From collecting rent and communicating with tenants to handling maintenance requests and tracking expenses, there’s no shortage of day-to-day tasks facing landlords. And that’s to say nothing of big-picture items, like coordinating tenant turnover and filing your taxes.
Fortunately, today’s property management software can help eliminate many of the hassles landlords deal with. Avail is one such program, designed to fully automate certain aspects of being a landlord and make others more convenient. But is it the right software for you?
In this guide, we’ll explore the ins and outs of Avail property management software, including its features, price points, and who will benefit the most from using Avail, so you can decide whether or not to give this program a try. Let’s get started.
What is Avail?
Part of Realtor.com, Avail is free property management software with a toolset designed to help landlords manage their rental portfolios. Avail assists with everything from listing to leasing and has become one of the most popular management software solutions.
Avail also offers valuable resources to educate landlords about property management. The Avail website features an extensive collection of rental forms, legal guides, and other resources covering all aspects of renting, so you can level up your landlording game.
Like any software, though, Avail isn’t without its drawbacks. So, you’ll have to read up on its features, optional add-ons, and pricing options to determine whether Avail will be the right fit for you.
Reviewing Avail’s Features
To help landlords reach both small and large goals, Avail provides an impressive suite of tools. Here are some of the program’s top features:
Rental Advertising
To help landlords fill vacant units quickly, Avail provides a rental advertising feature that automatically syndicates rental listings to top websites like Realtor.com, Apartments.com, and Zumper. Landlords can also upgrade to prioritized placement to boost their properties’ visibility.
Avail’s rental listing feature reduces vacancy rates and improves reach with minimal effort on the landlord’s part. All you have to do is upload photos and a description, and with one click, you can advertise your property in multiple locations.
However, Avail’s rental advertising tool lacks certain features found in other programs, such as an AI-powered description generator. If you find you might need more in-depth assistance listing your property, Avail might not be the right fit.
Rental Applications
Once your listing attracts attention, Avail lets you convert those leads directly into rental applications. You can automate the application request process, and tenants can apply directly from Avail’s partner sites, providing crucial information to help you find your next renter.
Landlords can send out standard, fully vetted application forms from the Avail dashboard, eliminating the need to create multiple accounts or use a potentially unreliable application template. You can also communicate directly with applicants if you need to get more information.
If you need to ask custom questions, though, you’ll need to upgrade to Avail’s paid Unlimited Plus membership. So, requesting details such as pets, parking, or the applicant’s reason for moving will cost you.
Tenant Screening
Avail’s tenant screening feature stands out—in fact, Investopedia ranked Avail as the strongest tenant screening tool on the market in 2025. Avail uses TransUnion to screen tenants and, notably, only runs a soft credit check that won’t damage applicants’ credit scores.
Avail’s tenant screening reports can include credit, background, and eviction checks to provide a comprehensive picture of your next potential tenant. If you don’t need all of those details, however, you can also run a basic check that generates only one of these reports.
Though applicants typically pay the screening costs themselves, prices can vary widely with Avail. We’ll discuss these options in more detail later, but for now, be aware that additional costs may discourage tenants from consenting to the screening.
Maintenance Coordination
As with other property management software, landlords can use Avail to receive and track maintenance requests and document service history for future convenience. Doing so keeps landlords fully up to date on both routine and urgent maintenance needs across all properties.
Tenants can submit messages detailing maintenance issues and, if necessary, include photos. Next, you’ll loop in your go-to contractors and use Avail to update your tenant on the request’s progress, keep track of job costs, and record previous maintenance.
Useful though this may be, this is where Avail’s property maintenance assistance ends. You have to manually loop in your contractors, and Avail also doesn’t offer invoicing or a database of local maintenance workers, putting it behind some competitors.
Lease Agreement Generation
As part of Avail’s library of documents, landlords can access lawyer-reviewed lease agreement templates. Once you’ve secured a solid renter, visit Avail’s website to find leases that comply with your state’s laws and send one over to your new tenant-to-be.
Avail’s free membership provides unlimited e-signatures, customizable leasing, and standard terms so you don’t miss any critical information. Landlords can also manage existing leases through Avail, so you don’t have to ask your previous tenants to re-sign online.
If you’d prefer more extensive customization options, you may have to upgrade to the Unlimited Plus membership. This allows landlords to reorder clauses and add additional terms and attachments, which could be helpful for landlords with more complex leasing needs.
Rent Collection
Avail’s digital rent collection feature excels at streamlining the payment process for landlords and tenants alike, with automatic late fees, automatic charges through AutoPay, and payment via ACH, credit, or debit card. This provides valuable flexibility on both sides of the process.
Landlords can easily track rent payments through Avail to stay on top of rental income. Plus, tenants can choose to automatically report on-time rent payments to credit bureaus, which builds good credit for tenants and reduces late payments for landlords.
Avail does charge extra for this service. Tenants must pay $2.50 per direct deposit, though Unlimited Plus landlords have ACH fees waived. A 3.5% fee also applies to credit or debit card transactions, which could be a significant burden on tenants.
Accounting & Bookkeeping
Keeping track of money in and money out can be a major headache for landlords, especially when tax season rolls around. However, Avail automates the bookkeeping and accounting process across both membership tiers for added convenience.
Landlords can upload expenses and income into an easily understood spreadsheet, which they can also customize to their preferences. If you still need to employ a professional to assist with your rental finances, you can easily export that spreadsheet for smooth sharing.
To further simplify the process, Avail automatically provides 1099-K forms to landlords during tax season. Perhaps best of all, Avail does not charge an added fee to use the integrated accounting feature, unlike many of its competitors.
Mobile App/Compatibility
Admittedly, Avail falls behind in mobile app use. There is no standalone Avail app, only a desktop program. So, you’ll need to rely on the browser version of the software to manage your rental properties while on the go.
On the bright side, Avail is fully optimized for mobile performance. You won’t need to wonder whether you can access the same features on an app as on your desktop—you can use all of Avail’s tools on phones and computers alike.
Of course, this may still be relatively inconvenient for landlords and tenants who expect to use an app for tasks like paying rent or filing maintenance requests. If you prefer apps over browsers, Avail might not be right for you.
Avail Pricing
Avail has just two price points. Though the free membership comes with plenty of perks, you may need to upgrade to the paid plan for more robust property management.
Unlimited: Free
- Syndicate rental property listings
- Conduct tenant background screenings
- Access state-specific lease templates and other resources
- Collect rent online
- Receive and track maintenance requests
- Communicate with tenants in one place
- Integrated bookkeeping and rental accounting
Unlimited Plus: $9 per unit per month
- Receive rent payments quickly with FastPay
- No ACH fees for tenants
- More customization options for rental applications and leases
- Reusable lease agreements
- Property website creation
- Priority customer service with faster response time
Suffice to say, Avail is one of the most budget-friendly property management software on the market at either price point. But let’s see how it stacks up against its competitors:
- TurboTenant: Starts free, paid memberships from $12.42 per month
- Buildium: From $62 per month
- TenantCloud: From $16.50 per month
- Landlord Studio: Starts free, paid memberships from $12 per month
- RentRedi: From $5 per month
Pricing for Premium Add-On Features
In addition to the standard features above, Avail also charges additional fees for certain features. Though they may seem minimal, they can add up quickly if you’re not careful.
Rent analysis: To access a detailed report on a rental property’s potential income, you’ll have to pay an additional fee of $19.99 to view competitive rent prices nearby
Tenant screening: Though the tenant typically pays this cost, general screening reports cost $30, criminal background reports cost $30, and the eviction history report costs $30, though bundling all three together will cost $55
Rent collection: Tenants must pay $2.50 per ACH payment, or a 3.5% convenience charge for credit and debit card payments
Rent reporting: Tenants must pay $3.95 per month to report on-time rent payments to credit bureaus automatically
Since tenants must pay most of the above charges, your renters may balk at these additional fees. For example, you may need to pay for screenings yourself to encourage more applicants.
Who Avail is for
Avail will generally be better for certain types of landlords and rental property managers than others. If you fall into one of the below categories, you’ll likely get plenty of use out of the program:
- Landlords with smaller portfolios of less than 50 units
- Budget-focused landlords
- Hands-on landlords who want just a few automatic tools
- First-time landlords and property managers
Avail’s key advantage is its pricing. It’s an excellent choice for budget-conscious landlords looking to explore property management software. It’s also suitable for landlords who are just getting started and for those who don’t mind handling specific tasks themselves.
Who Avail isn’t for
Naturally, Avail isn’t the perfect fit for everyone. If you consider yourself to be one of the below, you may want to look for a different property management software:
- Landlords with large portfolios
- Landlords with complex accounting needs
- Landlords who prioritize mobile app management
- Landlords who are not tech-savvy
Despite Avail’s many features, the program can fall short in accounting. Additionally, landlords who prefer to manage on a dedicated app may be annoyed by the software’s lack thereof, which can complicate mobile management.
Is Avail for you?
Avail’s property management software is designed to streamline the rental process and assist landlords who want to automate some, but not all, of their tasks. While it does have its downsides, Avail remains an excellent choice for small-scale landlords.
If you think Avail might be the right choice for you, sign up for a free account to get started. You can explore its many features in more detail, including online rent collection, lease generation, rental advertising, and more.
On the other hand, if you think Avail might not be a perfect fit, you can explore other property management software to see what you might be missing. Check out options like TurboTenant, TenantCloud, and RentRedi to find the best choice for you.
FAQs: Avail Review
Is Avail legit?
Yes, Avail is a legitimate property management software dedicated to helping landlords and tenants streamline all aspects of the rental process. Avail offers a suite of tools, including online rent collection, lease management, and accounting, for landlords.
Does Avail do a hard credit check?
No, Avail does not run a hard credit check on tenants during the screening process. Avail partners with TransUnion to run a soft credit check that provides all necessary information about a tenant’s finances and credit history, without negatively impacting applicants’ credit scores.
Does Avail have a free version?
Yes, the majority of Avail’s features are available for free on the Unlimited plan. However, landlords who need more robust rent collection, lease customization, and property website creation tools may have to upgrade to the paid, Unlimited Plus membership.