Property-management reports
Agree on the relevant rent, receipt, payable, deposit, owner or property reports and the period each report covers. Keep the report source and date visible.
For property management companies
Property Management Platform-to-General-Ledger Reconciliation
Compare property-system activity with your accounting records, investigate differences and create a repeatable monthly review—without assuming a software migration is needed.
The software report and the books need to tell the same story
Property managers may use one system for rent, tenant activity, payables or owner reporting and another for the management company’s general ledger. Even when each system produces a report, totals can diverge because of timing, account mapping, duplicate entries, unapplied cash or transactions assigned to the wrong property or entity.
A useful reconciliation does more than compare two totals. It identifies which reports were used, explains known differences, lists exceptions that still need evidence and gives the reviewer a clear route to approve corrections. The process should fit your current systems and controls.
What the reconciliation review can cover
The exact reports and accounts depend on your systems, portfolio and agreed scope. Work is performed against available source records; unresolved items are documented rather than guessed away.
General-ledger accounts
Identify the accounts and dimensions that should reflect the platform activity, including property, entity, class or department where used.
Differences and timing items
Separate explainable timing differences from missing, duplicated, misclassified or unapplied transactions. Record the period, amount, likely cause and evidence still needed.
Exception log and review
Prepare an exception list with source references, questions and proposed next steps. Corrections remain subject to the client’s supporting evidence and approval process.
Monthly control schedule
Set a recurring close date, report owner, reviewer, materiality or escalation rules and a clear record of items carried into the next period.
Owner and management reporting
Use reconciled records as the basis for reporting preparation, while clearly flagging unresolved items that could affect a statement or management decision.
A repeatable four-step monthly process
1. Agree on the source reports
Confirm the period, report date, properties, entities, accounts and export or access method for each system.
2. Compare and classify differences
Tie the relevant balances and transaction populations together, then separate timing items from exceptions that require investigation.
3. Document evidence and questions
Maintain source references, amounts, periods, potential causes and outstanding questions so the reviewer can see what is known and what remains unresolved.
4. Review, approve and carry forward
The client’s authorized reviewer decides on accounting treatment and approves corrections. Track open items into the next close until they are resolved.
Clear responsibilities and review controls
Accounstone provides outsourced accounting preparation and reconciliation within an agreed scope. Your business retains banking control, payment release, owner-distribution approval and decisions about accounting treatment. This work does not replace legal advice, a CPA’s tax or assurance work, software-vendor support or the responsible property manager’s compliance review.
General ledger reconciliation questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does property management platform-to-GL reconciliation involve?
It compares agreed reports from your property-management system with the relevant general-ledger accounts and supporting schedules. The exact comparison depends on your platform, chart of accounts, property/entity structure and reporting process.
Can you reconcile AppFolio, Buildium or Yardi to QuickBooks?
We can review your current platform, accounting file, available exports and access permissions to determine a suitable reconciliation workflow. We do not assume that a direct integration exists or that you need to change software.
What happens when the totals do not agree?
Differences are listed by type and period, with the reports and evidence reviewed. Possible causes may include timing, duplicate or missing postings, unapplied receipts, coding differences or account mapping. Proposed corrections are documented for your authorized reviewer rather than silently forcing totals to match.
Is this the same as accounting cleanup?
Not necessarily. Cleanup and catch-up work is designed to address a historical backlog. Platform-to-general-ledger reconciliation can instead be scoped as a recurring monthly control, with cleanup of old exceptions added only when agreed.
Do you approve owner distributions or release payments?
No. Your business retains banking control, payment release, owner-distribution approval and decisions about accounting treatment. We prepare agreed accounting records and reconciliation schedules for review.
Which records are compared during reconciliation?
Depending on the system, inputs may include platform ledgers, bank statements, deposit and disbursement reports, payable detail and the general ledger.
How are timing differences separated from errors?
Items are matched by amount, date, reference and available source detail; timing items and unexplained differences are listed separately for review.
Can the reconciliation cover several properties?
Yes. The scope can define properties, entities, accounts and periods, with the result summarized consistently across the agreed portfolio.
What does the final reconciliation package contain?
The package can include source reports, ledger tie-outs, unmatched items, explanations available from the records and questions requiring client input.
Can this become part of a monthly close?
Yes. A recurring reconciliation can be scheduled as part of the month-end process once the report sources, cutoffs and reviewer are agreed.
Free consultation
Discuss Your Platform-to-GL Differences
Tell us which property-management system and accounting ledger you use, what does not tie out, and how often you need the reconciliation completed. We can define the source reports, exception log and review handoff.
- Start with a defined property group or accounting workflow
- Keep bank access, payment release and owner decisions with authorised personnel
- Agree source reports, reconciliations and review handoffs before work begins
Make monthly differences easier to trace
Set up a practical reconciliation workflow around your current property records, general ledger and review controls.