22 of the best apps for property managers

Article by Silvia Liu Marketing Specialist 8 June 2020

Property management is a mobile profession. This has made it ripe for disruption in a mobile age, when everyone carries a powerful, internet connected device right in their pocket.

Over the course of the last decade a litany of apps have been developed to do things faster, simpler and better. But which are the best apps for property managers? Which will actually help you improve your efficiency and effectiveness?

Let’s take a look at 22 of the very best apps for property managers and how they can improve your service offering or make your life easier.

[F] = Free download or free plan available.

Personal safety apps for property managers

Conducting property inspections will always bring with it some element of risk. While there are ways you can mitigate the dangers, you should always have a personal safety app installed and an ‘in case of emergency’ plan in place.

Life360 [F]: The world’s leading real-time location sharing app, Life360 was originally designed for families, but works just as well for professionals who might need to send up a flare. It offers GPS tracking and chat functionality.

bSafe [F]: A one-touch SOS button with optional voice activation, live streaming and recording, as well as fake call and ‘I’m here!’ functions, the bSafe app is loaded with features designed to get you out of a jam.

PropertyMe Agent: PropertyMe Agent offers two in-built safety features. Find My Team delivers opt-in tracking of team members, and Duress Alert is an easy to activate feature that sends an emergency message to other team members.

Photo and video editing apps for property managers

Why wait until you’re back in the office to post marketing photos and videos? Edit and upload media on the go with these apps.

Snapseed [F]: Google’s free photo editing app, Snapseed boasts a 4.5 star rating and millions of downloads. Use the Advanced Presets feature to give your images a beautifully uniform look and feel.

TouchRetouch: You think you’ve taken the perfect photo… until you see a brochure on the coffee table, or a neighbour in the background. Enter TouchRetouch, the instant object remover.

Videoshop [F]: Offering high-end features for free, Videoshop is fast establishing itself as the must-have video editing app. Quickly and professionally edit footage and upload it to your platform of choice.

InShot [F]: Focusing on filtering and trimming capabilities, this free video editor is all about simplicity and usability. It also offers an impressive library of free music to add that X-factor to your footage.

Magisto: A video editing tool that has been purpose built to create social content, Magisto delivers professional level production quality with minimal user input—engaging stories are just a few clicks away.

Communication apps for property managers

Communication is incredibly important in property management, and you can’t let distance affect your ability to get your message across. These apps will ensure that you’re heard (and can hear) loud and clear.

Slack [F]: Slack is a team collaboration tool that sells itself as the evolution of email. Perfect for internal communication, you can connect it with all your favourite digital storage solutions and productivity apps to streamline your workflows.

Grammarly [F]: So much more than a spell checker, Grammarly ensures your written communication is not only mistake-free, but that it’s clear, concise and hits the right note.

Skype [F]: The original video conferencing tool is perfect for virtual inspections and tours. Skype is a great choice for external communication over tools like Zoom and GoToMeeting, as most people have used it before.

PropertyMe Agent: Your complete property management solution has a feature for communication too. With PropertyMe Agent you can send and receive emails directly from the app, no matter where you may be.

Marketing apps for property managers

The ability to sell yourself and your services has never been more valuable. Time is often of the essence, and these apps let you market on the fly.

Canva [F]: Create professional-level marketing content using a wealth of predesigned templates, and without paying a cent.

Hootsuite [F]: Schedule your social media cleverly and efficiently with Hootsuite, while enjoying the most insightful of analytics.

Buffer: Buffer sells itself as the social media management app for simple and authentic engagement. We can’t argue. Publish to your social media channels and analyse post engagement with confidence and ease.

Later [F]: Is Instagram your channel of choice? Later is the platform’s number one marketing tool, offering scheduling, analytics, content creation and more.

Unfold [F]: ‘The toolkit for storytellers’, Unfold gives you everything you need to create absolutely stunning stories for your social media channels. Professional-grade marketing for free? Sign us up.

Productivity apps for property managers

Property managers need to keep multiple balls in the air at the same time. The more efficiently you can manage your daily tasks, the more time you’ll have to grow your rent roll and deliver customer service excellence. The following tools can help you achieve maximum output.

Trello [F]: Utilising the Kanban method, Trello helps you to visualise and manage projects and tasks with newfound clarity and efficiency. Customise lists, organise tasks and use automated notifications to keep informed.

G Suite [F]: Google’s answer to Microsoft Office, provides a wealth of tools at your disposal, including Google Keep, Google Docs and Google Sheets. Personal use is free and business use starts from $8.40 per user per month.

Evernote [F]: Have a lot on your mind? Forget about forgetting by jotting everything down in Evernote. Log, organise and retrieve notes whenever you need.

Tiny Scanner [F]: The transition from paper to paperless is proving a tedious one for many organisations, but Tiny Scanner, the simple scanning app, can make it a little smoother.

Otter [F]: Record, transcribe and generate rich notes for meetings with Otter, the AI assistant that’s the new and improved version of a court stenographer.

IFTTT: The concept is simple, but the results are stunning—if this, then that. Trigger a cascade of automations across a wealth of third party apps with this incredibly clever tool. If I record a live walkthrough on Facebook, then post the video to YouTube too, or if I receive an email from a new lead, then add the contact to a

Google Sheet, for example.

Property management apps

While all of the apps above play their part in making a property manager’s life easier, they could all be considered trimmings that accompany the main meal. What is the best app for property managers looking to actively manage their properties on the go?

PropertyMe Agent: Designed to accompany the PropertyMe web app, the PropertyMe Agent mobile app offers an impressive array of functionality, allowing you to stay on top of your portfolio wherever you are.

View properties, contacts and documents on the go, create and edit jobs, conduct inspections, take photos and notes, send messages on the fly, and ensure team safety using Find My Team and Duress Alert.

Thanks for reading this blog on the best apps for property managers. You might also be interested in:

• How remote access to live data can help your business
• 10 essential property management software features
• 46 work from home tech tools for property managers everywhere

Let us know your thoughts on 22 of the best apps for property managers by emailing [email protected].