I can relate to your experience, managing even a modest portfolio across different platforms can become messy fast. I also started out with spreadsheets because they gave me a bit of control, but over time I found they couldn’t keep up with the demands of tracking multiple tenancies, rent cycles, and maintenance tasks, especially as the portfolio grew.

Like you, I found traditional property managers’ systems frustrating, often over-complicated or lacking transparency. What worked for me was switching to a more streamlined digital solution that was actually designed with landlords and portfolio holders in mind. One I’ve used recently is the Property Management CRM from Property Store. It’s built specifically for property owners and small-scale landlords who want to centralise everything without getting bogged down in admin.

It lets you track rent payments, manage maintenance schedules, store documents, and even communicate with tenants in one place. The interface is straightforward, much easier than the systems some agencies try to push and the automation has saved me hours each month.

If you’re looking to move away from spreadsheets but don’t want to go all-in with a traditional property manager, something like this might be a good in-between solution. Worth checking out to see if it fits your workflow.

Hope that helps!