Student housing plays a vital role in the university experience. They are a home from which students explore a new chapter of their lives. This is their base as they go through coursework, independence, and self-discovery.

As students juggle their new responsibilities and challenges, student housing managers face their own share of struggles. Not only are they in charge of maintaining a living space, many tend to facilities and services, like package centers and wellness programs. They basically take on the responsibilities of both property managers and student experience coordinators.

Many housing managers employ student housing management software to simplify their challenges and further enrich life at their accommodations.

This article explores the benefits of student housing software and our top picks in the market. Whether you’re struggling with rent collection or booking, you’ll find a solution here.

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What Do Student Housing Managers Do?

Student housing managers are in charge of maintaining a safe and comfortable property as well as a community-focused environment for students. Their key responsibilities include:

• Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring the property is compliant with local regulations and health and safety standards.
• Lease Management: Drafting, managing, and renewing leases for student residents.
• Financial Management: Rent collection and financial planning.
• Mail and Parcel Management: Receiving mail and parcels on behalf of students and delivering them to the correct recipients.
• Maintenance and Upkeep: Coordinating maintenance requests such as repairs and upkeep.
• Housing Allocation: Assigning rooms based on availability and students’ requirements and preferences.
• Resident Support: Acting as a point of contact for student concerns or emergencies.
• Cultivating Community: Organizing events and activities to foster a sense of community among residents.

In addition to these many responsibilities, there are day-to-day operations tasks such as housekeeping, trash removal, and package sorting. Managing these tasks alone can be overwhelming, so many housing managers have turned to software solutions. Multiple software tools are often needed to cover the different aspects of the student living experience.

Student Roost, a student accommodation with more than 35,000 beds, struggled with the daily volume of parcels. They invested in Parcel Tracker, an all-in-one solution for all package management tasks. The results were fantastic, as shared by Greg S. (Student Roost’s business improvement manager) –

“What was once a laborious manual task that took an inordinate amount of time is now a quick, streamlined process. Most importantly, it has notably improved the experience for our students. I would recommend Parcel Tracker to any student accommodation provider.”

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Benefits of Student Housing Solutions

Is student housing software really worth the investment? The answer is a definite yes, and we’ll tell you why.

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Streamlined Maintenance Requests

Manually handling maintenance requests creates extra administration for housing managers. This may be manageable for small student houses, but managers of larger accommodations will need help to stay ahead of maintenance requests.

However, digital issue reporting and ticketing are valued by 60% of student tenants. If there’s a plumbing problem affecting rooms, tenants will be emailing their housing managers to flag this problem. It would be challenging to track and respond to every ticket manually.

With the right software, you can automate maintenance request tickets, establish a transparent workflow, and track the status of each issue. This approach makes it easier to pinpoint outstanding problems and communicate with maintenance staff.

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Automated Package Management

Managing packages manually can quickly become chaotic, especially in accommodations where hundreds of parcels arrive daily. Lost or delayed packages cause frustration among residents, and the time spent on damage control could be focused instead on positively engaging with tenants or tending to more important administrative tasks. Many student managers have opted to use package management software to bring order to the chaos.

Abodus manages student houses that accommodate over 1,000 tenants. They suffered from cluttered mailrooms and minimal storage space until they made the switch to Parcel Tracker.

By integrating Parcel Tracker, Abodus accelerated parcel collection through automated notifications, reminders, and improved communication. The camera-based scanning feature also minimized manual parcel logging and helped the student house save time.

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Optimized Rent Collection

Rent collection is imperative for student houses because it impacts your bottom line. Managers need to establish a rent collection workflow, from sending invoices and payment options to receiving and reconciling payments.

Manual rent collection poses too many risks. If you issue invoices late, this can impact when students settle their rent. If you forget about outstanding payments, your business may suffer a loss.

Investing in student accommodation software helps automate rent collection tasks. It can generate invoices, receive payments, and track arrears.

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Efficient Tenant Screening

Manual tenant screening is a lot of work and is prone to errors that can lead to mismatches or compliance issues. There are various stages of screening and validating tenants, and using software can automate these processes.

Software solutions can help you market available rooms to the right audience and match roommates based on compatibility. Tenant software solutions also store details and contracts in a centralized location.

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Save Time and Reduce Stress

When housing managers automate tedious tasks, they reduce the time spent tending to each detail. This results in more time to focus on other aspects of their roles.

With fewer tasks to handle, stress levels decrease. Managers can enjoy a more manageable and organized workday.

As we’ve discussed, one key benefit of automation is minimizing errors. Housing managers can worry less about backlogs and focus on their core responsibilities with greater ease and confidence.

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Key Student Housing Management Features

While it’s worth looking into different software solutions, most managers may not have the time to compare each. Student housing solutions have a suite of tools to automate and simplify management processes. However, before the glitter and glamor, your choice of student housing software should have these key features:

• Seamless Integration: The chosen software must be compatible with existing systems and integrate seamlessly into a student manager’s workflow.
• Quick Configuration: The software should be quick and easy to configure. Avoid cumbersome platforms that need extensive coding and technical expertise. The platform you choose must have resources and support to simplify onboarding.
• Usability: While all software solutions require a bit of a learning curve, it should not be difficult to navigate. The software should be simple to understand and easily customizable for your needs.
• Optimized Security: Security is paramount for student housing management software. Prioritize software that safeguards personal information.
• Automation: Automation is key to reducing manual errors and saving time. Look for software that handles the most tedious and inefficient tasks.

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The Top 6 Software Solutions for Student Housing Managers

Choosing student housing management software that suits your needs and meets your price point is important.

We've compiled the top 6 software solutions on the market. Each offers unique features to achieve efficiency and create a positive student environment. Combined, they can deliver everything you need to automate the student housing management process.

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1. Parcel Tracker

Parcel Tracker is the top solution for package management in student accommodation. This platform offers various features to automate secure package collection and delivery.

Parcel Tracker sends automated notifications to recipients for parcel collection, provides notes and tags to organize items, and generates custom reports to maintain a well-operating mailroom.

Parcel Tracker Key Features:

• Automated Notifications,
• Digital Delivery Log,
• Custom Notifications,
• Analytics,
• Secure Pickup Kiosk,
• Package Tags and Notes,
• Contactless Collection, and
• Multi-Hop Routing.

Parcel Tracker Pros:

• Easy and quick to configure, and offers hands-on support and onboarding,
• Offers a free trial and a free plan for small businesses,
• Supports enterprise-level student house infrastructures, and
• Boasts a fantastic portfolio and track record of success in student accommodation.

Parcel Tracker Cons:

• Businesses have to require automated package management to invest in a paid plan.

Parcel Tracker Pricing:

• Free Plan,
• Pro Plan ($130 per month),
• Enterprise Plan (custom pricing).

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2. Room Choice

Room Choice helps student housing managers automate room selection, booking, and roommate matching. This platform provides an easy-to-use student portal that allows managers to send invoices, create contracts, manage leases, and help tenants find the best roommates. Managers can also use this solution to manage utility bills and insurance.

Room Choice Key Features:

• Roommate Matching,
• Online Leasing,
• AI Automation,
• Invoice Generation,
• Online Contracts,
• Utility Billing,
• Renters Insurance, and
• Student Portal.

Room Choice Pros:

• Intuitive user interface and student portal,
• They provide fantastic customer service that is responsive and always ready to help,
• Users find this software is value for money, and
• There are loads of features to automate student room management.

Room Choice Cons:

• The customization is limited,
• Businesses may prefer more in-depth data and analytics, and
• They don’t send email notifications for maintenance requests.

Room Choice Pricing:

• Contact for custom pricing.

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3. Spaceflow

Spaceflow is an all-in-one solution for property management. It provides marketing tools to promote student housing, in addition to an intuitive student portal and mobile app for convenience. Managers can handle community engagement, facilitate room management, host events, and share property news.

Spaceflow Key Features:

• Student Portal,
• Marketing Tools,
• Property News and Events,
• Event Management,
• Visitor Management,
• Digital Documents,
• Visitor Management, and
• Mobile Access.

Spaceflow Pros:

• Managers can rely on an all-in-one platform to manage various operations,
• Fantastic option for managers that need accessibility via mobile apps,
• There are multiple features available to deliver a positive student experience, and
• The student engagement features are fantastic for gaining and deploying tenant feedback.

Spaceflow Cons:

• While this software focuses on offering loads of features, only some of the features are easy to use,
• The pricing can become expensive, and
• There is no free trial available.

Spaceflow Pricing:

• Contact for custom pricing.

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4. Kinetic Software

Kinetic Software is a robust solution for student housing management. It offers products for engagement, room management, rent collection, and maintenance. Managers can conduct room inspections, leverage marketing tools, and manage catering with one software, while tenants can manage their rooms and contracts via the mobile app.

Kinetic Software Key Features:

• Catering Management,
• Marketing Tools,
• Room Booking,
• Customer Data Management,
• Rent Collection,
• Student Contracts,
• Room Inspections, and
• Maintenance Requests.

Kinetic Software Pros:

• It’s easy to use this software,
• The functionality addresses a wide range of student housing operations,
• There is a demo available to evaluate the software first-hand, and
• It’s seamless for students to navigate the mobile app.

Kinetic Software Cons:

• Users may experience bugs in the software,
• It takes time to learn all the different functions, and
• Small student houses may find value in only some of the features.

Kinetic Software Pricing:

• Contact for custom pricing.

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5. Lavanda

Lavanda is a top-rated platform for tenant and student management. Managers can handle bookings, create contracts, and generate customized invoices to ensure a successful student journey. This platform centralizes the KPIs managers need and offers reports to view performance and identify bottlenecks.

Lavanda Key Features:

• Marketing Tools,
• Booking and Leasing,
• Invoices and Payments,
• Community Events,
• Finance and Accounting,
• Data and Reporting,
• Student Contracts, and
• Customizable Dashboards.

Lavanda Pros:

• The dashboard is user-friendly,
• Managers can find and view all the KPIs they need from one centralized dashboard,
• The support team is helpful and responsive, and
• Managers will find it beneficial to customize dashboards to gain the necessary insights.

Lavanda Cons:

• It isn’t easy to export reports in the correct format,
• Viewing canceled bookings is challenging, and
• Configuring the software is complex and takes a lot of time.

Lavanda Pricing:

• Contact for custom pricing.

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6. Arthur Online

Arthur Online offers a 360-degree solution from finding and screening tenants to managing rent collection, invoices, and student communication tasks. This platform uses automation to send students notifications and simplify onboarding through viewing reminders and contract creation.

Arthur Online Key Features:

• Document Management,
• Automated Notifications,
• Marketing Tools,
• Tenant Onboarding,
• Viewing Reminders,
• Customized Dashboard,
• Mobile App, and
• Rent Collection.

Arthur Online Pros:

• Managers can securely store documents and set permissions for access,
• The support team is helpful and responsive via mail, chat, and phone,
• There are constant updates to the software based on user feedback, and
• The wide range of features makes tenant screening and managing easy.

Arthur Online Cons:

• There are various bugs and problems,
• The accounting figures are complicated to use, and
• The integration options are limited.

Arthur Online  Pricing:

• Standard: From £67.50 per month
• Professional: From £93.00 per month
• Enterprise: From £122.50 per month

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Upgrade to Effortless Student Housing Management

Student accommodation managers juggle the responsibilities of property managers and student experience coordinators. The right student housing management software turns this chaotic balancing act into a more harmonious routine.

Looking for a package management solution? Parcel Tracker has all the features you need from automated notifications to secure collections. Check out Parcel Tracker’s features here, and, hey, signing up is free.