For property managers
Your property software collects the rent. It does not keep you out of trouble.
AppFolio, Buildium and Rent Manager handle rent, accounting and work orders. These tools cover the deadlines and rules they leave to you: deposit letters, city licenses, notices and takeovers.
Up to 2×
the deposit, in damages, if a California landlord keeps a security deposit in bad faith.
What I build for property managers
Security deposit desk
Tracks every move-out against your state's deposit deadline, with photos and invoices behind every deduction.
$4,600 one time
Local compliance register
Tracks rental licenses, lead certificates and per-tenancy certificates, city by city, with what blocks a renewal.
$3,600 one time
Late rent notice tracker
Follows every late account from missed rent through notice, deadline and attorney handoff, with proof of each step.
$3,900 one time
Portfolio takeover check
Checks a new portfolio unit by unit when you take it over: rent roll, leases and deposits compared, gaps flagged.
$3,300 one time
What the research says
I checked each figure against its original source in September 2026. Numbers published by companies that sell these services are marked, because they have a reason to look good.
In California, a landlord has 21 days to return a deposit or send an itemized statement. Bad-faith retention can cost up to twice the deposit.
Since 2025, AB 2801 also requires photos at move-out before repairs and after repairs, and photos at move-in for new tenancies.
Source: California Civil Code 1950.5
Questions
Will this replace AppFolio or Buildium?
No. Your property software stays the record for rent, leases and accounting. These tools read from it and handle one job it leaves to you.
Does it work with my property software?
AppFolio allows read access on its Plus plan and read and write on Max; its Core plan has no connection. Buildium allows a connection on its Premium plan. Otherwise the tools work from exports.
Is this legal advice?
No. The tools track deadlines and paperwork using rules you and your attorney approve, and every notice or letter is reviewed by a person before it goes out.
Have a product in mind? Let's scope it this week.
A 30-minute call gets you a rough timeline and cost — no obligation, no sales deck.