What Is Avail?
Avail (avail.co) is a property management platform owned by Realtor.com (Move, Inc.), which is itself backed by News Corp. It offers landlords a clean, modern tool for managing rental listings, tenant applications and screening, lease creation, online rent collection, and maintenance tracking.
Avail is positioned squarely at the DIY independent landlord. It's not trying to serve property management companies — it's built for the working property owner who wants to look professional and stay organized. The design is genuinely polished, which puts it a step above some free-tier competitors in terms of first impressions.
Bottom line up front: Avail is one of the better free-tier landlord platforms. Its tenant screening is excellent, the interface is clean, and the Realtor.com backing gives it listing reach. The Unlimited plan at $7/unit/month is the point of caution — it scales poorly beyond 3–4 units compared to flat-rate alternatives.
Pricing: Free Tier vs. Unlimited
| Plan | Price | Rent Payment Speed | E-Signatures | Custom Lease Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/month | 7–10 business days | Limited | No |
| Unlimited | $7/unit/month | Next-day ACH | Unlimited | Yes |
Pricing reality check: At $7/unit/month, Avail Unlimited costs $7/mo for 1 unit, $14/mo for 2, $28/mo for 4, $70/mo for 10. Compare that to LevelLandlord at $10/month flat for 1–4 units ($2/unit/month after). For anyone with 3+ units, LevelLandlord is substantially cheaper on the paid tier.
The free tier is genuinely functional for basic landlording. You get listings, tenant applications, screening, and online rent collection. The main limitations: payment speed is slow (7–10 days), e-signatures are capped, and you can't customize lease templates beyond the standard language. For landlords just starting out or testing the platform, it's a reasonable starting point.
Features: What Avail Does Well
Tenant Screening
This is arguably Avail's strongest feature. The screening product includes a full TransUnion credit report, criminal background check, eviction history, and income verification. The reports are clean, well-organized, and typically returned within minutes. Screening fees are paid by applicants (around $30–$40 per report on the free plan). The Unlimited plan gives landlords more flexibility over who pays.
The screening dashboard makes it easy to review multiple applicants side-by-side — a genuinely useful workflow feature that TurboTenant's interface doesn't match as cleanly.
Lease Creation and Templates
Avail provides state-specific lease templates reviewed by local attorneys. The free tier gives access to standard templates; Unlimited lets you customize terms and clauses. E-signatures are included on both tiers but limited in volume on the free plan. Lease storage is clean — leases are stored in the tenant's profile alongside their screening report and application.
Online Rent Collection
Tenants pay via ACH bank transfer (free for tenants) or credit/debit card (2.75% fee to tenant). On the free plan, ACH deposits take 7–10 business days — that's notably slow. Unlimited unlocks next-day ACH, which is far more practical for landlords who depend on on-time rent receipt. Autopay is available on both tiers.
Listings and Syndication
Avail listings syndicate to Realtor.com (naturally, given the ownership), Apartments.com, Doorsteps, and a handful of others. It's not as broad as TurboTenant's syndication network, but Realtor.com and Apartments.com are major sources of rental traffic and more than adequate for most markets.
Maintenance Tracking
Tenants can submit maintenance requests with photo attachments. Landlords can track open requests, add vendor notes, and mark them resolved. Basic but functional — on par with the rest of the industry at this price point.
What Avail Doesn't Do
Avail has no state-specific legal news, no AI lease analysis tools, and limited accounting/reporting features. It doesn't send landlords alerts about rent control ordinance changes or eviction moratorium updates. For landlords who want those features, LevelLandlord is the better fit.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Genuinely free tier with real functionality
- Best-in-class tenant screening with clean reports
- Clean, polished interface — easy for new landlords
- Backed by Realtor.com — credible, established platform
- State-specific attorney-reviewed lease templates
- Side-by-side applicant comparison tool
- Good listing syndication including Realtor.com
Cons
- $7/unit/month paid plan gets expensive fast (4 units = $28/mo)
- Free tier has very slow payment processing (7–10 days)
- No state law news or legal compliance alerts
- No AI lease analysis
- Weaker listing syndication than TurboTenant
- Limited accounting and reporting features
- Feature development pace has slowed in recent years
Avail vs. TurboTenant
Both are free-tier landlord platforms with tenant-paid screening fees and similar feature sets. The key differences:
- Design: Avail has a slightly cleaner, more polished interface. TurboTenant feels more utilitarian.
- Listing reach: TurboTenant syndicates to more sites. Avail has Realtor.com, which is meaningful traffic.
- Screening reports: Avail's side-by-side comparison feature is a meaningful advantage for landlords reviewing multiple applicants.
- Paid plan value: TurboTenant Pro ($149/year = $12.42/mo) is a better deal than Avail Unlimited for 2+ units ($14–$70+/mo depending on count).
Avail vs. LevelLandlord
On the paid tier, LevelLandlord offers better value for landlords with 2+ units. Avail is free; LevelLandlord starts at $10/month. But Avail's Unlimited plan at $7/unit overtakes LevelLandlord in cost the moment you hit 2 units. LevelLandlord also includes state law news and AI lease analysis — features Avail doesn't offer at any price tier.
If cost is the only consideration and you're comfortable with a slower-payment free tier, Avail works. If you want the best tool for the money on a paid plan, LevelLandlord wins.
Who Should Use Avail?
Avail is the right choice for landlords who:
- Have 1–2 units and want a genuinely free tool
- Prioritize tenant screening quality over other features
- Value a clean, polished interface
- Are comfortable with the Realtor.com/Apartments.com ecosystem
- Don't need legal news alerts or AI lease tools
Avail is probably not the right call if you have 3+ units and want the paid tier — the per-unit pricing becomes a real cost burden. See our Avail alternatives guide for options that scale better.
Our Verdict: 4.1/5 — Good for 1–2 Units, Expensive at Scale
Avail earns its rating with a clean free tier, excellent tenant screening, and a polished interface backed by a credible parent company. The screening comparison tools alone make it worth considering if finding quality tenants is your primary concern. But the $7/unit/month Unlimited plan is a pricing model that punishes growth — and once you're paying, you'll likely find LevelLandlord offers more for the money.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Avail cost?
Avail has a free tier and an Unlimited plan at $7/unit/month. For 1 unit: $7/mo. For 4 units: $28/mo. For 10 units: $70/mo. The free tier covers listings, screening, and basic rent collection with slower payment processing.
Who owns Avail?
Avail is owned by Move, Inc. (Realtor.com), which is a subsidiary of News Corp. This gives Avail strong listing syndication on the Realtor.com and Apartments.com networks.
Is the Avail free plan worth it?
For 1–2 unit landlords who don't need fast payment processing, yes. The free plan gives you real functionality — listings, screening, lease templates, and basic rent collection. The 7–10 day payment delay is the biggest drawback; if that's a problem, consider the Unlimited plan or an alternative.
What are the best Avail alternatives?
For small landlords wanting a paid plan with better value, LevelLandlord ($10/month for 1–4 units) is our top alternative. For another free tier, TurboTenant is a solid option with stronger listing syndication. See our full Avail alternatives guide.