1–20 unit landlords
Document vault & lease file organization on DIY landlord software — where leases, notices, photos live
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For a 1–20 unit DIY landlord, “document vault” is rarely one Google-Drive-style folder tree. RentRedi wins on a searchable Documents Hub plus folders on unit and tenant docs (business / unit / tenant layers, share only when you choose). TurboTenant wins on a clean split: property Documents (landlord-only, expiration reminders, <20 MB) vs lease-profile Documents (shareable / e-sign) plus Condition Reports with photos for move-in/out. Avail is lease-centric: attachments hang off the finalized lease (upload / download / rename / delete) rather than a published global vault with folders. None of the three published a complete “zip the whole account’s files” export — plan a dated local archive before you migrate (see switch checklist).
What this page is (and is not)
- Is: a side-by-side of where files live (property vs lease vs ticket), folders / search / tagging, who can upload or view, published size/plan gates, per-file download paths, and how docs tie to e-sign, maintenance, deposits, and notices.
- Is not: a cloud-storage review, legal advice on retention, or a claim that portal storage equals a backup strategy.
- Uncertainty rule: Overall account storage caps (GB) and “download all as ZIP” are not clearly published for these three in the help we used — say so below. Per-file size (TT <20 MB on property docs) and plan gates for leases/e-sign are clearer. Re-verify in a live trial before you rely on any vault for court or insurance.
Where each artifact usually sits (read this first)
- Signed lease / addenda: Tenant or lease-profile Documents (RR / TT) or the finalized lease record + attachments (Avail) — not usually in “property insurance” folders.
- Notices you’ve served or shared: Often as shared tenant docs and/or as message/chat attachments — see tenant notices & communication logs. Portal thread ≠ statutory proof.
- Maintenance / HVAC photos: Usually on the work order / repair ticket, not auto-filed into the document vault — see maintenance & work orders. Copy key photos into unit docs if you want them in the vault.
- Move-out photos / receipts / condition reports: TT Condition Reports (photos + downloadable completed report); RR/Avail often mix ticket photos, lease attachments, and deposit/move-out flows — see security deposits & move-out.
- Business / insurance / LLC papers: RR Business Documents (account-level, not shareable with tenants); TT property Documents with optional expiration reminder; Avail — confirm where non-lease business files live (lease-centric model; keep a local copy).
Feature snapshot (verify on vendor pages)
| Capability | RentRedi | TurboTenant | Avail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary “vault” shape | Documents Hub — one searchable list of every uploaded file (title / property / unit). Folders are not in the Hub list itself (help: Upload & Organize Documents) | Two tracks: Property → Documents (landlord-only) + Lease Profile → Documents (share / e-sign). Condition Reports live on the lease profile separately | Lease-centric: upload attachments on a finalized / signed lease (amendments, co-signer, move-in checklist). No published global Documents Hub with folders in the sources we used |
| Property / unit / business files | Unit Documents (receipts, warranties, inspection reports, lease templates — private to landlord/teammates) + Business Documents at account level (LLC, insurance, licenses, tax docs — private, not shareable with tenants) | Property Documents tab: landlord-only; optional expiration date with reminder ~1 week before (insurance policies called out in help) | Non-lease property files are not highlighted as a separate vault in public support — treat lease attachments + your own backup as the practical path; confirm live |
| Tenant / lease PDFs | Tenant Documents — leases, notices, utility bills; Signature Request vs Other Documents (photos/videos allowed). Share or e-sign intentionally; tenants see shared files in app / tenant.rentredi.com Documents | Lease Profile Documents — upload signed lease or Request Electronic Signatures; share toggles email + portal Documents. Tenant downloads via icon on Documents tab | Signed lease stored in landlord + tenant dashboards; Upload Document on the lease for attachments; three-dot menu: Download / Rename / Delete (support: upload-and-download-lease-attachments) |
| Folders / tagging / search | Folders on Unit and Tenant document pages (New Folder → Move). Hub: search by title/property/unit; flat list (no Hub folders). No prominent “tags” product in help we read | Title + expiration on property docs; lease docs under the lease profile. No RR-style folder tree published — organization is property vs lease context | Attachments listed on the lease; rename supported. Folder/tag vault not published — confirm search/filter UX in trial |
| Who can upload / view | Landlord/teammates: business + unit + tenant docs. Tenants: only shared / signature-request files. Vendors: not a published document vault audience — maintenance coordination is separate | Property docs: landlords only (not shared). Lease docs: landlord controls share. Condition Reports: assignable to landlord/tenant/others; completed report downloadable in tenant portal Documents | Landlord uploads lease attachments; tenants access completed lease / shared docs in their dashboard. Vendor access to the lease vault not marketed as a document feature |
| Maintenance / work-order photos | Live on the repair/maintenance request (app: photo or short video). Not auto-mirrored into Documents Hub — copy to Unit/Tenant docs if you want vault permanence | Photos on maintenance requests + Condition Report photo uploads (time-stamped notes). Completed condition report PDF/download path in portal Documents | Photos typically on maintenance tickets (see maintenance page); lease attachments can hold move-in checklists you upload yourself |
| Move-out / deposit packet files | Notices / itemization PDFs as Tenant Documents; inspection photos on unit docs or tickets; signed leases permanent on unit (cannot delete signed lease-type files per unit-docs help) | Condition Reports (move-in / move-out / periodic) with photos; Moving Out / deposit flows on sibling deposits page; store own uploaded reports too | Lease attachments for checklists; deposit/refund flows covered on deposits page — keep deduction photos as attachments or local archive |
| Size / storage limits (published) | No overall GB storage cap found in Documents Hub help. Common types (PDF/DOC/JPG/PNG) marketed; confirm any per-file cap in live upload UI | Property Documents: files <20 MB; types include jpg/png/pdf/zip/xls/xlsx/txt/csv/doc/docx. E-sign path also cites ~20 MB max. Overall account GB quota not published in sources we used | No published GB or per-file size in the lease-attachment article we used — confirm at upload time |
| Export / download on switch | Per-file Export from Documents Hub (⋮ → Export) and from tenant Documents for signed leases. No “ZIP entire vault” found. Pair with section CSV exports on switch checklist | Download shared/signed docs from lease / tenant portal; property docs download individually. Public migration notes: no bulk lease-document export — download PDFs manually. Settings → Export Data is CSV-oriented | Per-attachment Download on the lease. Ledger CSV is the main structured export; bulk property/tenant/lease CSV often absent — archive every signed lease PDF before cancel |
| Free vs paid gap | Document upload/share/e-sign sits on paid plans (no free RR tier). Confirm Grow/Pro (or current) labels for document storage vs signature features in account — some third-party roundups gate doc storage to Grow+ | Free plan markets document management; unlimited leases / e-sign / forms pack typically sit on Premium (or paid lease SKUs). Storing an already-signed PDF on a lease profile is the free-path pattern — verify current pricing table | Lease build/upload/store marketed on the free Unlimited-style path; Plus is not sold in our sources as a “unlock document vault” gate. Confirm live plan names |
Sources (Sep 2026): RentRedi help — “Upload & Organize Documents” (Documents Hub, folders on unit/tenant, business docs, Export); “Upload a Document for a Tenant” / “to a Unit”; “How to Share a Document with a Tenant”; “Download a Signed Lease or Tenant Document”; maintenance request photo/video help. TurboTenant help — “Is There a Place for Me to Manage Documents for My Property?” (20 MB, types, landlord-only, expiration reminders); lease guide / own-lease upload / e-sign FAQ; Condition Reports for landlords & tenants (photos, portal download). Avail support — “How To Upload And Download Lease Attachments”; education on uploading/storing leases when switching to Avail. Cross-cutting: switch-checklist notes (CSV ≠ attachments; TT no bulk lease-doc export; Avail ledger + manual PDFs). Re-verify plan gates, file-size dialogs, and any new ZIP/export tools in a live account.
Worked example: SFH lease + entry notice + HVAC photos + move-out packet
One single-family rental. You have (1) a fully signed lease PDF, (2) a 48-hour entry notice PDF you also messaged, (3) HVAC repair photos from the tenant ticket, and (4) at year-end a move-out packet (condition photos + deduction receipts + itemization letter). Where does each artifact sit — and what do you export if you switch tools?
| Artifact | RentRedi | TurboTenant | Avail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Signed lease PDF | Tenant Documents (and permanent unit record for signed leases). Optional folder e.g. 2025-Lease. Hub search by unit/title. Export via ⋮ → Export | Lease Profile → Documents (Upload Document + Share, or completed e-sign). Tenant sees it under portal Documents. Download before cancel — no bulk lease ZIP published | Finalized lease on the unit’s Leases page; signed copy in landlord + tenant dashboards. Download from the lease; addenda as Upload Document attachments |
| 2. Entry notice PDF | Share on Tenant Documents and/or attach in Chat / Send Notification. Keep a copy in a Notices folder on the tenant. Portal send ≠ statutory service — see notices page | Upload to Lease Profile Documents and Share; optionally attach in Messages and export the chat for the ops trail | Upload as lease attachment and/or use free Notice of Entry form + Messages note. Download attachment for your dated migrate folder |
| 3. HVAC ticket photos | On the maintenance/repair request. For vault permanence: download and re-upload to Unit Documents (folder 2026-HVAC) so Documents Hub search finds them after the ticket ages | On the maintenance request; also capture related condition if you run a periodic Condition Report. Download photos/report if you need them offline | On the maintenance ticket; optionally upload key stills as lease attachments if you want them next to the lease. Local backup recommended |
| 4. Move-out packet | Condition/inspection photos → Unit Documents; itemization letter + notices → Tenant Documents; deposit ledger on deposits page. Export each PDF; signed lease remains non-deletable on unit | Move-Out Condition Report (photos + notes) → completed report in portal Documents; deposit Return flow + receipts on deposits page; keep lease-profile copies of letters | Upload checklist / photos / letters as lease attachments; handle refunds per deposits page (often external ACH). Download every attachment before you leave Avail |
| 5. Switch-day archive | Create migrate-YYYY-MM-DD/ locally: signed lease PDF, notice PDFs, HVAC photo folder, move-out report + receipts, plus rent/deposit CSVs from the switch checklist. Do not assume any vendor ZIP will rebuild that pack for you. |
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At one SFH, RentRedi is strongest if you want a searchable Hub + folders + clear business/unit/tenant layers. TurboTenant is strongest if you want property insurance reminders + lease-profile share + Condition Report photo packets. Avail is strongest if you want a simple lease + attachments model on a free path — accepting that organization is lease-scoped, not a full vault UI.
Free vs paid: who should upgrade for document organization
- RentRedi: You’re already on a paid plan for the product — document Hub/folders are part of the landlord workflow in help. Upgrade decisions are about broader Grow/Pro feature sets, not a separate “vault SKU” we found. Confirm signature + storage labels in your account.
- TurboTenant: Stay Free if uploading already-signed PDFs + property insurance docs is enough. Pay Premium (or à-la-carte lease products) when you need unlimited state leases, e-sign volume, forms pack, or Condition Report depth your free path doesn’t unlock — verify the current pricing matrix.
- Avail: Do not buy Plus “for a document vault” based on our sources — lease store/attach is marketed with the free Unlimited-style offering. Pay Plus for other Plus features only.
Fit notes for 1–20 units
- Want one search box across every PDF: RentRedi Documents Hub.
- Want folders under unit/tenant: RentRedi (Hub itself stays flat).
- Want insurance expiration nudges on property files: TurboTenant property Documents.
- Want move-in/out photo reports as a first-class object: TurboTenant Condition Reports.
- Want the fewest concepts (lease + attachments): Avail.
- Think ticket photos are already “in the vault”: usually false — copy keepers into docs.
- Migrating: download leases and attachments one-by-one; CSVs won’t carry binaries. See switch checklist.
Related
- Roommate & co-tenant changes — store the tenant-change addendum and deposit-assignment note with the lease
- Holdover & month-to-month conversion — store the MTM addendum next to the original lease
- Bank reconciliation & deposit matching — saving monthly deposit exports with bank statements
- Renewals & lease extensions — notice windows, e-sign renewals vs new lease, rent bumps, free vs paid gates
- Applications & lead pipeline — inquiry → showings → application → screening handoff, free vs paid gates
- Inspection & condition reports — move-in/out checklists, photos, e-sign, free vs paid gates
- Insurance & COI reminders — landlord policies, tenant renters proof, vendor certificates, expiration nudges
- Switch checklist — CSV vs attachments; download signed PDFs before cancel
- Lease & e-sign — state forms, wet vs e-sign, where signed copies land
- Maintenance & work orders — ticket photos vs vault copies
- Security deposits & move-out — deduction photos, returns, ledgers
- Tenant notices & communication logs — notice PDFs vs chat export
- Eviction & collections handoff — pay-or-quit docs, Stop/Block/Disable e-pay, counsel export packs
- Section 8 / HAP payments — store HAP contracts and recertification letters with the lease
- Accounting & Schedule E — receipt images that also belong in books
- Owner statements & 1099 — owner-facing packets
- RentRedi vs TurboTenant vs Avail — full criteria table
- Best PMS for 1–5 units — shortlist before you standardize filing
- Per-unit vs flat-rate break-even — subscription math
- Rent roll & occupancy — what each exports (CSV/PDF/email), free vs paid gates, cutover handoff
- Co-signers & guarantors: store the signed guaranty with the lease
- Early termination & lease-break fees: storing termination agreements, military orders, and DV evidence privately
- Subleases & lease assignments: store the consent, assignment, and deposit election with the lease
- Buying or selling with tenants in place: which files the seller must download (no tool transfers leases between landlord accounts)
- Required lease disclosures & addenda: the signed disclosure packet and the 3-year lead-form retention clock
- When a tenant dies: records to keep after a tenant’s death
- Abandoned units & left-behind belongings: keeping abandonment notices and receipts
- Small Portfolio Desk home
Educational product research only — not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Portal document storage is an operational aid, not a substitute for your own dated backup or statute-required retention. Feature labels, file-size limits, and plan gates change — confirm in a live account before you migrate or cancel.