Buildium

The property management software, Buildium, provides tools for property accounting, tenant screening, and communication with residents. It offers reporting and analytics capabilities, which are used to track rental income, expenses, and other key property performance metrics. The platform also supports applicant evaluation by surfacing available credit, criminal, and eviction data during tenant screening. 

What Is Buildium Best For? 

The standout feature of this platform is the Resident Center, where residents can pay rent or fees, review their payment history, and set up recurring payments using desktop or mobile devices. It also supports maintenance requests with photo uploads and tracks their status until resolution. This gives property management teams a self-service channel that can reduce routine inquiries and payment follow-ups. 

How Much Does Buildium Cost? 

Subscriptions start at $62/month with the Essential plan. The other two paid plans include: 

• Growth - $192/month 
• Premium - $400/month 

The platform also offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Besides paid plans, additional costs may also apply, including: 

• Credit Card Payments: 2.99%/transaction, based on the total value of processed payments 
• Remote Check Printing: $30 setup fee + $1.50/check, depending on the volume of printed and mailed checks 
• Tenant Screening: $17/standard screening, $35/applicant-paid screening, or $20/enhanced screening, according to screening type 
• 1099 e-Filing: $50/batch + $4.50/form, covering batch and per-form filing charges 
• Showings Coordinator: $25 setup fee on the Essential plan, while the setup fee is waived on Growth and Premium plans 

Users have shared mixed sentiments regarding Buildium's pricing. Some reviewers consider it reasonably priced as portfolios grow. Others note that transaction fees and pricing changes can push actual costs above the advertised subscription rate and make total cost less predictable. 

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change. 

Buildium Integrations 

Buildium integrates with different third-party platforms, such as: 

• AvidXchange
• Property Meld
• LeadSimple
• PetScreening 
• Obligo 

How Does Buildium Work? 

Here’s how to get started with Buildium software once you sign up to the platform: 

• Set up properties, units, owners, residents, leases, and other portfolio information in your user account
• Use the leasing tool to manage rental applications, tenant screening, leases, and renewals  
• Collect rent and other payments online, but make sure to keep transaction records with that 
• Track maintenance requests, assign tasks to staff or vendors, and monitor their status through completion  
• Exchange messages, documents, updates, and reports with residents and property owners through dedicated portals 
• Review accounting records and generate reports on financial and operational data using the available features 

Who Is Buildium For? 

The platform can be used by property managers and real estate businesses, especially those that manage: 

• Student housing  
• Commercial properties 
• Single-family properties 
• Community associations 
• Small multifamily properties 

Buildium Use Cases 

After evaluating Buildium features, we identified several situations in which it could perform particularly well, including: 

1. Property Managers Who Collect Rent From Multiple Units 

Property managers responsible for collecting rental dues across single-family or multifamily portfolios can use Buildium to process online payments and track transactions. As residents submit rent payments online, managers can reduce the need for on-site visits to collect rent. 

2. Leasing Teams That Onboard Residents 

Leasing managers and leasing coordinators can process rental applications, screen prospective residents, and prepare leases within Buildium. The platform keeps leasing activity connected to relevant property and resident records, which users say reduces administrative work during onboarding. 

3. Maintenance Managers Taking Up Repair Requests 

Maintenance managers can coordinate resident repair requests through the platform. When required, these requests could be tracked from initial submission through follow-up and final resolution, with records tied to the relevant resident and property. 

4. Property Management With Growing Portfolios 

Property and portfolio managers can use Buildium to manage growing portfolios across leasing, resident communication, maintenance, and accounting. As the platform keeps these operations within one management environment, user feedback indicates that teams can spend more time on owner communication, networking, and business development. 

Is Buildium Right For You? 

If you are a small-to-midsize property management company managing around 50 to 200 units, Buildium may be worth considering as your portfolio grows. The platform uses recorded owner and vendor payment data to prepare 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms, identify missing tax information, and track submitted filings. As the number of properties, owners, and vendors increases, this centralized workflow could potentially make annual tax reporting easier to manage. 

The platform protects data in transit with TLS encryption, secures passwords through bcrypt hashing, and enforces two-factor authentication for account access. Resident data is stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS) with Amazon RDS encryption at rest, including backups and replicas. This security setup is a notable consideration for real estate firms managing confidential resident information, as unauthorized access can raise privacy risks. 

Unsure whether Buildium suits your requirements? Get in touch at (661) 384-7070, and we will help you assess it more clearly.