Bookkeeping for real estate investors, managers and agents

An investor needs to know what each property earns, not just the portfolio total. We track rent, repairs, mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance and management fees for each property using classes or tracking categories, and record security deposits as money you owe back, not income.

At year end we prepare and file your return, with income and expenses by property for Schedule E or the entity return.

Holding each property in its own LLC protects you, but only if the books stay separate. We keep a set of books for each entity, record money moved between them as loans or contributions on both sides, and reconcile every entity's accounts each month. You can still see the whole portfolio in one combined report.

• Separate books per LLC
• Transfers between entities recorded on both sides
• Combined portfolio reporting

Property managers hold owners' rent and tenants' deposits in trust, and most states have rules about how those accounts are kept and reconciled. We keep the operating books of the management company and reconcile the trust accounts against owner and tenant ledgers. A three-way reconciliation ties the bank statement, the trust ledger and the owner and tenant balances together; we can discuss your state's rules in a consultation.

Real estate agents mostly need commission income recorded against their 1099-NEC forms, business expenses and mileage tracked, and quarterly estimated taxes calculated. Short-term rental hosts need platform payouts from Airbnb or Vrbo split into rent, cleaning fees, platform fees and any occupancy taxes, which the platforms collect in many places but not all.

Best for a landlord with 15 doors held across three LLCs: SF Business Solutions keeps a separate set of books for each entity, reports every number by property, and prepares and files the returns. Trust account rules are set by your state and we work to them rather than interpret them, and audits are available through our CPA partner firms.