e-filing for tax season.
- Data reporting — This residential and commercial real estate software provides comprehensive insights and analytics with KPIs such as turnover, revenue, resident feedback, and more. Managers and owners can use the data to make informed decisions and grow their business.
Buildium Users Breakdown by Specialty
Is Buildium Legit?
Certainly. Buildium is a legitimate property management software that has been in service for almost two decades now.
Within that time, the renowned software company has received over $65 million in seed funding and has amassed more than 15,000 users.
Furthermore, Buildium has a strong social media presence, particularly on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
There, the brand provides updates on new features, company news, and general tips on managing rental properties.
Buildium also has a mobile app that’s verified on both Google and iOS app stores. There’s a separate Buildium app for tenants and landlords/managers.
When it comes to safety, the software ensures all user data is protected from cybersecurity attacks by using SSL encryption and AWS cloud data protection.
All in all, users can be assured that the Buildium platform is not a scam.
Buildium Customer Reviews
What do you like about this accounting software?
It’s built from an accounting standpoint.
What do you dislike about this accounting software?
Harder for investors to understand.
Buildium Pricing
Buildium Property Manager isn’t free to use — landlords require a paid subscription to use the service.
There are currently three Buildium plans to choose from based on the size of an owner’s portfolio: Essential, Growth, and Premium.
By joining any of the plans, you get access to the following default services:
- Real estate accounting software
- Maintenance management
- Task management
- Free marketing website
- Tenant screening
- Resident and board member communications
- Online owner portal
- Client leads (available for purchase)
- Violations management
- Standard Buildium reports
- Buildium mobile app for property managers
Essential
This is the platform’s most affordable plan, with a monthly cost starting at $52. The plan offers the following unique services:
- Property inspections for $40 per month
- eSigning: $5 per signature
- Bank account setup: $99 per bank account
- Online payments (Incoming EFT transaction: $1 per transaction, Outgoing EFT transaction: $0.50 per transaction, credit card fee: 2.95% per transaction)
- Ticket support
On the Essentials plan, Buildium is an ideal property management software for small property owners.
Growth
The Growth package is the company’s intermediate plan and starts at $166 per month. The plan’s main offerings include:
- Free property inspections
- Enhanced tenant check service: $18 per screening
- Free and unlimited eSigning
- 5 free bank accounts (additional $99 per account)
- Online payments (Incoming EFT transaction: free, Outgoing EFT transaction: $0.50 per transaction, credit card fee: 2.95% per transaction)
- Performance and Business insights and analytics
- Free ticket support and live phone support
- Priority support ($150 per month)
- Onboarding (additional fee)
The Growth plan is ideal for property managers with small to mid-sized portfolios looking to further increase the number of their units.
Premium
Buildium fees for the Premium plan start at $479 per month.
The plan is the most full-featured package and offers all the services available in the Growth plan and more:
- Open API
- Annual discount
- Free priority support
- Dedicated growth consultant for new client leads
The Premium plan is most suitable for owners with huge portfolios of up to 5,000 rental units.
Landlords and managers with over 5,000 units are required to contact the company for custom quotes.
Separate Add-Ons
To efficiently manage your properties, there are several additional services that Buildium provides separately, in addition to your subscription plan:
- Renters insurance: $12 per month
- 1099 eFiling: $25 per batch and $4 per form
- Showings coordination: $30 per month
- EZMail: $0.80 per single-page mailing, $0.15 per additional page
- Remote check printing: $0.80 per check ($30 one-time setup fee)
Buildium Coupon & Promo Codes
Buildium Features
Property Marketing Website
Buildium enables you to create professional self-branded real estate investor websites that you can use to market your units.
On the website, you can create unlimited listings with comprehensive details (features, amenities, price, and photos) of your units.
Interested potential renters can then view your listings and apply on the website. The rental application involves providing basic information, including name, SSN, current address, and contact information, among other details.
Rental Listing Syndication
By using Buildium, you can advertise your vacant rentals on major listing platforms like Zillow, Trulia, Apartments.com, Craigslist, and others.
This allows you to reach millions of potential renters and fill up your vacancies faster.
Tenant Screening
Once you’ve received rental applications from interested applicants, you can conduct tenant screening to find out their credit, eviction, and criminal background.
Thanks to a partnership with TransUnion, you can request tenant background checks that you or the applicant pay for. The screening report will show up in your account once it is ready.
Furthermore, you can set a custom credit score requirement for each property to filter out candidates that don’t meet the criteria.
Online Leasing
Buildium enables you to manage the entire leasing process without leaving the platform.
This software for real estate investors allows you to create lease templates from scratch and customize them with your company branding. You can also save these templates for future use.
Once your lease is ready, you can send it to your new renters for electronic signing.
Candidates can sign the documents from any device, and you’ll get notified when all requested signatures are received so you can countersign.
All your lease agreements will be stored on the platform and will be accessible at any time.
Online Rent Collection
With Buildium, landlords and residents can add their real estate investor bank accounts for rent collection and payment respectively.
In the tenant billing software, residents can set up automatic recurring payments so that funds will automatically be transferred to your bank account on the date set by the tenant.
By adding your bank account, you will also be able to pay service providers directly without leaving the platform. All payments will be automatically stored for future reference.
Property Accounting
Buildium is also one of the best accounting software tools for landlords.
Buildium comes with built-in calculators that break down and reconcile all your bank transactions.
All payments to and from your bank account will be displayed and saved on Buildium.
The platform also comes in handy during tax season.
You can quickly create 1099 forms for both property owners and vendors so you can verify your tax numbers before filing your taxes.
Maintenance Request Management
Residents, owners, and employees can submit maintenance requests and attach relevant images, videos, and documents — you’ll be instantly notified of the request.
Once you’ve received the request, you can assign service vendors to the task so they can begin working on the repairs. You will also be able to pay the vendors within the system.
On top of that, Buildium enables you to set up recurring maintenance tasks that need to be done regularly like mowing the lawn.
Owner Portal
As a property manager, you can keep owners updated on finances and other issues on the owner portal.
Here, you can share profit and loss statements, balance sheets, income statements, and specific transactions you’ve made in real time.
Additionally, you can share relevant documents like lease agreements and receipts, as well as communicate with the owners through the available email and mail templates.
Resident Portal App
Buildium provides a mobile app for tenants that’s available on Google and iOS app stores. The app acts as a full-featured tenant portal where renters can:
- Add their bank accounts and set up recurring payments
- Submit maintenance requests
- Receive relevant communications and updates from managers and landlords
Buildium CRM Integration
Although Buildium lacks a CRM for real estate investors, the software allows you to integrate LeadSimple CRM into your account. By connecting your account to LeadSimple, you’ll be able to:
- Sync all your data automatically every three hours to avoid manual data entry
- Automate workflows, lease renewals, move-ins and move-outs, and much more
- Use Zapier to integrate relevant third-party solutions and automate more tasks
Buildium Pros and Cons
Pros
- Buildium has a vast collection of free learning resources that includes articles and videos to help users navigate the platform with ease.
- The platform caters for several sizes and types of rental portfolios. It’s one of the best commercial tenant management software tools besides being software for single and multi-family homes. You can manage student housing, community associations, and others.
- Buildium offers robust accounting software tools for property managers and supports 1099 form e-filing for tax season.
- Users can advertise their units across numerous property listing websites and fill up their units faster as a result.
- Buildium offers excellent customer support that includes responsive live chat support and dedicated account managers.
Cons
- QuickBooks integration is not supported.
- Basic pricing plan (Essential) users only get access to ticket support, which means, if you encounter issues, it will take a while before you get assistance.
Buildium Integrations
- LeadSimple
- Apartment List
- Apartments.com
- Dwellsy
- Forte
- All Property Management
- HappyCo
- HotPads
- Trulia
- Zillow
- Zumper
- Tenant Turner
- Nelco
Buildium Alternatives
- Baselane
- Avail
- RentSpree
- DoorLoop
- RentRedi
- TenantCloud
- Stessa
- RentPrep
- TurboTenant
- Innago
- Landlord Studio
- Hostfully
- Hostify
- Azibo
- AppFolio
- Rentdrop
- Rentler
- Cozy
- Landlord Studio
- Rent Manager
- Property Matrix
- MRI Software
- Housters
- Re-Leased
- Rentec Direct
- ManageCasa
Buildium Achievements
Awards & Recognition
Best Property Management Accounting Software Tool (Awarded by Real Estate Bees)
Press & Media
Buildium FAQs
Does Buildium have a free trial?
Yes. The company offers new customers a 14-day free trial period when they can test out the software and decide whether it’s right for them.
How many clients does Buildium serve?
According to the Buildium company website, the brand serves more than 15,000 property managers across the U.S.
Who founded Buildium?
The Buildium company was launched in 2004 by two savvy real estate investors: Dimitris Georgakopoulos and Michael Monteiro.
They started the company after having trouble managing their rental units by using spreadsheets.
Both Dimitris and Michael have robust backgrounds in business and technology and served as company president and CEO, respectively, up to 2018.
What is Buildium’s customer service number?
Customers can reach out to the company via the following support line: (888) 414-1988.
In addition to the service number, you can also contact the company via email at [email protected] or through the Contact Us page.
Prospective customers can send their inquiries to [email protected].
What is the Buildium cancellation and refund policy?
Buildium users can terminate their subscriptions at any time. However, you won’t receive a refund for a canceled subscription.
Instead, you will continue to access the platform’s services until the end of your current subscription period, after which, the service will be terminated.
What awards and recognition has Buildium received?
Buildium has received numerous awards and recognitions since its conception.
In 2015, the company won BostInno’s 50 on Fire award for groundbreaking businesses in Boston and was named in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500.
In the following year, Buildium won two Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service and was recognized on the Inc. 5000 List for the fifth consecutive year.
The company was also recognized as a Leader in Gartner’s Frontrunners Quadrant for Property Management Software in 2017.
Later in 2018, Buildium took home the MITX Award for “Customer Experience — Building a Customer-Centric Culture”.
Is Buildium safe?
Yes. The company safeguards its customers’ sensitive information by using industry-standard SSL encryption.
Buildium also lets users enable two-factor authentication to protect their accounts from unauthorized eyes.
Furthermore, all customer data is securely stored on the cloud by using AWS (Amazon Web Services) which is an industry-leading cloud data protection service.
Does Buildium integrate with QuickBooks Online?
Buildium does not support QuickBooks integration, but the platform does have its own built-in bookkeeping and accounting features.
Buildium Tutorials & Training
Is Buildium Worth It?
Yes. Buildium incorporates all the features a property manager needs to streamline their rental unit management, from filling up vacancies to onboarding new residents, adding them into the system and collecting rent. It’s a great tool to manage out of state rental property.
Additionally, Buildium caters for and is tailored to a huge range of portfolio types and sizes, including residential properties, student properties, and affordable housing (section 8, HUDs, workforce housing) among others.
Buildium is also relatively affordable for owners and managers across financial levels. Premium Plan users even receive an annual 15% discount when residents use select services.
Buildium Contacts
- Website: Official website
- Phone: (877) 396-7876
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: 3 Center Plaza, Suite 400 Boston, MA 02108
- Socials: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube
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About the Author:
With over 20+ years of experience in real estate investment and renovation, Brian Robbins brings extensive knowledge and innovative solutions to the HouseCashin team. Over the years Brian has been involved in over 300 transactions of income producing properties across the US. Along with his passion for real estate, Brian brings with him a deep understanding of real estate risks and financing.