Using Technology

All About OwnerRez Vacation Rental Software (Review)

All About OwnerRez

“Fast, flexible vacation rental software that covers small homeowners and large PMs alike.”

OwnerRez was founded in 2009 as a long-term booking foundation for vacation rental businesses. Chris Waldschmidt and Paul Hynes, the two founders of the company, are software engineers as well as vacation rental homeowners and property managers. In 2007, they started their journey as vacation rental owners, but quickly found that the management options available didn’t quite cut it. They wanted tools that were simple, clean, and fast. After trying out a variety of property management software options, Chris and Paul decided the best solution was to create their own. That’s how OwnerRez came into the picture.

Overview

OwnerRez is a fast and flexible vacation rental software created to cover small homeowners as well as large property managers. As the founders explain on the OwnerRez website, “You need vacation rental software that fully manages your channel listings while focusing on your brand, your website, and your way of doing things.” Since OwnerRez was first created, Chris and Paul, along with their team, have continued to grow and improve the platform so that it can continue to be of value for property managers and vacation rental owners.

The software is designed to look simple and be easy to use, yet there are plenty of powerful functionalities under the surface. Automation is a main focus of the platform.

Features

OwnerRez has seven main features:

  • Channel Management – OwnerRez has established direct partnerships with major channels, featuring lightning-fast connections that are clean and simple. You can sync everything, book from within OwnerRez, view and manage everything from one simple dashboard, compare channel rates, use your own credit card processor, and take advantage of extra tools that go beyond channel connections.
  • Messaging – With OwnerRez’s messaging tools, you can create custom templates, configure triggers to send out automated communications, and send system messages. OwnerRez comes with a collection of built-in system message templates covering payment requests and receipts, quotes, date changes, and more. Within the messaging tools, you also have the ability to set up theming so that your emails match your branding.
Messaging
  • Websites – Rather than driving potential guests to third-party channels to book their stay, OwnerRez enables you to build your own brand with a website builder. OwnerRez websites are built to be speedy and precise. Its website builder focuses on power, functionality, and best practices for the web. There are also widgets and a WordPress plugin.
  • Accounting – Although OwnerRez does not offer a full accounting solution, it has some accounting tools, such as invoicing, payment collection, and expense tracking.
  • Payment Processing – Users can accept credit card payments as well as manual payments. OwnerRez allows you to have unlimited payment methods. The only limitation is that each property can only be associated with one credit card payment method. However, you could have multiple credit card payment methods, each associated with a different property.
  • Property Management – OwnerRez has statements and payouts with both owner and property manager statements. Within the property management software, you can record expenses for various items that need to be reimbursed. There are also a variety of reports that can be exported to Excel or CSV files.
  • Integrations – The constantly-growing list of integrations includes dynamic pricing, door locks, guest communication, housekeeping services, insurance, accounting, devices, channels, and payment processors. View a list of all integrations on OwnerRez’s website here.

Platforms

You can access OwnerRez from the web, an Android, or an iPhone/iPad.

Users

OwnerRez supports freelancers, small companies, and midsize companies. It isn’t as frequently used by large enterprises.

Support

OwnerRez users can access support in online FAQs and forums. Other options are phone support, email, chat, and an online knowledge base with articles.

Training

Training for OwnerRez is covered through various documents, webinars, and videos, as well as live online and in person.

Awards

OwnerRez is an elite partner of Vrbo, which means that it’s part of an exclusive group of top-performing Vrbo connectivity partners. Elite partners offer the highest-quality connection to Vrbo, and they have the most comprehensive functionality.

Pricing

Pricing

OwnerRez features a 14-day free trial. After this period of time has passed, it uses a per-property pricing system. The software starts as low as $35 per month for one property, but this only includes Channel Management and Digital Signatures.

If you want to have all functionalities (adding on Property Management, Quickbooks Integration, Websites, and SMS Messaging), then you have the option of paying an additional charge for each one. For one property, this brings the price per month up to $80.

Let’s say you have 10 properties. The price per month for Channel Management and Digital Signatures is $89. For all functionalities, it goes up to $188 per month.

For larger vacation rental businesses with 100 properties, the price starts at $325 and increases to $644 to use all of the features OwnerRez has to offer.

OwnerRez has an easy-to-use pricing tool on its website to show you the exact price you’ll have to pay, depending on the number of properties you manage. Check it out here.

Another thing to note about OwnerRez’s pricing is that there are no setup fees, booking fees, or contracts. There are also unlimited bookings. 

What Makes OwnerRez Stand Out?

One thing that sets OwnerRez apart is its 14-day free trial. Very few property management systems offer a free trial, and those that do typically only offer seven days free before charging for a subscription. OwnerRez also has upfront pricing, which makes it very simple to see how much it will cost. Unlike many other PMS options, OwnerRez doesn’t require you to request pricing.

Another thing that makes OwnerRez different from most property management systems is that it’s web-based, instead of being cloud-based software. The difference is that web-based apps use a single data center and treat each version of their software as unique to a user.

OwnerRez is very highly rated by users and widely praised for its excellent customer service. This really makes it stand out amongst other property management systems because typically, one of the most common complaints has to do with customer service.

What Do Users Like About OwnerRez?

What Do Users Like About OwnerRez

Reviews on GetApp were 100% positive, with 100% of reviewers saying they would recommend OwnerRez to others. Out of 87 total reviews, it received an average of five stars. In fact, it received 86 five-star reviews and one four-star review. There were no three, two, or one-star reviews at all.

User reviews revealed that people who use OwnerRez generally have exceptionally positive experiences with customer service. There were many comments about the fast response times from customer support staff, as well as the detailed and effective solutions they offered.

Users also loved the huge number of helpful features included with OwnerRez. One reviewer mentioned the fact that a warning will typically pop up if you inadvertently create a clear conflict within the OwnerRez system.

Another aspect of OwnerRez that many users appreciated were the useful videos, tutorials, and articles that it provides for training and support. They reported that these materials were exceptionally helpful in showing them how to navigate the system.

One particular user said that it was easy to integrate their calendar and booking system into OwnerRez, and it was also simple to set up a secure online payment system for their customers. They also noted that OwnerRez provided the flexibility they needed to configure their nightly rental rates exactly the way they needed to.

What Do Users Dislike About OwnerRez?

Although OwnerRez received an abundance of praise in its reviews, there are a few negative points to go over as well. For example, some users reported that the program was flexible almost to a fault because it allowed so much room for user error. Others warned that it could take quite a while to learn all of the complexities of the system.

Some users noted that the integration process could be lengthy, depending on the number of properties. OwnerRez’s lack of a full accounting system was also mentioned in a few reviews.

One review complained of a double booking issue due to syncing taking up to an hour; however, this didn’t seem to be a common occurrence.

Main Takeaways

  • OwnerRez was founded in 2009 by Chris Waldschmidt and Paul Hynes.
  • This PMS has seven main features, including channel management, messaging, websites, accounting, payment processing, property management, and integrations.
  • OwnerRez is typically used by vacation rental owners and managers with small to midsize companies.
  • The pricing plan starts with a 14-day free trial and then uses a per-property system that begins at $35 per month.
  • OwnerRez is different from other property management systems because it’s web-based rather than cloud-based and receives amazing reviews regarding its customer support.
  • OwnerRez earned an average of five stars on GetApp from a total of 87 reviews.
  • According to reviews, users love the customer service and training provided by OwnerRez.
  • Although user complaints were few and far between, some found the program a bit too flexible, and others noted the integration process could take a while.
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