Best accounting software for landlords and property managers in 2026
What a small landlord or property manager needs from the books: rent, security deposits, profit by property and the Schedule E or T776, with Buildium, AppFolio, Stessa and others compared.
7 min read · October 24, 2026
We make AcboBooks, one of the products discussed here.
What makes rental books different
A landlord's books look simple: rent comes in, repairs and mortgage go out. The trouble is that every number has to be known per property, because each building has its own income, costs, loan and depreciation, and the tax return asks for them that way. A handful of other things trip people up:
- Security deposits are not income. The IRS says not to include a deposit in income when you receive it if you plan to return it. If you keep part of it, for damage or a broken lease, that part is income in the year you keep it. A deposit used as the last month's rent is advance rent.
- Advance rent is income when received. In the US it goes in the year you get it, whatever period it covers and whatever your accounting method.
- The return is per property. US owners report rentals on Schedule E (Form 1040). Canadian owners use Form T776, Statement of Real Estate Rentals.
- The building wears out on paper. Depreciation (or capital cost allowance in Canada) is claimed each year; see fixed assets and depreciation basics.
What to look for
| Need | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Profit by property | Every rent, repair, tax and insurance line tagged to a property, and a P&L per building. |
| Rent billing | A recurring charge per tenant and an ageing report that shows who is late. |
| Security deposits | Held as a liability per tenant; refunds limited to what each tenant paid in. |
| Late fees | Charged consistently, with a grace period, as income. |
| Loans and assets | Mortgage payments split into interest and principal; buildings and improvements tracked for depreciation. |
| Contractors | Repair contractors paid as vendors, with 1099-NEC slips at year-end in the US. |
| Tenant side | If you want online rent, applications, screening and a portal, that is property management software. |
The main options
Prices are list prices as of October 2026.
- Buildium is full property management software: leases, tenant portal, online rent, maintenance requests and accounting. Essential starts at $62 a month, Growth at $192 and Premium at $400.
- AppFolio is aimed at larger portfolios: Core from $1.49 per unit a month with a 50-unit minimum and a minimum monthly spend, so it does not suit a landlord with six doors.
- Stessa is free on Essentials, with the Schedule E report on Manage at $12 a month billed yearly ($15 monthly). Baselane has a free Core plan with bookkeeping, a rent roll and a Schedule E report, tied to its own banking. Both are US-focused web tools that work from linked bank accounts.
- QuickBooks Online handles rentals with classes or projects per property; Plus ($140 a month) is where projects start and what most landlords with several buildings end up on.
- A spreadsheet works for one or two units, until the year you have a vacancy, a deposit dispute and a refinance at the same time.
Where AcboBooks fits
AcboBooks is a Windows desktop program for small landlords and property managers in the US and Canada, with a handful to a few dozen units, bought once for $399.99.
- Each property is a class; tenants are customers and units can be jobs. The P&L by class shows every building side by side.
- Recurring rent invoices that enter themselves on a schedule, payments applied, and the ageing report for late tenants. Late fees as finance charges with grace days.
- Security Deposits held as a liability per tenant, with refunds limited to the deposit held.
- Mortgages in the loan manager with the interest and principal split, buildings and improvements in fixed assets, repair bills by property and 1099-NEC for contractors. Budgets are by account for the whole company, not by property.
What it does not do: no tenant portal, online rent collection, screening or lease management, though you can add a Stripe card payment link to a rent invoice. There is no ready-made Schedule E or T776 form; the P&L by property gives your accountant the figures. It runs on Windows only and imports your bank's statement file rather than connecting live. See the property management page for the full list.
How to decide
- Decide whether tenants need a portal. If online rent and maintenance requests matter, you want property management software such as Buildium; if tenants pay by transfer or cheque, accounting software is enough.
- Count the doors. Per-unit pricing and minimums suit large portfolios; a one-time price suits a small one that will stay small.
- Ask your accountant what they want at tax time: a P&L per property, the loan interest, and the assets placed in service in the year.
- Set up your properties in the trial. Add each building as a class in the 15-day trial, enter one month of rent and bills, and run the P&L by class. See pricing and the comparison pages.
QuickBooks® is a registered trademark of Intuit Inc. Other product names are trademarks of their respective owners. AcboBooks is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the companies named.
Rent, deposits and profit by property, bought once
Each property as a class, recurring rent invoices, security deposits held per tenant and a P&L for every building, for $399.99 once.
This article is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rules and dates change; check the official source or ask your accountant before acting.