ResMan

If you’re in the U.S. and asking about “property management,” it usually means one of two things:

1. A company that physically manages properties for landlords, HOAs, or large investors.
2. A software platform that landlords use to self-manage or hybrid-manage their rentals.

The “best” depends heavily on where your property is located and how many units you have, because property management is a hyper-local business. That said, here are the most widely used and respected brands in the U.S. by category.

1. Full-Service Property Management Companies (National / Large Portfolio)

These are massive firms that manage thousands of units. They’re not usually a good fit for someone with a single condo or house, but they dominate the U.S. market.

• Greystar – The largest apartment property manager in the country. They manage luxury apartments, student housing, and military housing across the U.S.
• Lincoln Property Company – Big in multifamily apartments, especially in the Southeast, Southwest, and Texas.
• Cushman & Wakefield – More commercial/office/retail, but also manages residential for large institutional owners.
• FirstService Residential – One of the largest managers of HOAs, condos, and community associations. If you live in a managed community, odds are good the company is FirstService or a local affiliate.
• Associa – Another huge HOA/community association manager. Very widely used across the country.

Best for: Owners of large apartment buildings, HOAs, condos, and institutional investors.

2. Best Local / Regional Property Managers for Individual Landlords

For a typical person who owns one or two rental houses or condos, national companies usually aren’t the right choice. You want a local, licensed property manager who knows your city’s tenant laws, rental codes, and market rents.

Use these networks to find one that is actually vetted and used by people in your area:

• National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM) – Search their directory. Members are actual residential property managers, not just landlords.
• RE/MAX Property Management / Realty Executives / Keller Williams – Many of these real estate brokerages have dedicated property-management divisions in local offices.
• Local independent PMs – Search “property management near me” for small firms with strong Google/Yelp reviews. The best ones usually charge 8–10% of monthly rent for single-family homes, or flat fees for apartments.

Best for: A single-family home, duplex, small apartment building, or out-of-state rental.

3. Property Management Software (The “Products” Landlords Actually Use)

If you’re managing your own rental(s) or are a real estate investor, these are the tools people genuinely use. They handle rent collection, tenant screening, leases, maintenance requests, and accounting.

For small landlords / DIY owners:

• TurboTenant – Free for landlords. Excellent tenant screening and lease templates. Very popular with first-time landlords.
• Avail – Made specifically for DIY landlords. Great rent collection, maintenance tracking, and lease tools. Pay per unit if you want extra features like accounting and background checks.
• RentRedi – Mobile-first app that works well for small landlords and tenants. Good for rent payments and tenant screening.
• Zillow Rental Manager – Most landlords use this for listings, and it now includes tenant screening and leases.

Best for: 1–10 doors, tiny apartments, or someone who wants to avoid a traditional property manager.

For mid-size landlords / professional property managers:

• Buildium – One of the most popular property-management software platforms for small-to-mid-size landlords in the U.S. Good for tenant/owner portals, accounting, and rentals.
• AppFolio – Very widely used by professional property managers that handle 50+ units. Great for marketing, tenant screening, and maintenance coordination.
• Yardi / Entrata / ResMan – Enterprise-level systems used by the big national firms like Greystar. Not for the average person.

Best for: 20+ units, or if you’re hiring a PM company, they’ll likely be using AppFolio, Buildium, or Yardi.

4. “People Actually Use” Institutional Single-Family Rentals

If you meant “who manages the actual rental homes people live in,” the biggest players in the U.S. are:

• Invitation Homes – Massive single-family rental owner/operator across major metro areas.
• Progress Residential – Another huge institutional single-family landlord.
• American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) – Large nationwide single-family rental REIT.

These companies manage their own homes, not yours, but

The "best" property management companies or software in the US depend heavily on your portfolio size (e.g., large multifamily apartments vs. single-family rentals or small portfolios), location, and needs like scale, reputation, or tech features. Large institutional players dominate multifamily rankings by units managed, while smaller or specialized firms (often using modern software) handle single-family rentals (SFR) and smaller residential properties. Software platforms are widely used by both property management firms and individual landlords.

Rankings come from sources like NMHC, Multi-Housing News, self-reported data (e.g., Peter Lohmann's SFR lists), G2/Capterra reviews, and market share analyses. Popularity reflects actual usage via unit counts, customer numbers, and adoption in reviews.

Top Property Management Companies (Firms)

These firms manage properties on behalf of owners. For large multifamily portfolios (thousands of units, often institutional):

• Greystar — Consistently ranks #1, managing over 1 million units across thousands of communities (far larger than competitors). Strong global presence and high occupancy rates.
• Asset Living — Typically #2, with 289,000–446,000+ units; notable recent growth through acquisitions.
• RPM Living — Frequently #3, with ~226,000–241,000 units and strong growth.
• Other notables: Willow Bridge Property Co., Cushman & Wakefield, FPI Management, Avenue5 Residential, and BH Management Services.

For reputation/ resident satisfaction (based on online reviews and ORA scores among larger managers): Hawthorne Residential Partners often leads, followed by firms like Bozzuto.

For SFR and smaller residential portfolios (more relevant for individual owners with a handful of homes):

• Leaders include HomeRiver Group, Evernest, Darwin Homes, Renters Warehouse (Renosy), On Q Property Management, and others like Northpoint or Atlas Real Estate. These often manage hundreds to low thousands of "doors" (units).

Many top SFR firms use software like AppFolio or Propertyware. Note that the largest multifamily firms focus on big institutional clients, while SFR specialists cater more to individual investors.

Top Software/Platforms (Brands/Products People Actually Use)

These are the tools property managers and landlords rely on for leasing, accounting, maintenance, tenant portals, etc. Usage is measured by units managed, customer counts, and review volume:

• Yardi (including Voyager, Breeze, etc.) — One of the most widely adopted, especially for larger or enterprise portfolios. High unit counts (~15 million) and strong presence across residential and commercial.
• AppFolio — Extremely popular for mid-market and growing portfolios (including many SFR firms). Modern interface, strong reviews (often 4.5+ on G2/Capterra), and frequent adoption in residential management.
• RealPage (including On-Site) — Significant market share, used across many large portfolios, though it has faced antitrust scrutiny.
• Entrata — Growing fast for multifamily operators; solid all-in-one platform with good ratings.
• Buildium (now under RealPage) — Favored by smaller to mid-size managers and associations; user-friendly with transparent pricing.
• Others gaining traction: DoorLoop (AI-focused, high ratings for smaller/mid-size), Rent Manager, ResMan, and MRI Software (high unit counts overall).

Highly rated options on review sites (G2/Capterra) often include AppFolio, DoorLoop, Entrata, Buildium, and Yardi Breeze for ease of use, features, and support.

Quick Recommendations by Use Case

• Large multifamily/institutional: Greystar, Asset Living, or RPM Living for management; Yardi or Entrata/RealPage for software.
• SFR or small–mid residential portfolios: Local/regional firms like Evernest or Darwin Homes; AppFolio or Buildium/DoorLoop for software.
• DIY landlords or very small portfolios: Buildium, DoorLoop, or AppFolio (many have per-unit or monthly pricing starting affordably).
• Always check local availability, get quotes/demos, review recent resident feedback, and consider factors like integration with accounting tools, mobile apps, and compliance (e.g., Fair Housing).

Rankings evolve yearly with growth and acquisitions, so verify current details for your market. For personalized advice, consult local real estate associations or review sites.