How to Choose Apartment Management Software in Turkey: A Weighted Checklist Based on Your Needs
What to look for in apartment and complex management software: spreadsheets, desktop or cloud, bank coverage, data migration, export, total cost and scoring.
Short answer: first write down what you need (number of units, how payments come in, the accounting you need, how many people need access). Then try each candidate with the same criteria, score them and weight the criteria by your own priorities. There is no single "right" type of product; even products in the same category differ in bank coverage, data migration and pricing terms.
Last checked: 27 September 2026. This article is written by Yonevo; it makes no claims about other products. Check each product's current features with the vendor and in a trial.
Write down your needs first
- Scale: how many units, blocks and properties do you manage?
- Payments: how much comes in by bank transfer, and how much in cash or by card?
- Accounting: is a cash-basis book enough, or do you need double-entry (journal, trial balance)?
- Users: what should the manager, accountant, management company staff, auditor and residents see?
- Handover: do managers change often? Records must belong to the management, not to a person.
- Existing data: what format are your past charges and payments in?
Options: spreadsheet, desktop program, cloud software
| Topic | Spreadsheet (Excel etc.) | Desktop program | Cloud software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start-up cost | Usually low; there is still licence and labour cost | Licence or purchase price; varies by product | Usually a subscription |
| Access for several people | Possible with a shared file; versions and permissions can become hard to track | Depends on the product and set-up (some have network editions) | Usually through a browser, per user |
| Resident portal, online payment | No | In some products as an add-on or web component | Varies; card payments usually need a separate contract with a payment provider |
| Bank connection | Statements entered by hand | Varies by product | Varies by product and bank: direct connection, statement upload or manual entry |
| Backups | Your responsibility | Usually your responsibility | Usually the provider's; read the scope in the contract |
| Change history | Limited (file versions) | Varies by product | Varies by product |
A spreadsheet can serve a small building for a long time; software usually makes a difference with late payment penalties, access for several people, resident communication and handovers. Decide based on your own list of needs, not on the table.
Weighted checklist
Method: give each criterion a weight based on your needs (1 = minor, 3 = very important). After trying each product, give each criterion a score (0 = missing, 1 = partly, 2 = fully). Add up weight × score and compare the candidates with each other. There is no fixed pass mark; if a criterion is essential to you (for example double-entry accounting), drop any product that scores 0 on it.
| Criterion | How to test it | Suggested weight, small building | Large complex / management company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fees and charges | Charge one month using your own split (equal / land share / item by item) | 3 | 3 |
| Late payment penalty | Compare a part-payment example with your own calculation (calculation guide) | 2 | 3 |
| Bank coverage | For your banks: direct connection, statement upload or manual entry? Who approves which unit an incoming transfer is recorded to? | 1 | 3 |
| Accounting | Cash-basis book or double-entry; journal, general ledger and trial balance reports | 1 | 3 |
| Resident access and payment | Can residents see their balance; what contract and fees are needed for card payments? | 2 | 3 |
| Data migration (import) | Import a small part of your own file; how are unmatched records shown, and can an import be undone? | 2 | 3 |
| Export and exit | In which formats are reports and statements available; after the subscription ends, how long and how can data be downloaded? | 2 | 3 |
| Permissions and change history | Role-based permissions, separation between properties, who changed what and when | 1 | 3 |
| Multiple properties | Several properties in one account; data separation between them | 0 | 3 |
| Total cost | A one-year cost using the items below | 3 | 3 |
| Support and set-up | Who helps with set-up; what is the response time? | 2 | 2 |
| Data protection (KVKK) | Where is data stored, is it transferred abroad, is there a privacy notice and a contract? | 2 | 3 |
Work out the total cost
The monthly subscription is not the only item. For a one-year cost, add:
- The subscription (monthly / yearly; is VAT included?)
- Data migration or set-up services (if any)
- SMS packages and email sending costs
- Payment provider fees for card payments
- Any fees your bank may charge for a connection
- Training and internal time (including a month of running both systems)
- Exit cost: the work needed to move your data to another system
Estimate the time saved with your own measurement: note how many hours went into processing bank records, payment reminders and reconciliation last month, and compare how long the same work takes during the trial.
A custom quote is not a bad sign. For large portfolios, price is usually discussed based on the number of units, set-up and support needs. What matters is that the items covered are stated in writing. (Yonevo also gives custom quotes above 2,000 units.)
Data protection questions
A resident list contains personal data such as names, phone numbers, email addresses and balances. The management is responsible for processing it too. Ask the provider:
- In which country is data stored; is any of it transferred abroad, and for which services (KVKK Art. 9)?
- Are connections encrypted (TLS); are there role-based permissions and two-factor authentication?
- Is a change history kept, and who can see it?
- How long is data kept after the subscription ends, and how is it deleted?
For the manager's obligations, see the manager's duties guide.
Switching: four steps
- Run in parallel: keep the old method and the new system running together for at least one charging period.
- Check opening balances: compare each unit's balance brought forward with the old records and list any that do not match.
- Tell residents: announce the new payment method and portal access.
- Archive the old records: once reconciliation is complete, keep the old records in a readable format; only then drop the old method.
Assessing Yonevo with this list
- Banks: with supported banks, account transactions are pulled over a read-only connection; the list of supported banks is shown in the product. Transactions are recorded in the bank ledger; you decide which unit a payment is recorded to, and there is no automatic matching to units.
- Data migration: files from your previous program go through matching and checking steps before they are imported; an import batch can be undone within 24 hours if no new transactions have been entered against the imported records.
- Accounting: cash-basis book (İşletme Defteri) or double-entry mode (Bilanço Modu).
- Export: reports and statements are available as PDF and Excel; there is no single package that exports all data at once.
- Price: based on the number of units; custom quote above 2,000 (pricing).
Sources (in Turkish)
- Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698, Art. 9 (transfers abroad)
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