The modern property management field has become pretty complex. Every agent now has to deal with lots of aspects that are hard to handle by hand, such as properties, tenants, and finances.
Property Management Software (PMS) can help businesses overcome all the related issues, fine-tune the workflow, and reduce mistakes.
Below, we’ll cover the main features of PMS, the benefits of creating custom software, and a straightforward guide to developing it.
What Is Property Management Software?
Simple property management software is a digital tool that helps control everyday tasks in real estate management. In simpler terms, it brings together things like managing tenants, operating property care, controlling payment gateways, and generating reports all in one place.
Types of Property Management Systems
Housing management software usually come in different types, each suited for various needs:
- Residential PMS: This type is for managing homes, apartments, and condos.
- Commercial PMS: This option is normally used for managing office buildings, stores, and industrial sites.
- Association Management Software (AMS): AMS systems are designed to control homeowners’ associations (HOAs) and community groups.
- Hotel Property Management Systems: This software helps with running hotel operations, including bookings, housekeeping, and guest services.
Core Features of PMS
Good housing management software should have several key features to effectively handle property management tasks:
- Tenant Management: This feature helps property managers keep track of tenant details, lease agreements, and rent payments. It also includes tools for communication and sending automatic reminders about rent due dates and lease renewals.
- Property Maintenance: This part of the software helps watch maintenance tasks. It lets you schedule and track maintenance requests, assign work to staff, and keep records of repairs.
- Financial Management: Financial management is in charge of income and expenses, budgets, and financial reports. It handles rent collection and vendor payments and integrates with accounting systems.
- Reporting and Analytics: These tools provide insights into how well properties are performing. They offer customizable reports on things like occupancy rates and maintenance costs.
Benefits of Building a Custom Rental Management System
Perhaps the most convincing benefit of having a custom PMS is that it fits your business 100%.
Unlike pre-made market software, custom PMS can adjust as your business extends, work well with your present tools, and automatically conduct all property-related tasks.
Moreover, the system that you know inside out can save you much time, cut down on mistakes, and reduce expenses over time while making the software easy for everyone to use. Custom PMS also offers better security and proves you follow all the necessary rules.
Lastly, by offering special features that set your business apart, custom software can give you an edge over opponents. It provides useful reports and insights to help you make smarter decisions.
Plus, since you control the updates and maintenance, you can keep improving the software as your conditions change.
Steps to Creating a Good PMS
Building a good rental management system can seem overly complicated. Still, you can hand over the entire software development process to an outsourcing company, such as SCAND, that will split the project into manageable segments and deliver a fully functional product.
Here’s how this process should look like:
Identifying What You Need
During the first step, it’s vital to figure out the key features your PMS should have. This might include managing tenants, tracking property maintenance, handling finances, and generating reports.
Designing a User-Friendly Interface
The next stage involves making the software attractive and convenient. The design should be simple and intuitive so that everyone, from property managers to tenants, can navigate it without any trouble.
Picking the Right Tools
Choosing the right technology to build your software is the major responsibility of the development team. They select programming languages, databases, and other tools that will prove the software is safe, scalable, and fast.
Creating a Prototype (MVP)
Building simple prototypes or MVPs is a must to get a feel for how the software will look and work. On top of that, it can help visualize the product and make adjustments before diving into full development.
Building the Software
After MVP comes the realization of all core features. This step is the central phase of the whole development process.
Testing Everything
Testing confirms everything works as it should. This includes checking each feature, ensuring the different parts of the software work well together, and making sure it’s easy to use.
Launching the Software
Once everything is tested and ready, it’s necessary to deploy the software with minimal disruption. Cloud deployment is often a good choice because it’s flexible and accessible.
Keeping Improving After Launch
After the software goes live, it’s vital to keep an eye on how it’s performing. Regular updates and improvements will help keep the software relevant and effective.
Challenges and Solutions
Building PMS can be tricky, with challenges like adding lots of features, getting everyone to use it, and keeping data secure.
To handle these, start with the basic features and add more as needed based on user feedback.
Make sure the software works well with the tools you already use and give everyone good training to help them get comfortable with it. Use strong security to protect sensitive information and follow the rules to stay compliant.
You also need to think about how the software will grow as your business does. Choose tools that can easily expand and plan for regular updates and support to keep things running properly.
Case Studies or Examples
Now, let’s go over some examples of successful PMS systems that prove this software can be valuable and useful:
Buildium
Buildium is a great choice for governing both residential and commercial properties. It makes it easy to collect rent online, track tenants and leases, and manage maintenance issues.
Buildium’s simple dashboard and reporting tools help property managers stay organized and keep tenants happy with a convenient portal.
Yardi Voyager
Yardi Voyager is a sweeping solution used by larger property management companies. It supports various property types, including residential and commercial.
Yardi Voyager offers features like lease management, accounting, and detailed business reports, making it suitable for complex property management needs.
Conclusion
Creating custom property management software is a smart move that can change how well you manage your properties. By sticking to a clear development plan and focusing on the key features you need, you can build a PMS that works well now and adapts as your business grows.