RentGuard vs Rentec Direct: Small Portfolio Comparison

Rentec Direct is a solid property management platform that doesn't get as much attention as Buildium or AppFolio. That's partly because it targets a specific audience: small to mid-size property managers and landlords who need real accounting.

If you're comparing it to RentGuard, you're probably in the 5-15 unit range trying to decide between proper PM software and something simpler. Let me help you think through that decision.

What Rentec Direct Offers

Rentec Direct comes in two flavors.

Rentec Pro starts at $45/month for up to 10 units and is designed for landlords. It includes full bank, property, and tenant accounting. Tenant screening with criminal, credit, and eviction reports. Listing syndication to top rental sites. Free online rent payments via ACH. A tenant portal mobile app where residents can pay rent and submit maintenance requests. And work order tracking.

Rentec PM starts at $55/month and is designed for property managers. It has everything in Pro plus owner portal access, automated CAM charges, owner disbursements via ACH, and 1099 e-filing.

No setup fees. No term commitments. Free onboarding. US-based customer support included. The pricing scales as you add units, but there's no minimum unit count.

For the price, it's a comprehensive platform. The accounting is particularly strong, and the trust accounting compliance is a real differentiator for property managers handling other people's money.

Where Rentec Direct Shines

Accounting. This is Rentec's strongest suit. Full double-entry accounting. Trust account management and reporting that's third-party verified as compliant. Income and expense tracking per property. 1099 e-filing and Schedule E tax reports. If your accountant has been begging you to get organized, Rentec makes them happy.

Owner portals. If you manage properties for other owners, this is essential. Owners can log in and see property performance, reports, and statements. Automated disbursements mean you're not manually writing checks to owners. This feature alone justifies the Rentec PM pricing for small PMs.

Tenant portal. Tenants can pay online (free ACH), submit maintenance requests through the app, and view their payment history. It's not the fanciest portal, but it works well and the free ACH payments are a nice touch.

Where Rentec Direct Is Overkill

If you're a self-managing landlord with 8 units and you don't manage properties for anyone else, about 40% of Rentec's features won't apply to you.

You don't need owner portals. You're the owner. You don't need trust accounting. There's no trust to manage. You probably don't need automated CAM charges.

What you're really paying for at $45/month is the accounting, the tenant portal, and the screening. Those are useful. But they're not free. And they require you to migrate your data into Rentec's system.

What RentGuard Does Instead

RentGuard doesn't do accounting. It doesn't have tenant portals. It doesn't handle screening or leases or online payments.

RentGuard monitors your existing Google Sheet. Your rent roll spreadsheet. Your maintenance tracker. It reads them daily and sends you an alert when rent is overdue or a request is aging past its priority threshold.

$15/month flat. No per-unit pricing. No migration. You keep your spreadsheet exactly as it is.

Who Is Rentec Direct Best For?

Rentec Direct is best for two groups:

Small property managers who manage units for other owners and need trust accounting, owner portals, and compliant financial reporting. If you manage 20-100 units for multiple owners, Rentec PM is excellent value at the price point.

Landlords who want proper accounting and are willing to commit to a platform. If your financials are a mess, your tax prep takes forever, and you want everything organized in one place, Rentec Pro solves that. But you need to be willing to enter all your data into their system and use it consistently.

Who Is RentGuard Best For?

RentGuard is best for self-managing landlords who already have a working system. Your spreadsheet tracks rent. Your accountant is happy with your CSV exports. Your tenants pay via Venmo or check and that works fine.

Your only problem is the operational gap: you forget to check your spreadsheet and miss late payments or aging maintenance. RentGuard fills exactly that gap for $15/month with zero changes to your workflow.

If you need trust accounting and owner portals, Rentec is the right choice. Don't force RentGuard into a role it wasn't built for. But if you just need to stop missing late payments, don't pay $45/month for a full PM platform when $15/month solves the actual problem. I cover this decision in detail in best PM software for 5-10 units.

The Honest Take

Rentec Direct is a genuinely good product. It's more affordable than Buildium, more accessible than AppFolio, and the trust accounting is best-in-class for small PMs. If I managed properties for other owners, I'd probably use Rentec PM.

But I'm a self-managing landlord with 12 units. I don't need trust accounting. I don't need owner portals. I need to know when rent is late and when maintenance is aging. For that specific need, RentGuard is cheaper, simpler, and doesn't require me to change how I work.

Know your actual need. Pick the tool that matches it.

If your need is monitoring and alerts, descoshop.com. $15/month. Free forever. No migration required.