Let’s face it: being a landlord is complicated. You have to deal with routine tasks like rent collection and property maintenance, as well as handling occasional tenant turnover. And that’s to say nothing of the accounting side of the business.
The good news is that landlords can use rental property management software to handle a wide range of necessary tasks. Hemlane is one such platform, with several tools available to help landlords. But whether or not Hemlane will work for you—well, that depends.
In this review, we’ll explore Hemlane’s features, costs of use, and who will and won’t benefit from the software. Then you can decide for yourself whether to give Hemlane a try or research other options. Let’s get started.
What is Hemlane?
Founded in 2015 in San Francisco, Hemlane is a rental property management software program focused on streamlining the rental process for landlords. To do so, Hemlane offers rent collection, maintenance coordination, leasing assistance, and other supportive tools via cloud-based computing.
Landlords and tenants can use Hemlane from any device or location, providing valuable flexibility and convenience on both ends of the management process. Hemlane also offers pricing flexibility, including a free, limited membership, as well as multiple paid account tiers.
Of course, useful though it may be, Hemlane isn’t the perfect fit for every kind of landlord or property manager. You’ll have to read up on Hemlane’s pros, cons, pricing, and more to decide whether it’s right for you.
Reviewing Hemlane’s Features
The right digital tools can help landlords manage their rentals, from filling vacant units to collecting rent online. Here’s how Hemlane stacks up:
Rental Advertising
Hemlane’s rental advertising tool helps landlords quickly fill empty units. You can list vacancies on Hemlane in a matter of minutes thanks to the software’s AI-powered listing generator. Listings then automatically syndicate across multiple partner websites, including Zillow and Trulia.
Hemlane also provides automated response capabilities, so you don’t have to respond to interested renters right away if you don’t want to. Additionally, tenants can schedule showings right on Hemlane without the hassle and stress of direct communication.
Rental advertising accounts for one of Hemlane’s most significant selling points, designed to keep rental vacancy rates low and make listing easy for landlords. Tenants can also benefit from the intuitive, streamlined user interface, which simplifies finding a new home.
Rental Applications
When you’re ready to turn an interested renter into your next tenant, you can send over a digital application through Hemlane. This application covers a variety of standard leasing questions, including whether a tenant has pets and income information.
If you need further assistance, you can sign up (and pay) for Hemlane’s tenant placement service. This boosts listing visibility and connects landlords with a dedicated coordinator who will find you a new tenant so you can be entirely hands-off.
Granted, some landlords have complained about the quality of Hemlane’s coordinators, particularly given the price point for the tenant placement service. And considering that the cost is quite steep at the time of writing, you may feel the same way.
Tenant Screening
To ensure you can trust your tenant to pay rent on time and abide by lease terms, Hemlane conducts thorough tenant screenings. Landlords receive reports on a tenant’s rental, credit, and criminal history for a comprehensive picture of their next renter.
Hemlane uses TransUnion for soft credit checks rather than hard checks that can damage tenants’ credit scores. This could be all the incentive that a tenant needs to consent to a background check, speeding up the process of securing your next renter.
Additionally, Hemlane balances artificial intelligence with objective criteria to determine whether a tenant is a good fit for your rental. Landlords can customize their requirements for renters to even the playing field and avoid the headache of reviewing applications in exhaustive detail.
Lease Agreement Generation
Once you approve an applicant, it’s time to sign a lease. Hemlane allows landlords to send and e-sign lease agreements, eliminating the difficulties of paper leases and speeding up the process of getting a new renter into your property.
To help, Hemlane provides a library of state-specific lease templates that you can easily amend to fit your needs. However, state-specific leases are only available to landlords with certain memberships, and landlords with basic accounts must use Hemlane’s general template.
Hemlane only added leasing to its features within the last few years, so certain kinks still exist in the system. However, Hemlane continues to make regular software upgrades, so your experience is likely to improve over time.
Maintenance Coordination
Hemlane provides an impressive maintenance coordination tool to help landlords with both routine and urgent repairs. When a tenant submits a request, Hemlane will connect the tenant with a local maintenance professional to troubleshoot and provide repair quotes.
The troubleshooting process helps resolve repairs faster, without the need for a landlord’s input. When it comes to the repairs themselves, landlords can keep a close eye on potential costs and always have the final say on the budget and completion of repairs.
Some landlords point out that Hemlane tends to choose rather costly contractors. If you don’t mind the extra spend for convenience’s sake, the price may not bother you, but it could be a drawback for landlords on a budget.
Rent Collection
Like other property management programs, Hemlane provides online rent collection to help you receive payments faster and on time. This tool can reduce the frequency of late rent payments and offer additional functionality for your renters.
Landlords can set up automatic rent reminders and late fee charges for tenants through Hemlane’s highly secure payment system. Additionally, you can use the rent tracking feature to stay up to date on who has and hasn’t paid their rent.
That said, some Hemlane users report that rent payments may take up to 5 days to be deposited. Additionally, landlords have found that Hemlane’s customer service availability is limited, so tenants may be frustrated if issues arise with the payment system.
Accounting & Bookkeeping
Hemlane’s accounting feature allows landlords to handle all bookkeeping details in one place. The program offers integrated accounting services for peace of mind and ease of use, which can be especially helpful during tax season.
The fully automated accounting tool reduces errors in your bookkeeping process—no more wondering whether you correctly reported your income and expenses. This feature also allows you to assess a rental’s profitability and identify opportunities to improve your margins.
If you work with a team, you can even customize your user interface to suit multiple people, such as CPAs and tax professionals.
Mobile App/Compatibility
Though most property management software offers mobile apps, Hemlane does not. However, Hemlane optimizes its features for mobile web use, so you can still manage your properties from any device. Tenants can also use Hemlane on a mobile browser.
Granted, this will be a downside for landlords who prefer to use a native app over the sometimes-clunky features of mobile browsers. But if you typically manage your properties from a desktop browser, you likely won’t notice a significant difference in the process.
Hemlane Pricing
Hemlane offers multiple membership tiers, each with different features. Here’s what you’ll get for the price:
Starter: Free
- Rental advertising
- Tenant screening and background checks
- Basic rental accounting and cashflow tracking
Basic: From $30 per month
- Lease generation
- E-signatures and property document storage
- Online rent collection with no ACH fees for tenants
- Tenant communication capabilities
- Insurance and credit reporting for tenants
Essential: From $48 per month
- Full maintenance coordination, including troubleshooting, invoicing, and work order management
- Access to state-specific lease templates
Complete: From $86 per month
- A property management assistant to handle tenant communications
- Access to Hemlane’s network of vetted repair professionals
- Priority customer support
- More detailed oversight of repair prices
- Leasing and tenant turnover assistance through Hemlane’s network
Needless to say, Hemlane can get quite pricey. But let’s take a look at how it compares to other property management software:
- TurboTenant: Starts free; paid plans from $12.42 per month
- Buildium: From $62 per month
- Doorloop: From $69 per month
- TenantCloud: From $16.50 per month
- RentRedi: From $5 per month
Pricing for Premium Add-On Features
In addition to the above membership tiers, Hemlane also charges extra for certain services. You’ll have to fork over more money for:
- Advanced tenant placement: From $695
- Eviction Shield: $4.95 per unit per month, or a flat fee of $475 every time
- Property inspections: From $300
- Showings + Technology: One-time fee of $595
- Tenant Screening: $40 per applicant for background and credit checks, though typically paid by the tenant
These add-ons can quickly eat into a landlord’s bottom line. So, if you think you need one of the above features but can’t afford the price, you may want to look elsewhere for property management software.
Who Hemlane is for
With Hemlane’s tools and pricing options in mind, a few types of landlords and property managers will benefit most from the program. Here’s who:
- Landlords with small to mid-size portfolios
- Landlords and property managers who value a tech-forward approach to management
- Remote landlords and property managers
Landlords who want to automate much of the rental process—either because they live far away from their rentals or because they don’t want the hassle—stand to gain the most from using Hemlane. Additionally, landlords who prioritize technology over price will likely be satisfied with Hemlane’s payoff.
Who Hemlane isn’t for
Next up, it’s worth taking a look at the types of landlords and property managers who won’t get much use out of Hemlane. Here’s who:
- Landlords on a tight budget
- Landlords who have large portfolios
- Landlords who value responsive customer service
Hemlane’s price remains one of its most significant drawbacks, especially for someone with minimal cash flow. Landlords with more than a few dozen rental units will also likely need more tools than Hemlane can provide, as some of Hemlane’s features are limited to smaller portfolios.
Is Hemlane for you?
After exploring Hemlane’s features and pricing, there’s only one thing left to do: decide whether Hemlane is the right choice for you. Landlords with small portfolios who want to automate specific property management tasks may find Hemlane is ideal.
If you want to give Hemlane a try, sign up for a free account today to get started. With a caveat—since you won’t be able to access very many features with a free account, you may need to upgrade to a paid membership to really experience what they offer.
On the other hand, if you’ve decided Hemlane isn’t right for you, you can choose from plenty of other rental management programs. Read our reviews on TurboTenant, TenantCloud, RentRedi, and more to learn which software might be a better fit for you.
FAQs: 2025 Hemlane Review
Is Hemlane legit?
Yes, Hemlane is a legitimate property management software company based in San Francisco. Hemlane brings a technology-forward approach to rental management and offers a wide variety of tools to help landlords accomplish their property management goals, including online rent collection and e-signatures.
Does Hemlane do a hard credit check?
No, Hemlane does not do a hard credit check during the tenant screening process. Instead, Hemlane runs a soft credit check, which does not impact a renter’s credit score while still providing landlords with valuable insights about their next potential tenant.
Does Hemlane have a free version?
Yes, Hemlane offers a free membership for landlords called the Starter membership. This tier provides landlords with a few key features, including accounting and rental advertising, but it lacks essential tools, such as state-specific lease templates and improved customer service.