{"id":17052,"date":"2022-05-18T16:41:55","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T23:41:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/?p=17052"},"modified":"2022-05-19T08:37:26","modified_gmt":"2022-05-19T15:37:26","slug":"spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/","title":{"rendered":"Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"950\" height=\"558\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg\" alt=\"comparison of spreadsheets versus property management software for rentals\" class=\"wp-image-17058\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2-600x352.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2-768x451.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are looking to invest in a rental property, inherited rentals, or are working off older bookkeeping systems, you&#8217;ll want to compare all your data tracking options. If you&#8217;ve ever tracked data in spreadsheets you&#8217;ll want to review the pros and cons of using them for your property management needs before deciding on what&#8217;s best for your rental business.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-accounting-options-for-rental-management\">Accounting Options for Rental Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just about every accounting tool will allow you to record rental income and expenses. Two of those systems to keep track of the accounting for your rental properties are spreadsheets and property management software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-spreadsheets-for-rental-property-bookkeeping\">Spreadsheets for Rental Property Bookkeeping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A step-up from using the old bound ledger books with hand-entered information, spreadsheets came on the scene 35 years ago but are still in use today for tracking numbers and calculations. The organized data in columns and rows are a convenient way to visualize information and perform mathematical functions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spreadsheet Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Eye pleasing graphs and charts<\/li><li>Placeholder for data<\/li><li>Many options to choose from<\/li><li>Familiar<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spreadsheet Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Difficult to learn<\/li><li>Vulnerable to data corruption<\/li><li>Lack-luster protection<\/li><li>Manual data-entry<\/li><li>Prone to human error<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Spreadsheets work well as a tool to manipulate data for analysis and are easy to create for list keeping. Although they&#8217;ve been around for decades and most people are familiar with the most simple functions, are spreadsheets the best tool for your rental accounting needs? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-can-spreadsheets-be-used-for-property-management\">Can Spreadsheets Be Used For Property Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Spreadsheets alone are not enough to handle the complexity of property management tasks and responsibilities. As a stand-alone tool to track income and expenses, a spreadsheet could be utilized but as a property management accounting tool, it lacks very important features a landlord will need such as: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Double entry bookkeeping which allows landlords to reconcile their rental income with bank ledgers and property ledgers, which would be a tedious chore in a spreadsheet.<\/li><li>Property management compliance standards such as state housing board audit requirements are not a feature within spreadsheets. <\/li><li>Availability to create\/share tenant statements connected to tenant ledgers in communicating with renters is missing meaning you&#8217;ll need a separate system or software for tenant related tasks like online payment processing, maintenance issues, and the like. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But if you&#8217;re a new landlord or looking to start your first investment into rental property, you may still be looking at spreadsheets as a resource tool while you investigate <a href=\"https:\/\/rentecdirect.com\/landlord-software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">landlord software<\/a> options or for importing data for analysis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although there are plenty of providers both as traditional spreadsheets and database options, the two main players are Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Google Sheets for Rental Bookkeeping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Sheets was launched in 2006 as part of their suite of office tools in Google Drive, such as Google Docs, Google Presentations, etc. and mirror some of the same products and tools that Microsoft offers. With that, you&#8217;ll find both Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel have similar features. Here are a few differentiating pros and cons for comparing Google Sheets to Microsoft Excel: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Google Sheets Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Can collaborate with anyone who has been given editor access.<\/li><li>Usable from any smartphone, tablet, or computer.<\/li><li>Free for personal use, $5\/month for G-Suite for business <\/li><li>Easy to use<\/li><li>Built for collaboration <\/li><li>Built-in revision history<\/li><li>Real-time chat<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Google Sheets Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Loading time increases as data on a Google Sheet increases<\/li><li>Less data visualization options<\/li><li>Less customization and formulas <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets for Rental Bookkeeping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Microsoft Excel is an application that allows you to perform calculations and make lists which help you analyze and sort information and track financial data.  Again, you&#8217;ll find both Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel have core functionality that mirror each other. Here are a few differentiating pros and cons for comparing Microsoft Excel to Google Sheets: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Microsoft Excel Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Advanced functionalities like locking cells and hiding formulas<\/li><li>Unlimited storage space<\/li><li>Options for data visualization<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Microsoft Excel Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Some Excel charts and graphics require a Microsoft 365 subscription ($6 &#8211; $22\/month per user <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/microsoft-365\/business\/compare-all-microsoft-365-business-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">packaged in Microsoft 365 bundles<\/a>)<\/li><li>More difficult to learn<\/li><li>Difficult to troubleshoot data-entry errors<\/li><li>Different versions make collaboration difficult<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>To find out more about differences between the two leaders in spreadsheets check out this guide from Google:<br>Switching to Sheets from Microsoft Excel | <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/a\/users\/answer\/9331278?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Overview: Differences between Sheets and Excel<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p>You can find out more about the Excel spreadsheet application here: <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/excel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Microsoft Support Excel help &amp; learning<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p>You can learn more about the risks of using spreadsheets and spreadsheet compliance here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecmconnection.com\/doc\/spreadsheet-compliance-controlling-the-risks-0001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Spreadsheet Compliance: Controlling The Risks and Costs<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Property Management Software for Rental Bookkeeping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Landlords have specific needs to help manage their rentals besides accounting and bookkeeping tasks that spreadsheets can\u2019t accommodate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Property Management Software Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Reduces human error with automation of rental income and expense posting, bank synchronization, robust subuser permission settings, and three-way reconciliation reports. <\/li><li>Audit trail: Errors are easy to find with search tools and transaction audit history.<\/li><li>Robust data security and protection. <\/li><li>Best landlord software will be designed for compliance to accounting best practices, tax regulations, and housing board standards. <\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncrec.gov\/Resources\/TrustAccount\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Property management software is built for trust accounting <\/a>which allows property management companies to manage rentals for property owners. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Property Management Software Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Although replete with many tools and features, often a property management software will lack customizable charts and graphs. You&#8217;ll likely need to export data from the software and import it into a spreadsheet tool to create data visualization. <\/li><li>Built-in and add-on features may seem overwhelming if you are just starting out in the rental industry and only need basic functionality. Tip: look for a property management software that is easy to use with great client reviews for their support and training. <\/li><li>Can be more expensive than a subscription to a suite with spreadsheets. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Takeaways: Property Management Software vs. Spreadsheets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although there are pros and cons, each option above does have a stand-out quality to consider: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Google Sheets are best overall for collaboration<\/li><li>Microsoft Excel is best for statistical analysis and visualization<\/li><li>Property management software, like <a href=\"https:\/\/rentecdirect.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rentec Direct<\/a> or other landlord and property management specific software, is best for compliance, automation, tenant relations, and bookkeeping accuracy<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best of Both Worlds | Property Management Software &amp; Spreadsheets <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for fancy charts and graphs and are familiar with Excel and Google Sheets, with great property management software you should be able to export any ledger, report, or data-set and import it into your favorite spreadsheet tool. From there, you can sort, arrange, and craft those pie charts and grafts for presentations and marketing giving you the best of both worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-related-reading-for-you\">Related Reading For You<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/quickbooks-vs-property-management-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Quickbooks vs. Property Management Software for Rental Accounting<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/time-saving-tools-youre-not-using-landlord-edition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Time Saving Tools You&#8217;re Not Using | Landlord Edition<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/best-document-management-software-for-landlords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Best Document Management Software for Landlords<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are looking to invest in a rental property, inherited rentals, or are working off older bookkeeping systems, you&#8217;ll want to compare all your data tracking options. If you&#8217;ve ever tracked data in spreadsheets you&#8217;ll want to review the pros and cons of using them for your property management needs before deciding on what&#8217;s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":17058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[275],"tags":[102,13542,32,15225],"class_list":["post-17052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-accounting","tag-bookkeeping","tag-property-management-software","tag-spreadsheet","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Consider the pros and cons of using spreadsheets vs. property management software before deciding on what&#039;s best for your rental business.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Consider the pros and cons of using spreadsheets vs. property management software before deciding on what&#039;s best for your rental business.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rentec Direct Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rentecdirect\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-05-18T23:41:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-05-19T15:37:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"950\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"558\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Heather Peake\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@rentec\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@rentec\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Heather Peake\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Heather Peake\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/517a7c6924802670fe6c5e6bbff469d9\"},\"headline\":\"Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-18T23:41:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-19T15:37:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1109,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"accounting\",\"bookkeeping\",\"property management software\",\"spreadsheet\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Education\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/\",\"name\":\"Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-18T23:41:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-19T15:37:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Consider the pros and cons of using spreadsheets vs. property management software before deciding on what's best for your rental business.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg\",\"width\":950,\"height\":558,\"caption\":\"Comparing spreadsheets to property management software for rentals\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rentec Direct Blog\",\"description\":\"Property Management Software News | Rentec Direct\u00ae\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Rentec Direct\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/rentec_icon_square.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/rentec_icon_square.png\",\"width\":377,\"height\":377,\"caption\":\"Rentec Direct\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/rentecdirect\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/rentec\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/rentec-direct\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/rentecdirect\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/517a7c6924802670fe6c5e6bbff469d9\",\"name\":\"Heather Peake\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed41817bfd91ad662ab65930e59b0912902a0110c60d55da11198ddfa6a88b37?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed41817bfd91ad662ab65930e59b0912902a0110c60d55da11198ddfa6a88b37?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed41817bfd91ad662ab65930e59b0912902a0110c60d55da11198ddfa6a88b37?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Heather Peake\"},\"description\":\"Heather, a writer in the rental and property management industry, applied her skills as an onsite property manager and landlord for many years before lending her talents to Rentec Direct. She now focuses on sharing her research and insider insights with landlords and property managers in the trenches. To learn more about Heather and find valuable tips visit www.rentecdirect.com\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rentecdirect.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/heatherpeake\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals","description":"Consider the pros and cons of using spreadsheets vs. property management software before deciding on what's best for your rental business.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals","og_description":"Consider the pros and cons of using spreadsheets vs. property management software before deciding on what's best for your rental business.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/","og_site_name":"Rentec Direct Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rentecdirect\/","article_published_time":"2022-05-18T23:41:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-05-19T15:37:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":950,"height":558,"url":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Heather Peake","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@rentec","twitter_site":"@rentec","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Heather Peake","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/"},"author":{"name":"Heather Peake","@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/517a7c6924802670fe6c5e6bbff469d9"},"headline":"Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals","datePublished":"2022-05-18T23:41:55+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-19T15:37:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/"},"wordCount":1109,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg","keywords":["accounting","bookkeeping","property management software","spreadsheet"],"articleSection":["Education"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/","name":"Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg","datePublished":"2022-05-18T23:41:55+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-19T15:37:26+00:00","description":"Consider the pros and cons of using spreadsheets vs. property management software before deciding on what's best for your rental business.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg","width":950,"height":558,"caption":"Comparing spreadsheets to property management software for rentals"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/spreadsheets-vs-property-management-software-for-rentals\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Spreadsheets vs. Property Management Software for Rentals"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/","name":"Rentec Direct Blog","description":"Property Management Software News | Rentec Direct\u00ae","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/#organization","name":"Rentec Direct","url":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/rentec_icon_square.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/rentec_icon_square.png","width":377,"height":377,"caption":"Rentec Direct"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rentecdirect\/","https:\/\/x.com\/rentec","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/rentec-direct","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/rentecdirect"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/517a7c6924802670fe6c5e6bbff469d9","name":"Heather Peake","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed41817bfd91ad662ab65930e59b0912902a0110c60d55da11198ddfa6a88b37?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed41817bfd91ad662ab65930e59b0912902a0110c60d55da11198ddfa6a88b37?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed41817bfd91ad662ab65930e59b0912902a0110c60d55da11198ddfa6a88b37?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Heather Peake"},"description":"Heather, a writer in the rental and property management industry, applied her skills as an onsite property manager and landlord for many years before lending her talents to Rentec Direct. She now focuses on sharing her research and insider insights with landlords and property managers in the trenches. To learn more about Heather and find valuable tips visit www.rentecdirect.com","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/author\/heatherpeake\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Spreadsheets-vs-Property-Management-Software-for-Rentals-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5jt1p-4r2","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17052"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17072,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17052\/revisions\/17072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rentecdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}