Avail
- Product is rated as #5 in category Technologies
Avail was born out of necessity, when a handful of working professionals charged with managing their families’ rental properties decided that there had to be a better way to do this business. That mission of serving the “DIY” landlord is evident throughout the Avail experience.
They keep it simple, easy to use, and inexpensive. The tools and resources are vast, but not automatic, meaning what you get out of the software is limited to what you are willing and able to put in. This is where the “do” in “do-it-yourself” comes into play.
The Bottom Line: Avail is a great, inexpensive option for small landlords who are looking to run their 1–10-unit operations effectively. However, if you don’t have the time to invest in your own education or are looking to eventually scale out of this volume bracket, you’ll want to consider other alternatives.
Designed For:
“DIY” residential landlords, 1-10 units
| FEATURE | INCLUDED? | ADDITIONAL COST |
|---|---|---|
|
Online Payments |
Yes |
$5/unit/month to upgrade for next-day payments and waived ACH fees |
|
Online Lease Signing |
Yes |
$5/unit/month to upgrade for custom leases |
|
Tenant Screening |
Yes |
$30-$55 per screening |
|
Tenant Messaging |
Yes |
No cost |
|
Listing Syndication |
Yes |
No cost |
|
Dedicated Tenant Portal |
Yes |
No cost |
|
Sub-User Management |
Yes |
No cost |
|
Mobile App |
No |
N/A |
|
Renter’s Insurance Marketplace |
Yes |
Per policy cost |
|
Accounting Tools |
No |
N/A |
Estimated Cost:
$0 – $1,000+ per year
Pricing
9/10
In terms of cost, this is just about as good as it gets. Even the most penny-pinching of landlords can get exactly what they want from Avail, with most of their offerings coming completely free of charge. And even if you are looking at the upgraded ‘Unlimited Plus’ plan, you’re not going to be feeling the hurt in any significant way.
With Avail being specifically designed for smaller landlords, the $5 per unit per month model of their premium offerings is more than manageable for most. Even as a higher volume landlord at the top of Avail’s segment, you’re only looking at $600 a year for their full suite of services. And while the credit and background screening costs might seem on the higher end, those can always be passed on to the tenant.
Features
7/10
While Avail is working overtime to fill their support center with valuable tools and resources to help their landlords learn extracurricularly, there are some key fundamentals missing from their mix. The most obvious gap is the lack of accounting features. In terms of bookkeeping, the software allows you to generate basic reports and little else. We are told that the integration with other applications like QuickBooks is a feature that’s in development; however, there’s no clear detail or deadline on that promise.
Aside from that, there are some interesting extras definitely worth noting. One being the Rent Price Analysis. This nifty tool claims to take the guesswork out of setting your rent price, showing you how your property compares to those nearby and allowing you to make data-driven decisions. This feature would be especially useful to the first-time landlord, looking to break into the market competitively.
Another great resource for the acquisitive business owner is the Rental Property Calculator. This is a standout offering unique to Avail and worth a look. The online calculator will generate information like cap rate, cash-on-cash return, GRM, and IRR to help you determine if the property you’re looking at is worth your investment. It’s also important to note that this feature is available on the Avail website with or without an account. So even if you do decide to go in a different direction with your software, you can still utilize the feature.
Ease of Use
8/10
The barrier to entry for Avail is low. Within minutes, even seconds, of deciding to open an account, users already have full access to their portals and dashboards. However, this expedience comes at a small cost. Once landlords have the keys to the kingdom, it’s really up to them to peck away and figure out just how to navigate the grounds.
The good news is that the dashboard is relatively straightforward, with intuitive sub-sites clearly marked and extraneous detail roped off yet easily accessible. First-time software users will find it beneficial to be able to review their business at a glance and easy to manage their properties from the basic portal.
The only thing left to be desired in terms of usability would be the implementation of a mobile app. Despite the fact that the site is optimized for mobile devices and admittedly works quite well on them, the convenience of a stand-alone app is highly valued by property managers and tenants alike. And while the help desk purports the development of an app in the future, there is no clear deadline or indication of when that might be available for users.
Flexibility
8/10
With Avail, flexibility and customization is a premium you pay for. And while you won’t pay a lot, the ability to modify applications, leases, and your personal portal are only yours with that “Unlimited Plus” upgrade. Once at that tier, users have the ability to pretty much anything they need to do to operate their DIY business.
Customer Support
7/10
Avail has all the standard support channels one would expect from a software provider – a chat bot supplying information in the form of relevant articles, a customer service email address, and even a direct phone line (although it did take us several tries to get someone on the horn in our moment of need). All three avenues are helpful enough and in decent working order. If there were any place they could improve; it would be in the set-up stage. Given that the company is targeting DIY and first-time landlords, it would be greatly beneficial for users to have a more human point of contact in the beginning to help them navigate that initial roll-out.
Overall Score
The Verdict
7.8
TOTAL SCORE
Inexpensive qualityw>
Good quality software that does the basics well for little to no money.
Pricing
7.8 Expert Score
PROS
- Mission driven, born out of necessity and an acute understanding of the problem
- Designed specifically for small, independent landlords
- Free for landlords and upgrades are inexpensive
- Extensive library of educational resources and features
CONS
- Relatively new, with a smaller user base and less data than some of the bigger names in property management
- No mobile app for landlords or for tenants
- Minimal customer support
- Lacking accounting tools
