Property management software looks similar across vendors in a demo — the differences show up months later, in whether trust accounting reconciles cleanly, whether maintenance requests actually route correctly, and whether you can get your data back out if you need to switch. This scorecard is built around the questions that surface those differences before you sign a contract, not after your portfolio is already migrated.
Who this is for: property managers, real estate operators, and portfolio owners evaluating property management software, whether adopting a first platform or replacing one that's outgrown its use.
Before You Start Evaluating
- [ ] Define whether you need landlord bookkeeping or full property management (GAAP-compliant) trust accounting — this changes which vendors qualify
- [ ] Document every system the new platform needs to talk to: accounting, CRM, tenant screening, marketing/website tools
- [ ] Decide your portfolio size and growth trajectory — per-unit or per-listing pricing that penalizes growth is a common trap
- [ ] Identify who on your team will own data migration if you're switching platforms
Accounting & Financial Questions
- Do you support GAAP-compliant trust accounting, and can you show sample owner statements?
- How do you handle chart-of-accounts setup during onboarding — is that included or billed separately?
- What reconciliation tools are built in, and how do discrepancies get flagged?
- Can owners access statements and reports directly, or does everything route through property management staff?
Maintenance & Operations Questions
| Area | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Intake | Can tenants submit requests with photo/video attachments directly in the platform? |
| Triage | How are requests categorized and routed to the right vendor automatically? |
| Approval | Is there approval routing for maintenance costs above a defined threshold? |
| Status updates | Do residents get automatic status updates, or does staff have to follow up manually? |
| Cost tracking | Can costs be tracked by property and unit for reporting purposes? |
API & Integration Questions
- Is your API documented and publicly accessible, or does full access require a premium tier or partner application?
- Is the integration with our accounting system, CRM, or screening service one-way or two-way?
- Which specific data fields sync, and how often?
- What happens to sync during platform updates or downtime?
- Does our current plan actually include the API access level we need, or is that an upsell?
Data Ownership & Migration Questions
- [ ] If we leave, what data can we export, in what format, and on what timeline?
- [ ] Do exports include financials, tenant records, work orders, and document attachments — or just a partial dataset?
- [ ] Does your team handle migration work (including trust accounting balances) or is that on us?
- [ ] What access do we retain to historical data after cancellation?
Vendor Scorecard
| Criteria | Weight | Vendor A | Vendor B | Vendor C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trust accounting & financial tools | ||||
| Maintenance workflow depth | ||||
| Open API & integration quality | ||||
| Data portability / export completeness | ||||
| Pricing model (per-unit growth impact) | ||||
| Onboarding & migration support |
Red Flags to Watch For
- Per-unit or per-listing pricing that scales unfavorably as your portfolio grows
- No open API, or API access gated behind an expensive add-on tier
- Vague answers about sync latency between the platform and your accounting system
- No sandbox or trial environment offered before you sign
- Data export limited to a partial dataset that would require significant manual rework to migrate
How to Use This
Weight the API and data-portability questions heavily even if you're not planning to switch platforms again soon — a vendor that makes it hard to leave is a signal about how they'll treat your account generally. Ask for a sandbox environment before signing so your team can test the actual maintenance and accounting workflows, not just watch a guided demo.