Choose a cutoff date, preserve the old records, reconcile before importing and run a controlled transition instead of moving everything in one afternoon.
In this guide
I look at this from the owner side. The useful answer is the one that holds up with real tenants, real bank deposits and a repair that arrives at an inconvenient time.
For a closer look at the next step, read Free vs. Paid Property Management Software: When to Upgrade.
The short answer
Export properties, units, tenants, leases, ledgers, vendors, work orders, deposits, owner records, chart of accounts and reports. Save files in formats you can open without the old subscription. Confirm what the new provider imports and what remains manual.
What matters in the real workflow
Tell tenants exactly when the payment method changes and keep the old path active only as long as necessary. After launch, reconcile the first deposit, test permissions and compare opening reports to the final reports from the old system.
The tenant-facing steps matter too. If applying, paying or reporting a repair is confusing, the landlord eventually inherits that confusion through calls and messages.
Cost is more than the advertised price
A landlord fee can disappear from the pricing page by moving to the tenant. That may still affect adoption, so include both sides when comparing the real cost.
Pricing and product terms were checked September 17, 2026. Confirm current details with the provider before buying. Review the primary source →
A practical way to decide
- Name the two workflows causing the most repeated work.
- Test those workflows with real portfolio information.
- Calculate the complete first-year cost.
- Check the tenant experience, exports and cancellation process.
- Choose the simplest option that solves the named problem.
Use the decision on your own portfolio.
Do not buy from the feature list alone. Compare the actual workflow, total cost and records you will receive at month-end.
Ask DoorLoop about migration support →Bottom line
Choose a cutoff date, preserve the old records, reconcile before importing and run a controlled transition instead of moving everything in one afternoon. The goal is not to collect tools. It is to create a rental operation that stays understandable as units, tenants and transactions accumulate.
Keep comparing in our landlord software guide for 1 to 10 units, or browse the complete landlord resources page.