Name: Stessa: Smart Rental Manager
Rating: 4.82669 (4137 reviews)

User Reviews for Stessa: Smart Rental Manager

4.83 out of 5

4.1K Ratings

5 years ago, Shawn______

Very useful app for new landlords.

I’ve found Stessa to be simple to use, and although I haven’t used it long enough to submit the collected information on a tax return, I think it will be very helpful in storing and retrieving the information I’ve entered. I have a couple of suggestions that might improve the app though. I am currently using a great app called Stride to track my miles during trips, but I then have to manually enter all the information into Stessa. If I could just tap a button and have Stessa track my miles driven like Stride, this would be helpful. Stride is more for Uber drivers and other jobs, and less real estate focused. Second, I sometimes take photos of my checks along with the receipts for expenditures, but Stessa does not allow access to previously taken photos. If we could access photos, and possibly link 2 photos for one transaction, that would help. Finally, maybe a guide on acceptable deductions, and how to properly categorize them. Otherwise, I’m grateful for the ease of use of the app. Thanks.

2 years ago, Bezdomobile

AB testing begins

Been using it for YEARS, now they roll out a “pro” version (for those of us who didn’t know the entire platform already by heart) where things you used to do without thinking are now grayed out claiming you need to upgrade to access this “feature” which is nothing that has been added, it’s a feature that was already there, which basically doesn’t entail an upgrade at all, they’ve added nothing and just started charging for silly things that were free before, which is fine, but at least give us a warning that you’re going to make changes, tell us what those changes are so we can organize and shift to another platform before you start messing with our accounting procedures. You understand this isn’t Instagram? Stessa isn’t for entertainment; these random unannounced changes have a financial implications for us that are creating reports, thankfully they did it in January so I can dump these thoughtless punks who have lost all credibility and respect by treating us like a bunch of YouTubers who don’t know what to expect from one day to the next anymore. It’s accounting software for heaven's sake, you can just add and remove basic feature at a whim without notifying us of changes so we can prepare. Totally infantile management system. Fire the FB veteran you hired to run this company and head hunt someone from quicken to save you from doing any more damage. Very disappointing.

5 years ago, Standardraiser

Great Online Tool...Horrible App

Well, it’s a bit unfortunate that I have to rate this as one star. Let me be clear though: the tool itself of Stessa online is a phenomenal tool for a real estate investor DIY landlord. I just started using it and see the potential. I was excited to learn there was an app.....until I used it. So, my 1 Star is for the app NOT for the online tool. Online tool gets 5 stars, app gets one...should be less than one. The app just doesn’t do much at all. Sure, scanning receipts is fine, but that’s counterintuitive given you can connect your bank to automatically download transactions. It does nothing else. You see your properties but can’t click on them to see details. The dashboard page directs you to the website. Shoot, at least do an iframe if your own site and SSO into there. This is an example of a company that made an app because they’re “supposed to make an app.” It wasn’t near ready. IMO they’d be better killing the app until it is fully baked and then introducing it when they can match the UX in the native app with the online experience. It’s a shame given the online tool is good.

4 months ago, VegasGemini

Didn’t work out for me.

I had to part ways with my property management company and needed a good solution to collect rent and invoice my tenant quickly. I signed up with Stessa after reading the great reviews. My tenant (who at the time was already late on the rent) submitted an ACH payment to Stessa, only to mark it as fraud at her bank (giving her another 7 days to live in my property rent free). Why it took Stessa over a week to notify me of the failed payment, I have no idea. Once Stessa notified me that the payment was returned, I was also notified that I would be unable to use their application any longer. Essentially I am penalized due to my tenants misuse of their software, and the tone of the email response was so cut throat it felt like an insinuation that I made an attempt to misuse the Stessa app myself. All in all it was a poor experience and even worse customer service. I know my experience is not typical, but for those of you who may have tenants that are not the most responsible, I would suggest using a different application.

7 months ago, Jhatf

Cartoon version of Accounting

If you want to just play around and play accountant for one property, this is fine. But this app is not useful for really accounting or tracking purposes. Very limited features, like bulk transaction sorting. It says it has it, and even shows some screen shots of how it works, but what is in the screen shot is not available in the IOS app. Maybe it is available on the online version, but when you click on “sign in” from a browser, it just opens the app.. when using an IPAD. This seems like an app in early development or just a quick app put together in an effort to look nice and sell… it doesn’t seem to be a realistic for actual use. Try Waveapps or make an excel spreadsheet. if you are looking for something fee. Waveapps is also not user friendly for more than one property. But if you just have one, setup an account just for it and it will work fine.

3 years ago, J_C_Invest

Made my life so much easier

I’ve never written a review in the App Store before but honestly this is worth returning the favor a little to Stessa. I tried stessa a while back and was underwhelmed. But I recently gave it another try and the development of the product has been remarkable. They don’t force your hand into a paid subscription-I get the functionality out of the free version. It’s also making my info for tax time extremely easy. With their integrations and layout, I will absolutely be a continued user and suggest to others.

2 years ago, RE-ICT-MM

App works, customer service needs improved

I’ve had the app for a while and it started off with the same problem I’m having now. My bank account connection just dropped. And I can’t get it to come back. I’ve been chatting with customer service and they claim they’ve escalated it with the 3rd party company that handles the connection. It’s been a month and there’s no resolution. They just tell me there’s no ETA. Ive called my bank to make sure it’s not something on their end. There’s no one to actually talk to with Stessa’s customer service just a chat forum. This is ridiculous! I loved being able to collect the transactions and sort them into reports. But that meaningless now. They suggested I start a new account with them. I’m not starting all over and creating new accounts. Stessa either can’t or won’t fix the issue.

1 year ago, Dking1228

I can never access the mobile app. Any time I go to open it, it tries to use my Face ID (which works perfectly fine on any other app), and it shows a biometrics error, followed by an error that says something about logging in with email and password - which I never get to. Because it just pops up a third message box that says something really long about a Roofstock error and then just closes out and crashes altogether. This has been going on for at least 1-2 years with this app, not sure how they STILL have not seen and fixed something this serious. Totally dysfunctional app. Can maybe use the desktop sometimes but I needed this for an app on my phone not a website to visit on my desktop.

2 years ago, Fisheja

Wow!!!

The web based application is incredible. The app is a very nice companion. I’m in love with all of it. Very intuitive and useful. The app is missing some features like splitting transactions but otherwise it’s very robust and user friendly. I wish the web had a few other features like creating “rules” for transactions, better tracking of loans from mortgage companies that have limited or no linking capabilities, and the ability to set up automatic transfers. Other than that, It’s the best landlord tool ever!

4 years ago, gracetema

Awesome!

This app is amazing ! Is absolutely everything I was looking for. Not only does it let you add as many properties as you want, but it also pulls all records from county records to have it all accessible. It lets you add all your income and expenses and it shows a graph to manage your cash flow. It lets you upload files such as lease agreements, recorded deeds etc ! I love it and I would definitely recommend it ! Its also FREE!! Not like other apps that give you limited access and you have to pay if you want to enjoy all the perks.

1 year ago, Ak Kaduro

Links break all the time

I like the user interface. My biggest challenge is my bank links are constantly breaking. I also have banks that can’t be linked to the software so I’m forced to manually add income and expenses for some properties. If you bank with multiple banks in different states then this app is challenging. It’s better suited for someone with one or two bank account across larger banks like BofA or Wells Fargo. Otherwise your links will constantly break or stop working and you cant get accurate income/expense info. The help desk is nice enough but they can’t help since Stessa uses a 3rd party software to connect with banks.

2 years ago, KJ50291&3

Was good for awhile

I used this app for about two years and it worked very well for the first year. I had intermittent broken account connectivity where I’d have to categorize several hundred transactions at a time but it was manageable. This year one of my accounts just broke the connection and can’t be fixed and I’m missing tons of data. Customer support was extremely slow and unhelpful. Based on this and being unable to fix my bank imports-I’m moving on to a paid program now. It was good for a free app offering especially when it works but you get what you pay for it seems.

5 years ago, Hazeldad

A Good Start

This is a fairly new program, and so it is still evolving as the developers respond to new ideas. As far as being a quick way of seeing how your properties are doing or adding new receipts on the fly, it seems pretty good. I find on some pages that the user interface is a little bit difficult. For example, the menu, data sources, and the dashboard use either very small or very thin fonts that are hard to read. These hard to read font styles, sizes, and colors seem to be popular these days, but bigger, bolder and easier to read is the way to go on a phone.

1 year ago, RTSP6

Could be great but isn’t isn’t yet

1. Tech is slow (login issues constantly, everything always slowly loading) 2. It can’t reliably remember expense categories you label so I have to redo the same expenses every single month…. Very very cumbersome for anyone with even a few units . 3. No Zelle!? 4. No checkbooks?! 5. No low balance alerts. 6. No transaction declined let’s. If you are offering bank services, you have to do bank things. And it doesn’t feel like they take feedback like this review seriously. I’ve reached out a bunch asking about features and it’s always a very lackluster sorry. I transferred all my expense tracking to you and now it’s going to take dozens of hours to change so I feel stuck for now, but I’ll tell you I’m not staying for long with the current suite of services, especially now that I’m paying for those services, and I can tell you others won’t either Listen to your customers and build the product they need. You have a stellar idea but you are moving to slow

3 years ago, GregReview

Just try it, and you’ll be hooked

Started using Buildium and just didn’t love it. Then I heard about Stessa on a Bigger Pockets forum, tried it out, and soon cancelled my Buildium account since I didn’t really need all the syndicated listing and lease payment features of Buildium. Stessa’s biggest strength is in expense and revenue tracking, which is significantly easier to use than Buildium. If you’ve read this far, I highly recommend just giving it a go to see for yourself.

1 year ago, JD Boston 123

Check deposits require selfie?

After you give them all your information to open the “cash management” account aka the bank account, they require even more information when you attempt to deposit a check. They require a picture of your license, ssn, address, and a selfie! Yes! A selfie is required and who knows what else! I gave up, at this point. Additionally, they don’t give you physical checks! So if you’re paying a plumber, you need to ask them for their routing and account number, seriously? I understand checks are old school but how else do you pay someone? IOUs? Tomorrow, I’ll try a wire transfer from another bank. I’ll likely be required to give my DNA for verification.

4 years ago, meg.mp

Phenomenal Tool

I used to spend an incredible amount of time doing what this app takes to do in a very brief period. I don’t link accounts, just take pictures of the receipts and enter everything manually. We are keeping track of our 20+ rentals and flip house expenses with this app. I can truly say this is the first time in my life I won’t dread tax time and know this is going to make our lives so much easier. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the Stessa creators.

1 year ago, GoldyGopher_00

Bait and switch. Do not bank with these guys

Once you sign up for a pro account and move your banking here, they completely ghost you. Their software is buggy, they offer zero customer support, and the UI is confusing and literally inaccurate when compared to your bank account. I spent weeks moving all my systems and tenants to Stessa and as soon as they received my payment for a Pro account and had a bank account they just ghosted me. You can’t ship a tier 1 service like banking and have this many bugs with zero customer support. Completely unacceptable and honestly probably not even legal to run a bank with this many errors.

12 months ago, Hellag2

Good except login issues

I appreciate this app to better track my property expenses. However, it periodically won't let me login. It attempts to login via a safari connection and claims I don't have internet. Unfortunately, I have to wait weeks before I can delete and download it again for it to work. You can use the browser version but it's not as streamlined as the app so not ideal.

3 years ago, Antelope Pumpkin

Good so far

I just started using the app and I only use one of its functions but it does what I need it to do which is to keep track of the expenses for the one small building I own. I’ve not been very good at keeping track of them which makes it difficult at tax time. I think this app will help with that. I can’t say anything about the other functions that are on the app.

2 years ago, Johnnybgood12345

Bad timing

Discovered Stessa late last year. Was excited to get my couple properties added and transactions mapped. Took quite a bit of investment because I wanted to populate a few prior years but also get many transactions inputted for a recent remodel. Knowing my luck just when I’m done and ready for the future, I see they’re pushing a pay model now with many features disabled. I should have known that was coming. Blah. I guess the insult to injury is the app has crashed for me and stopped working around the same time and I haven’t been able to use it for a couple weeks now. Double blah. Sigh. Just disappointed.

10 months ago, GaBTA1

Convenient and easy app to navigate

By far this app has been very easy to navigate, I have tried so many apps in the past few months and none were as simple and productive as this one. Im still navigating this app, but kudos on their support team, they send videos on how to use and if I need them I can contact them. That’s says a lot

3 years ago, 4callmemom

Great for rentals!

I would give this 5 stars but almost did 4. It’s been beer perfect if it wasn’t for the difficult time I’ve had with Stessa not communicating with my bank. Customer service has been responsive but it’s been months since I’ve had it working. Other than that, LOVE this and wouldn’t want to be without it!

1 year ago, Bob Spang

Unresponsive customer service - BEWARE

I initially liked the app, but now the company has gone completely unresponsive- my money is locked in n account which they deleted. I received emails with links to add information, then links said information was already received. I cannot even get a person to call me after weeks of effort via email and online submission. It’s as if my money is held hostage. I spent so much time setting this up, and they have proven to care nothing about me as a customer and now I’ve wasted countless hours. Steer clear of this app, as I now will.

2 years ago, Mxytrrr

Can’t connect credit Card account -Disappointed about customer support

I have been using Stessa for around one year and recently I tried to connect a Credit Card account to the platform with no luck. I contacted customer support but they were of no help. They had me waiting for over a month and I had to follow up multiple times to find out they can’t fix the issue. I was considering upgrading to Pro, but with the lack of customer support, I don’t think it is worth the money.

2 years ago, Sahaag

Integration to financial institution and support

I’ve been using Stessa for a few years now. I’ve had off and on issues with connectivity to my financial institutions. Recently my connection broke and I have not been able to get connected for 90 days and still not connected. I’ve been in contact with Stessa support. They keep coming back that Yodilee has a fix in place. I try to reconnect and it still doesn’t work. I am a little disappointed in the time it’s take. Yo get a response from Stessa. Additionally I’m disappointed this issue is still going on.

2 years ago, bta234

Very Convenient!

I was stressing about all of the administrvia I’d have to handle for maintaining my new and first home, while also taking on renters at the same time. This app has relieved so much of what I had been stressing about. Very happy to have found an easy to use, very useful, app for taking on this next adventure in my life.

5 years ago, DominiqueN77

First time landlord

I love how easy this app is to use. I love being able to track everything. My wife and I are extremely nervous about this next step in our lives, but we are happy we found Stessa! I’m still hesitant about linking our bank account. Baby steps :-). Amazing app! I’m looking forward to using this and future products!

2 years ago, ..,:;///

Horrible app with absolutely no customer service

Bought the pro version and it will not up load any receipts for expenses. The only way it will work is if I manually enter every expense. With that being said it it very much quicker to manually write the expenses. Called the only customer support number several times and it says the google customer you called is not taking calls right now. Also the online chat isn’t working. App is junk and should be removed. I just wasted 192 bucks for nothing. I need a refund

7 months ago, GRATEFUL THIS EXISTS

The best of the best

I’ve been using Stessa for almost 2 years and I’m so so grateful I’ve found this platform. It completely transformed my business, and put me in control of my finances. It’s EVERYTHING I need for running my short-term rental business . I absolutely love it and highly recommend it to any landlords or hosts out there !!

1 year ago, epidendrum

Terrible for tenants

The good app rating must be from landlords. This is terrible for tenants. I have had trouble with Stessa and this app for 4 months. Unlike the prev app I used it does not allow u to schedule your payment for the first of the month. Your choices are pay early pay on the first or autopay. The past app I used allowed u to pay anytime and put your desired date for it to be payed. Just like a online banking. If u choose to pay early on this the funds come out at that time. Not conducive to getting your rent paid consistently.

3 years ago, Al ex 1

Horrible customer service

The platform worked great for the first year and a half I would have paid to use it. They changed there process and it kicked my bank off the platform. I went to reconnect my bank and it deleted my all my financial. They “tried to resolve” my issue for over a month. I kept getting the run around. Finally I asked them if it would ever would be fixed and they said they don’t see it happening. Absolutely terrible customer service. Do not rely on them to help run your business.

1 year ago, Mitchel R.

Great For Managing Portfolio

This app has been vital for my rental business accounting. Works well for small and middle sized investors. Have reached out to the staff numerous times with little issues in the app and they have always been prompt to address and try to fix them. Highly recommend!

7 months ago, Abel345

Problems with app

Loved the app so much I upgraded just to pay them something for saving me so much time but one day it stopped communicating with my bank and i have not been able to fix the problem. Cant get any answers with stessa and my bank tried everything. Completely useless now until problem can be fixed. Looked online and there are a lot of people having the same problem. No resolution from Stessa yet.

2 years ago, loyal for a reason

Amazing!

I can’t believe how amazingly user friendly this app is! I’m doing a bit of property management as a side hustle, and thought I might have to quit because I couldn’t keep up with the paperwork, but this app has changed my mind! What a time saver! This app deserves more than five stars! I’m hooked!

3 years ago, Doctor at Bay

Easy to track expenses and income

This app is very convenient to enter income and expenses on the goal on the mobile phone. Very convenient and it’s going to make it easier for me when it is tax time later. I have recommended this to other friends that own properties and they are loving it too!!

3 years ago, Blue eyes 123

An absolute MUST for Investors!

I cannot state enough how GREAT Stessa is! I can view my entire portfolio in a glance! I did have an issue with an account not updating due to my Bank updating their login procedure and Stessa’s customer service went ABOVE and BEYOND to help! Plus I talked with a Real Person! Try getting that for FREE!?!?

2 years ago, BDukes#1

Sends me to another login on different site

Sends me to another login on different site that’s says it’s sharing my information and can’t get any of my records now because that’s not happening. I can’t delete the app and reinstall because it says all my information that I uploaded will be deleted. Ugh very frustrating since this app has hours of my time… I’ve tried several apps in the past but they all end up the same. Best thing to do is purchase a program to download!

1 year ago, laker2000

Easy to use, but…

I like it a lot. I’m a paying subscriber. But one thing really bugs me: As a landlord getting the rent quickly is of great importance. A tenant paid me on June 27 but I still don’t see the money in my account on July 2; it shows pending. Come on team! Even the unpaid version of Venmo is faster than this. I want to be no more than 2 days; I will give you 5 stars. Let the unpaid users wait longer 😊 I will pay you more if you can make it 24 hours. I want my rent money 💰

8 months ago, Dudester8

Pretty good

Good and they pay interest on money in the account. Often have to reenter verification codes to update /sync with connected accounts which can be annoying. Don’t remember having to do that with quickbooks. This software works with rentals better than quickbooks though I think

2 years ago, Jrrgggg

Decent app when it works

This is an all around useful app which I enjoy using. But when I open it up it just shows it’s loading for ever and then doesn’t work. Until I delete it and re download it.

5 years ago, Mq2126

Data link always broke

Overall a good system, but the data link part is very unstable. I tried to link up a few different financial institutions, they were initially able to get connected, but over the data link would break one after another over the next few days. And this happened several times already. Kind of frustrating to experience this unstable data link. I hope Stessa would be able to fix it. Also the different income or expenses categories, it would be really good if you can allow some customized categories. Some of my expenses don’t fit into any of the pre-defines categories. Thank you for considering this.

5 years ago, jcolson

So far... A well-designed awesome app

We’ve only been using the app a couple months but so far I am extremely impressed. The app is easy to use intuitive and functional. I have not yet had to use the reporting tool for taxes but I look forward to seeing what ut can do.

5 months ago, Lwebbfsu

Almost perfect

It’s wonderful except for 2 things: 1) You can’t split expense accounts on a payment in the app, only the website 2) The lack of bank reconciliation is baffling. You can download transactions but you can’t reconcile them. Total bummer! I so wish this could be all in one!!!

3 years ago, Csst

Was great until bank sync stopped working

It was so easy when it worked. Unfortunately it’s been months since my bank accounts stopped syncing. I’ve been in communication with customer service and their response time has been extremely slow and they’ve been unable to resolve the issue. I’m on the hunt for another management app that syncs properly.

2 years ago, goodtool2021

Wonderful software for landlord

I have multiple properties and stessa helps me tremendously manage my properties. I even use it collect rent. When the tax season comes, I am so ready to file. Thank you so much, Stessa! This becomes the most important app for me.

2 years ago, keithjmiller

Doesn’t work on iPad Pro

I’m not sure when this started happening, as I don’t update my info in Stessa as often as I should. All I know is the last time I used it, it worked, and now as I’m going in to get things ready for taxes, the app launches and just crashes. If it doesn’t crash immediately, it does as soon as I click to review transactions. I may still be able to use the website, but the app is currently not usable.

5 years ago, AkLucas

Poor customer support service

After being unable to link my business bank account with them, I used the support chat to communicate the issue. 8 days later I’ve had 1 response that was along the lines of “we’ll look into it and get back to you” and have had 0 communication from them since despite multiple attempts to re-establish contact. Customer support is a joke. Very disappointed after all of the hype from the Bigger Pockets community.

3 years ago, Bertsnipes

Can’t live without

Ok, took me an hour to really understand the app. But now that I’ve got it down…wow. The receipt uploaded alone is worth it. Snap a picture and the receipt total is read and the image is stored crystal clear. Amazing

2 years ago, Sleepy npw

Privacy

The rating is for the app, not the online site. The update requires that my information is shared with Roofstock. This is the default login. Why aren’t we given an option? First, the app collects way too much personal information anyway. Secondly, I don’t have a Roofstock account. So, I may as well delete the app since it won’t let me log in without sharing my info with Roofstock.

Description

Do you want to landlord smarter? Stessa helps you run your rental property business...like a business. With online rent collection, tenant screening, purpose-built real estate banking, and smart money management, rental owners can easily track rental income, expenses, and overall portfolio performance from anywhere, anytime. Join the hundreds of thousands of real estate investors who use Stessa to maximize their rental profits every month. Stessa is a simple-yet-powerful accounting tool that saves landlords time and money by automating the manual work previously required for bookkeeping. Our intuitive platform simplifies rental property finances by bringing all of your transactions together in one place, automating all your reporting, and serving up alerts and insights so you know how your portfolio assets are performing in real-time. Access your key metrics on a personalized dashboard to track your monthly income, net cash flow, utility bills, asset appreciation, debt and more—at home or on the go. Make smarter decisions and drive stronger results with better data. Streamline your real estate finances with an FDIC-insured checking account that seamlessly integrates with all Stessa has to offer. Both businesses and sole proprietors can enjoy competitive annual percentage yield (APY) rates, no account maintenance fees, and no other hidden fees. Ditch the shoebox of receipts and manual spreadsheets and let Stessa’s smart tech do the work instead: Every single transaction is auto-categorized into tax-friendly fields—making financial reporting and tax prep easier than ever before. ONLINE RENT COLLECTION Imagine not having to send rent reminders or deposit rent checks anymore. Let Stessa onboard your tenants, send reminders when rent is due, give you real-time updates when rent is paid, while avoiding the hassles of third-party apps. It’s like getting a rent collection easy button. RENTAL APPLICATIONS You spent time finding the perfect rental, now fill it with a reliable tenant for free. Skip the hassle of manual screening or having to use third party services. Easily generate applications and track their status, all without leaving Stessa and backed by best-in-industry tenant screening. AUTOMATE YOUR FINANCES Stessa brings all of your property financials together in one place so there’s no need to log into multiple sites and manually log each transaction. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ONE-CLICK, SMART RECEIPT SCANNING Use the Stessa app to easily scan and track property-related receipts on the go in a few clicks. SIMPLE SETUP IN SECONDS Getting started on Stessa is fast, easy, and free to get started. Add your properties, link your financial accounts and watch your metrics dashboard come to life—accessible on both desktop and mobile. SEE HOW YOUR PROPERTIES ARE PERFORMING Stessa’s powerful metrics dashboard gives you a clear picture of how your investments are performing, including cash flow, rent roll, net operating income and more. EASY PREP FOR TAX SEASON Maximize your deductions with better bookkeeping, and make tax time a breeze by running tax-ready financial reports for all of your properties in seconds. SAFE & SECURE Stessa was designed from the ground up by real estate investors for real estate investors—with security top of mind. With our bank grade security, you can confidently link your financial and property management accounts and securely store important documents. Learn more: https://www.stessa.com/security/ “Prior to Stessa, we were doing everything manually, working with different bookkeepers and property managers, attempting to organize everything across multiple spreadsheets. Now we have everything in one place.” - Aaron McDaniel of GrowScale, Forbes