TurboTenant vs Avail vs Innago: Maintenance Tracking Compared
The three most popular free property management platforms compared specifically on maintenance tracking. Spoiler: none of them focus on proactive maintenance scheduling.
TurboTenant, Avail, and Innago are the three platforms that come up most often when small landlords search for free property management software. All three are genuinely free for basic use. All three have a maintenance component.
But if you are primarily evaluating them for maintenance tracking — specifically the ability to schedule recurring tasks and receive proactive reminders — none of the three is built for that. This post breaks down exactly what each one does on maintenance, where each falls short, and what to use if proactive maintenance scheduling is your priority.
What We Are Comparing
This comparison focuses exclusively on maintenance features:
- Can you schedule recurring maintenance tasks?
- Do you receive reminders before tasks are due?
- Can tenants submit maintenance requests?
- Is there a maintenance history log?
- How does it work on mobile?
We are not comparing rent collection, tenant screening, lease management, or pricing for premium features. Those topics are covered elsewhere. This is specifically about maintenance.
TurboTenant
What TurboTenant Does Well
TurboTenant is the most widely used free platform for small landlords. Its core strength is the tenant pipeline: rental listings, applications, credit and background screening, digital leases, and online rent collection. If you are filling vacancies and managing the financial relationship with tenants, TurboTenant does those things well.
On maintenance, TurboTenant handles tenant-submitted requests. Tenants can log in to a tenant portal and submit a maintenance request with a description and photos. Landlords receive a notification and can communicate with tenants through the platform. The request history is visible in the dashboard.
Where TurboTenant Falls Short on Maintenance
No proactive scheduling. TurboTenant has no way to set up recurring maintenance tasks. You cannot create a task for "HVAC filter replacement every 3 months" and receive a reminder. All maintenance is reactive — it starts when a tenant submits a problem.
No landlord-initiated maintenance tracking. There is no task list for the landlord. You cannot log that you replaced the water heater anode rod or scheduled a roof inspection. Maintenance history in TurboTenant is a record of tenant requests, not a record of your proactive work.
No reminders. Nothing in TurboTenant reminds you that maintenance is due. The system waits for tenants to report problems.
For landlords whose primary maintenance concern is handling tenant repair requests quickly, TurboTenant works. For landlords who want to schedule and track preventive maintenance, it offers nothing.
Avail
What Avail Does Well
Avail (now part of Realtor.com) is similar in scope to TurboTenant. It handles listings, tenant screening, leases, and rent collection. The interface is polished. Free tier is functional for basic use.
On maintenance, Avail allows tenants to submit maintenance requests through the tenant portal. Landlords can add notes, update status, and track communications. Avail also has a basic repair tracking feature where landlords can log maintenance work they have completed — including cost, date, and description. This is more than TurboTenant offers on the landlord side.
Where Avail Falls Short on Maintenance
Repair logs, not schedules. Avail's maintenance tracking is a log of past repairs, not a schedule of future ones. You can record that you replaced the water heater on March 15 — but Avail will not remind you that the next annual flush is due March 15 of the following year.
No recurring task reminders. Like TurboTenant, Avail has no system for recurring maintenance scheduling. There are no tasks, no due dates, no reminders.
Reactive orientation. The maintenance section is designed around the tenant request workflow, not around the landlord's preventive maintenance calendar.
Avail is a half-step ahead of TurboTenant on maintenance in that you can log completed landlord work. But it is still not a proactive tool.
Innago
What Innago Does Well
Innago is a fully free platform that competes directly with TurboTenant and Avail. It handles applications, leases, rent collection, and tenant communication. Innago's UI is less polished but the feature set is comparable.
On maintenance, Innago has a more developed maintenance module than the other two. Tenants can submit requests. Landlords can assign work orders to vendors, track status through completion, and store maintenance records per unit. For landlords who work with contractors frequently, the work order workflow is useful.
Where Innago Falls Short on Maintenance
Reliability concerns. Innago is a smaller company and has had periods of service instability. Landlords who have relied on it for critical workflows have reported outages and customer support delays. For rent collection this is a serious issue. For maintenance tracking, the reliability concern matters less — but it is worth noting.
Still reactive. Innago's maintenance module, despite being more robust, is still oriented around responding to requests. There is no recurring task scheduler. No reminders for preventive work.
Complexity without payoff. The work order system adds complexity that most small landlords (1-5 units) do not need. If you have contractors you regularly dispatch and need to track their work orders, Innago's maintenance module has value. If you are doing most maintenance yourself or with one or two contractors and want to stay on top of preventive tasks, the complexity does not help you.
Maintenance Feature Comparison
The pattern is consistent. TurboTenant, Avail, and Innago are built to manage the tenant relationship. Maintenance is a module added to that core — not the reason for the product's existence. All three handle reactive maintenance (tenant requests). None of them handle proactive maintenance (landlord scheduling).
The Fourth Option: FixReminder
FixReminder is built for the part of maintenance that the three platforms above do not cover.
You create properties, set up recurring tasks with the frequency you choose, and receive reminders before each task is due — by email, or SMS on paid plans. Every completed task is logged with date and notes. You have a full history per property.
What FixReminder does not do: rent collection, tenant applications, lease management, tenant portals. It is a focused tool. The bet is that a tool built for one purpose does that purpose better than a tool where that purpose is an afterthought.
For most small landlords, the right setup is a free tenant-management platform (TurboTenant or Avail for your tenant pipeline and rent collection) combined with FixReminder for proactive maintenance scheduling. Two free tools covering two distinct problems cleanly.
If tenant maintenance requests are important to you, keep TurboTenant or Avail for that. Use FixReminder to make sure you are scheduling the preventive work that prevents most of those requests in the first place.
See also: FixReminder vs. TurboTenant for a more detailed head-to-head, and Best Property Management Software for Small Landlords for the wider landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for a landlord with 1-2 properties: TurboTenant, Avail, or Innago?
For 1-2 properties, TurboTenant and Avail are both solid choices for tenant management. TurboTenant has better brand recognition and support resources. Avail has a slightly cleaner interface and is backed by Realtor.com. Innago is a reasonable alternative but the smaller company size introduces some reliability risk. None of the three will help you with proactive maintenance scheduling regardless of property count.
Can I use TurboTenant for maintenance scheduling?
Not for proactive scheduling. TurboTenant lets tenants submit requests and lets you track communications around those requests. It does not allow you to schedule recurring landlord-side tasks or send you reminders before work is due. If you want proactive maintenance scheduling alongside TurboTenant's tenant tools, add FixReminder as a separate free tool.
Does Innago have a work order system?
Yes. Innago has a work order module that allows landlords to assign maintenance jobs to vendors, track status, and log costs. It is more functional than TurboTenant's or Avail's maintenance modules. However, it is still a reactive tool — it does not schedule recurring preventive maintenance or send proactive reminders.
Is TurboTenant really free?
TurboTenant's base plan is free for landlords. Tenants pay a small fee for applications and screening. Landlords pay for premium features like state-specific lease agreements, expedited screening, and priority support. For most basic functions including maintenance request tracking, the free tier is sufficient.
What is the difference between reactive and proactive maintenance tracking?
Reactive maintenance tracking is when a tenant submits a problem and you respond. Most property management software (TurboTenant, Avail, Innago) handles this. Proactive maintenance tracking is when you schedule recurring tasks — HVAC filter changes, water heater flushes, gutter cleaning — on a calendar and receive reminders before they are due. FixReminder is built for the proactive side. Most all-in-one platforms handle only the reactive side.
How much does property management software cost for a small landlord?
Free options exist for both tenant-facing operations (TurboTenant, Innago) and maintenance scheduling (FixReminder free tier). Landlord Studio starts at $12/month for 1-3 units. Rentec Direct starts at $45/month. Most landlords with under 10 units can cover their main needs for free or under $20/month using the right combination of tools.