A better operating system for self-managing landlords.
Keel was built to solve a practical problem: rental properties generate a constant stream of low-level admin, follow-up and compliance friction. Most landlords don’t need more software - they need the work handled properly.
- Built in Aotearoa
- By a Kiwi landlord
- Honest about what it does
Made by a Kiwi landlord,
not a faceless platform.
“I built Keel because self-managing a rental shouldn’t mean handing a property manager 8-10% of the rent, or drowning in admin yourself. The software does the heavy lifting and you stay in charge. And it’s honest about what it can and can’t do - that matters to me.”- Sam Sadler, Founder · Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ)
The original problem wasn’t abstract.
It was watching how rental properties create a relentless series of small operational tasks - tenant messages, maintenance follow-ups, compliance reminders, rent questions, documentation, and everything that sits between “owning the property” and “managing it well.”
The tradeoff Keel breaks
For many landlords, especially in New Zealand, the tooling is still either too manual or too agency-oriented. You either pay a property manager a meaningful percentage of the rent, or you keep the cost down and absorb the admin yourself. Keel exists to break that tradeoff.
Why the current tools feel incomplete
A lot of landlord software still behaves like a filing cabinet with forms attached. It stores information, but it doesn’t really take work off your plate - the burden still sits with the landlord to chase, schedule, remind, coordinate, draft and escalate.
Built for the way
New Zealand actually rents.
Modelled on the Residential Tenancies Act and the Healthy Homes Standards - not a global tool with NZ fields bolted on.
Your rentals, managed. You just approve.
The goal isn’t to remove landlord control. It’s to remove landlord busywork.
Why the product is built around review, not admin
Keel should handle the first layer of operations, then surface what actually needs a human decision: approve the tradie, review the notice, confirm the next step, and move on. The product should actively carry the routine operational load and bring back clear decisions, not just a longer to-do list.
That’s the product thesis in one line: your rentals, managed. You just approve.
Built in Aotearoa, for Aotearoa
Keel is modelled on the Residential Tenancies Act, Healthy Homes Standards, and the specific shape of NZ property admin - bond through Tenancy Services, Akahu for bank reconciliation, Xero for the accounting layer most landlords already use. Not a global tool with NZ fields bolted on.
Start today
Set up your first rental. Let the week close itself.
30 days free. No credit card. If Keel doesn’t fit your rental, take the 2-minute fit check first - we’ll tell you honestly.
- From $15/mo
- No lock-in
- Made for Aotearoa