Landlory
Buildium
Full-featured platform for residential property management companies.
Overview
Buildium is a cloud-based property management platform aimed at professional residential management companies. It bundles the standard operational stack — leasing, maintenance requests, owner and tenant portals, and accounting — into a single subscription priced by flat monthly tier rather than per unit.
What makes it different
The dedicated association-management module is the real separator: most platforms at this level treat HOA work as an afterthought, but Buildium runs conventional rentals and community associations as equal first-class workflows. A firm with a mixed book can keep both on one login instead of stitching together two systems.
Who it's for
- Residential management firms running staff across many doors
- Operators that also administer HOAs or community associations
- Growing portfolios chasing a lower per-door rate at higher tiers
Who should look elsewhere
- Owners of a few units who won't use the professional toolset
- Buyers who can't predict or absorb a variable monthly bill
Pros
- Deep residential PM workflows with strong owner/tenant portals
- Robust accounting plus an association-management module
- Recurring 25% affiliate — best long-term payout in the category
Cons
- Transaction/EFT fees can add 30–50% to the base cost
- Heavy for small landlords; reporting flexibility gaps
What users say
Reviewers on Capterra hold Buildium in high regard (around 4.5), generally praising its depth across residential workflows, the strength of its owner and tenant portals, and the rare association-management module. The recurring gripe is cost: users repeatedly flag that EFT and transaction fees inflate the bill, and smaller operators find it heavy with reporting that feels inflexible.
Pricing
Plans run by flat monthly tier — Essential, Growth, and Premium — rather than per-unit, with the Premium tier delivering the lowest per-door cost at scale. The real gotcha is fees: EFT and eSign charges are billed on top of the base plan, and Buildium's own data flags that transaction fees can add 30–50% to the advertised cost — so the sticker price understates the real bill.
- Core accounting, maintenance & leasing
- Basic communications + AI Assistant
- Standard & bulk reporting
- Everything in Essential + more automation
- Enhanced screening, lower eSign/EFT fees
- AI communications & business analytics
- Everything in Growth + advanced features
- Free inspections & eSignatures; 1st-yr free EFT
- Full AI/automation suite + Open API
Features
Rent & accounting
- Online rent collection✓
- Accounting✓
- Expense tracking✓
- Bank integration✓
- Reporting✓
Leasing & tenants
- Listing syndication✓
- Online applications✓
- Tenant screening✓
- Lease management✓
- Tenant portal✓
- Renters insurance✓
Management & ops
- Maintenance requests✓
- Owner portal✓
- Document storage✓
- AI featuresPartial
- Mobile app✓
Alternatives to Buildium
FAQ
What does Buildium really cost once the EFT and eSign fees are added?
Buildium's own figures suggest transaction and EFT fees can add 30–50% on top of the base plan, so a tier advertised around $62/mo can realistically land far higher depending on how many electronic payments you process. Treat the published tier price as a floor, not the all-in number.
Is Buildium overkill for a landlord with only a handful of units?
Yes, in most cases. Buildium is built for professional management companies and HOAs, and between the base price and per-transaction fees it's heavier and pricier than a small DIY landlord needs — a free or flat-fee tool will usually serve under-10-unit owners better.
Does Buildium actually handle HOA and community-association management?
Yes. Buildium is one of the few platforms at this level with a dedicated association-management module, so it can run conventional rentals and HOA communities side by side rather than treating associations as an afterthought.
How does Buildium compare to AppFolio for a growing portfolio?
Buildium uses flat monthly tiers with the Premium plan reaching the lowest per-door cost at scale, and it has no signup-size minimum, whereas AppFolio imposes a 50-unit minimum and leans harder into AI. Buildium is the more accessible entry point; AppFolio pulls ahead on AI and very large portfolios.
Is Buildium's reporting flexible enough for custom owner reports?
Reporting is a noted weak spot — it's functional but flexibility is limited out of the box, so firms with very specific custom-report needs may find themselves working around it.