1–20 unit landlords
Accounting & Schedule E export on DIY landlord software — expense categories, CSV/PDF
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For a 1–20 unit DIY landlord, “accounting in the PMS” is not one feature — it is four jobs: categorize income/expenses (ideally Schedule E–aligned), keep evidence (receipts, property tags), roll up multi-door books, and export something a CPA can use. Avail’s free tracker auto-pulls rent + maintenance costs and emails a CSV. RentRedi’s built-in Accounting Suite aims at Schedule E + P&L exports (PDF/spreadsheet) with bank feed and AI receipts — confirm which plan unlocks it. TurboTenant gives free-tier manual Schedule E categories + CSV; the paid Accounting add-on (REI Hub) is the deep ledger / Schedule E report / bank-sync layer.
What this page is (and is not)
- Is: a side-by-side of published expense categories, bookkeeping depth, CSV/PDF/tax-style exports, free vs paid gates, receipts, and multi-property rollups for RentRedi, TurboTenant, and Avail.
- Is not: tax advice, a substitute for Form Schedule E filing, a QuickBooks replacement review, or a guarantee that a vendor “Schedule E report” matches every IRS line you need.
- Uncertainty rule: RentRedi help conflicts slightly on whether Accounting Suite is on all plans vs Growth/Pro only — verify in account. TurboTenant Accounting unit-band prices and Avail category labels drift; none of these three file your return for you.
Feature snapshot (verify on vendor pages)
| Capability | RentRedi | TurboTenant | Avail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense / income categories | Schedule E–style categories on expenses (AI suggests Schedule E type from receipts); property assignment + edits in Expense hub | Manual expenses: categories align to IRS Schedule E (advertising, repairs, insurance, mortgage interest, utilities, depreciation, Other, etc.). Accounting add-on: default chart of accounts mapped to Schedule E | Filter / categorize with Schedule E tax categories (support docs). Marketing also uses income vs expense + admin / maintenance / rent labels — confirm live category list |
| Bookkeeping depth | Built-in Accounting Suite: expense hub, mileage, P&L per property + portfolio, Schedule E summaries. Optional REI Hub add-on for full double-entry (balance sheet / cash flow class books) | Free path: manual expense log + rent payment history. TurboTenant Accounting (REI Hub): double-entry, bank import, rules, P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, NOI, rent roll, tax packet, vendor totals | Income/expense tracker tied to Avail payments + maintenance costs — cash-flow style ledger, not a published full double-entry suite |
| Bank / Plaid sync | Yes on Accounting Suite — bank feed imports debits for review / Schedule E categorize / property link (help: Expense Tracking Bank Feed) | Manual tier: no auto bank feed. Accounting add-on: Plaid + Yodlee bank connect (+ file import fallbacks per Q&A) | No general bank/Plaid sync found in published Avail accounting docs — auto-sync is inside Avail (rent, fees, maintenance ticket costs) |
| CSV / PDF / tax-style exports | Schedule E report: Export → PDF or Spreadsheet. Income & Expenses report: PDF or Spreadsheet. Separate payment/charge export path historically documents QuickBooks Online / Desktop spreadsheet options — confirm current QB flow | Manual: Expenses CSV + Reports “Expenses Export” (portfolio/property/unit). Accounting: Schedule E Excel or PDF; 40+ reports to Excel/PDF/email; Tax Packet; Expenses by Vendor for 1099 prep (does not generate 1099 forms) | Spreadsheet / CSV emailed from Accounting download icon. Marketing: export tracker for CPA. No published native Schedule E PDF report found |
| Receipts / docs on expenses | AI receipt capture (single + bulk/folder); extract + categorize; itemization across properties/categories | Manual: upload receipt/doc when adding expense (web + mobile). Accounting: receipts on booked expenses | Upload pictures of invoices/receipts on manual transactions (product blog / tax tips); keep evidence for audit trail |
| Multi-property / multi-unit rollups | P&L + Schedule E by property/portfolio; option to prorate unassigned portfolio expenses evenly; mileage only if property-linked | Manual filter by property. Accounting: unit → property → portfolio reports; Schedule E prorate overhead / mileage; Net Income by Property | Filter by associated rental (building/unit); compare income vs expenses across units — spreadsheet export for rollup in Excel |
| QuickBooks / Xero | Help docs: export charges/payments for QuickBooks Online or Desktop/Pro (date-range export) — not a live two-way sync claim in the Accounting FAQ | No published native QuickBooks/Xero sync found; export Excel/PDF for CPA or external books | No published QuickBooks/Xero integration found; CSV handoff |
| Free vs paid gap | Accounting Suite: help FAQ (Jun 2026) says included for all landlords; plan guide (Feb 2026) lists Growth (~$12/mo annual / ~$29.95 monthly) + Pro — verify which plan you are on. Optional REI Hub via RentRedi: published bands ~$25–$99/mo by unit count (extra) | Manual Schedule E categories + CSV on self-manage / free path. Accounting add-on paid: published ~$15–$85/mo by unit count (every feature at every tier; confirm live price). Free TT does not equal full REI Hub reports | Marketing: accounting “for free” / “no added costs” on Unlimited. Plus (~$9/unit/mo) is not sold as the accounting unlock — Plus buys payment economics etc. Confirm Accounting tab on free Unlimited in account |
Sources (Sep 2026): RentRedi help — Accounting FAQ (Payments, Reports & More), Generate a Schedule E Report, Understanding Schedule E Report Options, Automated Expense Tracking with Bank Feed, Income and Expenses Report, Guide to RentRedi’s Accounting Solutions, Exporting Invoices/Payments to QuickBooks Online. TurboTenant help — Manual Expense Tracking, What is TurboTenant Accounting, Schedule E Report, Accounting setup/billing; turbotenant.com Accounting Features Q&A. Avail — landlords/rental-property-accounting, support “How To Manage Income And Expense Tracking,” blog “Avail Introduces a New Rental Property Accounting Feature,” education tax-prep tips (receipt upload / spreadsheet export). Re-verify plan badges and export buttons in a live trial before tax season.
Worked example: 3-door year-end handoff (not tax advice)
Portfolio: duplex + one SFH (3 doors). Goal: give a CPA clean 2025 (or current tax year) income/expense by property with receipts available — not to file Schedule E yourself from the PMS alone.
| Step | RentRedi | TurboTenant | Avail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Close the year in-app | Review Expense hub + bank-feed Need Review; assign property + Schedule E category; log mileage to each door | Free path: finish manual expenses with Schedule E categories + receipts. Paid Accounting: book remaining bank imports; run rules for insurance/mortgage | Confirm auto-synced rent + maintenance costs; add off-platform expenses (insurance, property tax, supplies) with receipt photos |
| 2. Pull the tax-facing report | Accounting → Reports → Schedule E; set tax year; optional prorate unassigned + include mileage; Export PDF and Spreadsheet | Free: Reports Expenses Export + Expenses CSV. Paid: Schedule E report → Excel/PDF; optional Tax Packet / CPA read-only access | Accounting → Download → check email for CSV; filter by rental if CPA wants one file per door |
| 3. What the CPA still does | Depreciation, capital improvements vs repairs, entity/ownership mapping, actual IRS Form Schedule E filing — RR summary is prep, not filing | Same — Schedule E data aligns to form categories; TT Accounting does not create the IRS form. Vendor report helps prep 1099s only | Same — spreadsheet + 1099-K from payment processor (if you collect rent on Avail) is input, not a filed Schedule E |
| 4. Belt-and-suspenders | Also export Income & Expenses; keep receipt images; optional payment export if CPA lives in QuickBooks | Download Schedule E PDF + Excel; save Expenses by Vendor; leave books in-app for next year | Save dated CSV copies per property; keep receipt attachments; do not rely on Avail alone for mortgage interest / depreciation |
At 3 doors, the bottleneck is usually categorizing all year, not the export click. Avail wins if almost everything already runs through Avail payments/maintenance. RentRedi wins if you want an in-subscription Schedule E PDF + bank feed without a second product. TurboTenant wins if you need REI Hub–class reports and will pay the Accounting add-on — or if free CSV categories are “good enough” for a spreadsheet-tolerant CPA.
Free vs paid: who should upgrade for books
- RentRedi: If Accounting Suite appears on your plan, you are buying bank feed + Schedule E/P&L exports inside the flat subscription — do not add REI Hub unless you truly need double-entry / balance-sheet depth. Confirm Starter vs Growth inclusion before you upgrade “just for Schedule E.”
- TurboTenant: Stay on free/manual if you log expenses monthly and your CPA is fine with CSV. Upgrade to Accounting when you want bank sync, Schedule E-formatted PDF/Excel by property, loan splits, or CPA login — price scales with doors (published cap ~$85/mo; verify).
- Avail: Do not buy Plus “for accounting” if Unlimited already shows the Accounting tab and CSV export. Plus math is usually ACH waive / FastPay / lease customization — stack with payment fees and break-even.
Fit notes for 1–20 units
- Want free CSV books for a CPA: Avail Unlimited tracker or TurboTenant manual expenses + CSV.
- Want Schedule E–labeled PDF/spreadsheet without a second login: RentRedi Accounting Suite (confirm plan) is the published in-app path among the three.
- Want full landlord ledger (P&L, BS, cash flow, bank rules, tax packet): TurboTenant Accounting / REI Hub — or RentRedi + REI Hub add-on.
- Need QuickBooks-facing charge/payment export: RentRedi has published QB export help; TT/Avail lean on spreadsheet handoff.
- Need Buildium-class trust accounting / owner statements for investors: none of these three fully replace that class — see Owner statements & 1099 for DIY statement + vendor-total depth, or graduate tools.
Related
- NSF & returned payment fees — ACH bounce, processor return fees vs lease NSF, clawbacks
- Bank reconciliation & deposit matching — monthly payout matching, batched deposits, avoiding double-counted rent
- Eviction & collections handoff — pay-or-quit docs, Stop/Block/Disable e-pay, counsel export packs
- Section 8 / HAP payments — HAP + tenant portion as payment sources toward contract rent
- Partial payments, credits & balance adjustments — short pays, landlord credits, ledger fixes
- Insurance & COI reminders — landlord policies, tenant renters proof, vendor certificates, expiration nudges
- Owner statements & 1099 — investor packets, vendor totals for 1099-NEC prep, free vs paid gaps
- Security deposits & move-out — held vs returned, deductions, ACH vs external refunds, free vs paid ledger depth
- Tenant notices & communication logs — late rent reminders, entry notices, portal history, export vs statutory proof
- Lease & e-sign — get the lease stored before you track the rent year
- Maintenance & work orders — repair costs that should hit expense categories
- Tenant payment fees (ACH, card, cash) — fee lines that show up on books
- Switch checklist — export ledgers/CSVs before you migrate
- Document vault & lease files — where leases, notices, photos live; folders vs flat; what exports on switch
- RentRedi vs TurboTenant vs Avail — full criteria table including accounting
- Best PMS for 1–5 units — shortlist before you standardize books
- Per-unit vs flat-rate break-even — subscription + add-on math at 3 / 8 / 15
- Late fees & autopay — late-fee income that should appear in year-end exports
- Tenant screening costs — landlord-paid screening as Schedule E–style expenses
- Rent roll & occupancy — what each exports (CSV/PDF/email), free vs paid gates, cutover handoff
- Utility billing & charge-backs — utility expense vs tenant reimbursement
- Buying or selling with tenants in place: part-year ownership, prorated rent credits, and inherited deposits (not income if you plan to return them)
- Small Portfolio Desk home
Educational product research only — not tax, legal, or accounting advice. Schedule E filing, depreciation, capital improvements vs repairs, entity structure, and 1099/1099-K rules are fact-specific. Verify every report label and plan gate in a live account; have a CPA or enrolled agent review exports before you file.