OwnerRez Review: Features and Pricing in 2023
This article is part of a larger series on Accounting Software.
OwnerRez is a cloud-based vacation rental management platform that helps property owners and managers streamline their operations, from bookings and reservations to guest communication and payment processing. Its comprehensive reporting tools provide valuable insights, enabling informed decisions to maximize occupancy and revenue. It also integrates with QuickBooks Online, which automatically syncs the data between the two platforms. Users like the program, and those who left an OwnerRez review rated it a 4.9 out of 5.
Pros
- Offers unlimited bookings, emails, payments, and widgets
- Has custom legal agreements
- Connects to WordPress
- Lets users communicate with guests via text message
Cons
- Lacks trust accounting
- Charges fees for setup and implementation support
- Lacks a mobile app
- Lacks integration with Expedia and Google Vacation Rental
Monthly Pricing | Starts at $40 for one property |
Tax Tracking | ✓ |
Trust Accounting | ✕ |
Income & Expense Tracking | Via QuickBooks Online |
Channel Management Tools | ✓ |
Signatures Platform | ✓ |
Payment Processing | ✓ |
Application Programming Interface (API) Integrations | ✓ |
Average User Reviews | 4.9 out of 5 |
- Those using QuickBooks Online: The OwnerRez integration is a great way to power up QuickBooks Online to include all the tools you need to manage vacation rentals without having to migrate to a new accounting software. Even without OwnerRez, we selected QuickBooks Online as the overall best real estate accounting software.
- Vacation rental property owners seeking a solution for managing operational tasks: OwnerRez is an excellent all-in-one tool for vacation rental property owners wanting to streamline bookings, guest communication, reservations, and other operational tasks.
- Vacation rental property owners using multiple listing sites: If you list your vacation rental properties on various rental listing sites, like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Tripadvisor, OwnerRez can assist with consolidating your bookings and managing them from a single platform.
- Vacation rental property owners and managers who need a solution for trust accounting: OwnerRez doesn’t support trust accounting, so we recommend Escapia, which combines double-entry accounting and a general ledger with vacation rental accounting. This simplifies year-end IRS reporting (1099s and 1042s). Read our Escapia review for more information.
- Airbnb hosts wanting to manage their own bookkeeping: When you integrate Bnbtally, a plug-in that integrates Airbnb with QuickBooks Online and Xero, you’ll have access to a powerful tool that includes customized chart of accounts templates for different Airbnb business models. While OwnerRez also integrates with QuickBooks, OwnerRez doesn’t offer this feature. To learn more, check out our review of Bnbtally.
- Vacation rental property owners who work remotely often: OwnerRez doesn’t offer a mobile app, so if you work remotely regularly, then you may want to consider FreshBooks. Its robust mobile app lets you track mileage and communicate with clients directly through the app. Read our FreshBooks review for more information.
Are you interested in additional options? See our top-recommended vacation rental accounting software—all three integrations above, along with others, are reviewed in the guide.
OwnerRez Alternatives
Are you seeking general-purpose accounting software? Check out our roundup of the best accounting software for small businesses.
OwnerRez Pricing
The OwnerRez pricing page shows fees that vary based on the number of units. Costs range from $40 for one property to $1,472 for 500 properties. The price includes channel management and digital signatures.
Any of the Premium features—such as property management, QuickBooks Online integration, hosted sites, integrated sites and WordPress plugin, and SMS messaging—are priced separately. The QuickBooks Online integration, for example, costs $10 per month on top of the base price. A 14-day free trial is available, and you can use any of the Premium features during that time.
OwnerRez also offers ProConnect, a premium service that will help you set up your account and configure your features and settings. ProConnect’s pricing is as follows:
- Up to two properties: $500
- Three to nine properties: $150 each
- 10 or more properties: $100 each
OwnerRez Features
OwnerRez provides several useful tools, from channel management to tax tracking and payment processing. It also integrates with QuickBooks Online to streamline your accounting. Its user portal is helpful with managing cleaning and maintenance staff, and you can also message guests and create your own vacation rental website to assist with marketing efforts.
OwnerRez provides a direct application programming interface (API) integration with many of the most popular booking channels; including Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Tripadvisor. Channel management is included in your subscription fee, with an additional cost that varies depending on the number of properties.
OwnerRez Listings Calendar
OwnerRez connects directly with QuickBooks Online for property and financial management. Once you connect OwnerRez to your QuickBooks Online account and it is configured for a property, all bookings that are changed after that will start syncing with QuickBooks. Bookings and payments in OwnerRez will be converted to invoices and received payments in QuickBooks Online.
Connecting OwnerRez to QuickBooks Online
OwnerRez’s property management module includes a user portal. It lets you grant access to owners, cleaners, maintenance staff, and other users, enabling them to view availability calendars and perform other actions, such as blocking off time or viewing owner statements. You can configure access for one or more properties or owners, and each will receive a separate login.
OwnerRez’s branded user portal
OwnerRez integrates with a variety of payment methods and allows for an unlimited amount of them. The only drawback is that each property can only be associated with one credit payment method. However, you can have multiple credit payment methods if each is associated with a different property. You can also offer other payment options to guests, such as by check or Venmo, in addition to credit card processing.
OwnerRez allows you to configure all taxes that will be charged to guests. Based on this information, the software will add tax line items to quotes and bookings and send tax rules to channels that support it. When guests make bookings on those channels, those taxes will pass through for you to remit. It is important to note that OwnerRez cannot remit taxes to the authorities or make any tax filings on your behalf.
Configuring taxes in OwnerRez
OwnerRez offers a variety of methods to protect yourself from potential damage to your property. Security deposit holds provide a way to guarantee that you can charge the guest’s credit card for any damages, even if they canceled the card during their stay. Some rental property owners prefer to receive actual funds from their guests for a security deposit, which are returned if there is no damage after they have checked out.
Damage protection insurance is another option, and it covers your property against the damage a guest might create while staying on your property. It covers accidental damage for a particular guest and set of dates and is paid for on a booking-by-booking basis.
If you want the ability to communicate with guests before, during, and after their stay, OwnerRez’s messaging tools are a great solution. With dynamic messaging that includes email, short message service (SMS), and channels like Airbnb and Vrbo in one unified inbox, you can create personalized templates that represent your brand.
Once you create a custom template, you can use the trigger feature to determine when it will be sent. You can also configure the trigger to send the template a certain number of days before or after arrival or when a specific event occurs.
Configuring OwnerRez’s system messages
OwnerRez allows you to create your own vacation rental website, offering useful features like a website builder and WordPress plugin. It also offers many different widgets that let you set up integrations with OwnerRez from your site—anything from inquiry/book now/quote widgets and availability calendar displays to searching properties by availability and showing rates tables and reviews.
OwnerRez Customer Service & Ease of Use
OwnerRez offers limited free support via an email form on the website and an online support center that provides articles, tutorials, and troubleshooting tips for all aspects of the software. If you’re seeking assistance with setup and ongoing support, you can sign up for ProConnect, which we discussed in the pricing section above.
OwnerRez is fairly easy to use, with an intuitive interface and direct integrations with booking platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. The software was designed to be fully relational, so you can view a guest’s details like their bookings, click on the booking, and see all of the relevant data—including communications to and from the guest—in one place. Its messaging tools are also useful, with the ability to text or email guests easily.
OwnerRez Reviews From Users
Those who left an OwnerRez review praised the platform’s integration with QuickBooks Online. They also appreciate its channel management tools, user portal, and ability to communicate with guests via text message. The biggest complaint about the solution is that trust accounting is unavailable.
- GetApp[1]: 4.9 out of 5 stars based on around 160 reviews
- G2[2]: 5.0 out of 5 stars based on about 25 reviews
- Intuit[3]: 3.9 out of 5 stars based on around 40 reviews
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
OwnerRez provides a dashboard where property owners can manage their listings, update availability calendars, process online bookings, communicate with guests, and handle payments. It integrates with QuickBooks Online to track your income and expenses as well as manage your finances.
No, OwnerRez doesn’t currently offer a mobile app.
Yes, QuickBooks Online is a premium feature and costs $10 per month for the integration, plus you’ll need to pay separately for your QuickBooks Online subscription.
Yes, OwnerRez offers ProConnect, a service that will help you set up your account and configure its features and settings. Setup is normally completed in three to six weeks, and its fee starts at $500, which covers up to two properties. Pricing is $150 per property for the next seven properties and $100 per property for 10 properties and up.
Bottom Line
OwnerRez is a versatile and powerful solution for vacation rental property owners seeking efficient management of their rentals. Its intuitive interface streamlines the process of listing properties across multiple platforms, while its robust automation features handle tasks from booking to guest communication. With its user-friendly design and extensive feature set, OwnerRez stands out as an indispensable tool for property owners navigating the complexities of the vacation rental market.
