The Rent Roll Is Who Paid. The Lease File Is When They Leave.
Shop disclosure: Smart Files Shop (Etsy: SmartFilesShopUS) is operated by Jaceal, LLC, which also publishes this site. Links below go to live Etsy listings we sell. We earn the listing price on those sales. This page is a buyer’s guide, not a ranking. Not tax, legal, accounting, or investment advice. AI-assisted draft; reviewed against the shop’s live Etsy catalog and the on-disk workbooks named below.
A working month-close for small landlords: rent collected, deposits still held, leases ending, and empty-unit days — live Excel and Google Sheets templates. Prices are the live listing prices; they are not all the same.
What this page is
This is an operations guide first: how to close a rental month without property-management software. The product links are the shop’s live landlord workbooks that match those jobs. You do not have to buy every file. Sibling catalog (landlord plus seller books): landlord and seller bookkeeping templates. Other DNA guides: church finance templates · home maintenance templates.
Quick Navigation:
- The four ledgers
- How to close a month
- Job 1 — Who paid
- Job 2 — Which leases end
- Job 3 — What you still hold
- Job 4 — Rent, costs, and deposits in one file
- Job 5 — Empty days and make-ready
- Nightly stays are a different ledger
- Before you own it
- The HTML dashboard set
- How to choose
- Love Guarantee and custom work
- FAQ
Four ledgers people mash into one notebook
You said yes to a duplex, a fourplex, or a house you used to live in. You are now the back office. Property-management software can wait. What cannot wait is four piles that are not the same spreadsheet:
- Who paid — unit, amount due, amount paid, partial, late. This is the rent roll.
- When the lease ends — start date, end date, who to call 60 days before. This is the lease file. It lives next to the rent roll; it is not a payment.
- What you still hold — deposits received, itemized deductions, refunds actually paid, remaining. Rent collected is not this number.
- Empty days — notice, move-out, make-ready, new lease start. Vacancy is a row, not a rumor.
If you also host nightly stays, that is a fifth ledger (bookings, occupancy, ADR). If you are still deciding whether to bid, that is not a rent roll at all — that is underwriting.
Smart Files Shop (Etsy: SmartFilesShopUS; also on Gumroad for the rent-roll hub) sells digital downloads for those jobs. Everything linked below was live and active on Etsy when this page was last updated (29 August 2026). Instant download — nothing ships. These are bookkeeping templates, not property-management software, and not tax, legal, or investment advice. Your bank statement and a CPA still win if numbers disagree.
How to close a rental month without software
You can do this on paper. The point of a workbook is that the totals are formulas, so you do not re-add December in April. A clean close is six steps:
- Payments. One row per rent event: date, unit, amount due, amount paid, method, late fee if you assessed one. Mark paid, partial, or late from those amounts — not from memory, and not from a text thread.
- Owner costs. One row per bill you paid: date, property, category, vendor, amount, receipt reference. Insurance is not a repair. A security-deposit refund is not an expense.
- Move-outs. If anyone left, itemize deductions against that deposit ID, then log the refund you actually sent. Remaining = held − deductions − refunds. Do not type the remaining number; let the sheet calculate it.
- Empty units. If a door is on notice or vacant, start a turnover row (notice date, move-out, new lease start). Make-ready tasks get their own rows so paint and locks do not disappear into “misc.”
- Leases ending in 60 days. Sort or filter the lease-end column. A renewal conversation is not a payment log. Put the date on the tenant/lease list so it is visible before the unit is empty.
- One-page totals. Rent collected (amount paid, not amount due), expenses, net, deposits still held, vacant doors. That packet is what you send a CPA or a partner. It is not a tax return.
Three mistakes that wreck the year:
- Folding deposits into rental income. Held money is a liability until you refund it or lawfully keep a deduction. A rent-collected total that includes deposits is not rent collected.
- Calling a planning estimate a tax figure. Days vacant × monthly rent ÷ 30 is a vacancy-loss estimate for your own planning. It is not a Schedule E line and it is not a proration statute.
- Using a 12-month rent roll for Airbnb nights. Occupancy %, ADR, and RevPAR are stay-level math. A monthly rent row cannot hold them.
1. The hub: who paid, who is late, what repairs cost
Landlord Rent Roll Spreadsheet | Rental Property Tracker Tenant Payment Income Expense Excel
Listing 4483585796 · $6.99 · state active (Etsy Open API, 29 August 2026)
This is the shop’s main landlord workbook — the file for monthly collections. Live attached files on the listing: STARTHERE-HowtoOpenYourFiles.pdf, LandlordPropertyManager-Excel.xlsx, and LandlordPropertyManager-Interactive.html.
Live listing copy names these jobs in the workbook: a Dashboard of rent collected, expenses, and net; a property and unit tracker (address, unit, beds/baths, status); a tenant and lease database (who lives where, lease start/end, deposit, contact); a rent payment log with paid / partial / late flags; and an expense and maintenance tracker. Open START-HERE first. Replace the sample properties and tenants with your doors, then log rent and expenses as they happen.
Use this file when the problem is “who is current.” It is not a deposit-remaining ledger, not a make-ready checklist, and not property-management software. Lease end dates belong on the tenant/lease list in this file — that is the lease-tracking job for a small portfolio, without a separate unpublished tracker.
2. Lease tracking is a column, not a second career
A lease end date is the only early-warning most small landlords get. Sixty days before that date you either send a renewal, plan a turnover, or both. The rent roll above is the live file that holds that date (listing copy: tenant and lease database with lease start/end).
A practical filter: once a month, scan lease-end dates in the next 60 days. For each one, write one of three notes — renew at current rent, renew with a new amount, or turnover. Then, if it is a turnover, open the vacancy workbook in the next section instead of hiding the empty days on the rent roll.
There is no separate public Etsy listing for a lease-renewal reminder workbook as of this pull (94 active listings, 29 August 2026). Do not treat an unpublished URL as live. Until one is public, keep the date on the rent roll’s tenant/lease list and set your own calendar reminder from that date. Return-by dates on deposits are a different column; they live on the deposit file, not on the lease-end field.
3. Move-out: held, deducted, refunded, remaining
Security Deposit Tracker Spreadsheet | Landlord Refund Deduction Log Excel Sheets
Listing 4562846904 · $6.99 · state active
Opened on disk this session: Landlord_Security_Deposit_Tracker.xlsx (40,089 bytes — same size as the live attached file). Tabs in that workbook: Start Here, Dashboard, Properties, Deposit Ledger, Deductions, Refunds Paid, and Lists (dropdowns). The listing calls it a 6-tab file; Lists is the helper sheet behind the dropdowns.
One row per deposit on Deposit Ledger. Remaining is a formula: amount held minus deductions minus refunds paid. You do not type the remaining total. Return-by is a date you enter — the sheet treats a remaining balance after that date as a reminder, not a legal finding. Deductions are itemized (cleaning, damage, unpaid rent, keys/locks, and the other categories on Lists). Refunds Paid is the check or transfer you actually sent.
It is not a rent roll. It does not look up deposit-return law. Sample rows in the file (D001 closed after refund; D002 still held) are purple SAMPLE — overwrite them.
4. Collections, owner costs, and deposits in one workbook
Landlord Expense Deposit Tracker Excel | Rental Security Deposit Schedule E Spreadsheet
Listing 4562934360 · $7.99 · state active
Opened on disk: Landlord_Expense_Deposit_Tracker.xlsx (63,224 bytes — same size as the live attached file). Tabs: Setup Instructions, Properties & Units, Rent Roll, Expenses by Category, Security Deposits, Annual Summary, Schedule E Helper, and Lists. The listing calls it a 7-tab file; again, Lists is the dropdown helper.
What the opened file actually does:
- Rent Roll columns include Date, Unit ID, Amount due, Amount paid, Late fee, Method, Balance due, and Status. Balance due is Amount due + Late fee − Amount paid. Status (Paid / Partial / Late) comes from those amounts, not from today’s date.
- Expenses by Category has a Deductible Yes/No flag you set. The file does not decide deductibility. A Schedule E line fills from the helper tab.
- Security Deposits remaining held = amount received + interest you type − itemized deductions − refund paid. Interest is an amount you enter; the file does not calculate statutory interest. The state-return-deadline note is a cell you type, not an assertion of any state’s law.
- Annual Summary follows the year you type in B4. Rent collected on that sheet is Amount paid, not Amount due.
- Schedule E Helper maps category totals to common US Form 1040 Schedule E Part I labels as a bookkeeping convenience. The sheet itself says it is not a tax form and that depreciation (line 18) is not calculated here. Do not file that tab.
Buy this instead of the standalone rent roll plus the standalone deposit file if you want those jobs in one place. It is still not a vacancy tracker and not a bank feed.
5. Turnover week: vacant days, make-ready, work orders
Landlord Vacancy Tracker Spreadsheet | Tenant Turnover Make Ready Log Excel Sheets
Listing 4563056483 · $6.99 · state active
Opened on disk: Landlord_Vacancy_Turnover_Tracker.xlsx (36,958 bytes — same size as the live attached file). Tabs: Start Here, Dashboard, Properties (the sheet header reads “Properties & Units”), Turnover Ledger, Make-Ready, Work Orders, and Lists.
Turnover Ledger is one row per notice-to-new-lease event. Days vacant, vacancy-loss $, make-ready $, and status are formulas. When New lease start is blank, open vacancy days follow the as-of date you type on Dashboard B4. Vacancy loss $ uses monthly rent ÷ 30 — a planning estimate, not a tax figure, which is what the Dashboard note in the file says.
Make-Ready is a Letter-landscape printable walkthrough (clean, paint, carpet, locks, smoke/CO, and the other tasks on Lists). Costs roll to the ledger by Turnover ID. Work Orders are ongoing repairs by unit; Turnover ID is optional, so an HVAC service on an occupied door does not have to pretend it is a make-ready.
Not a rent roll. Not a deposit ledger. Purple SAMPLE rows (Oak Street Duplex / Maple Court; T001 Closed / T002 Vacant / T003 Notice) are there so every formula is visible before you overwrite them.
6. Nightly stays are not a 12-month rent roll
Vacation Rental Bookkeeping Spreadsheet | Host Income Occupancy Tax Excel Sheets
Listing 4528642066 · $7.99 · state active
Live attached files: Airbnb-STR-Tracker.html, Airbnb_STR_Income_Expense_Tracker.xlsx, STR_Tracker_Start_Here.pdf. The .xlsx for this listing was not in ~/.claude/workspace/products/ this session; tab names below are from the live listing description (Etsy Open API, 29 August 2026), not from an opened workbook.
Listing copy: a 13-tab Excel / Google Sheets workbook — Start Here, Property Setup, Booking Log (Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, Direct), Expenses, Monthly Summary, Dashboard (revenue, net income, occupancy %, ADR, RevPAR, cash-on-cash ROI), Annual + 5-Year, ROI & Cash Flow, Year-over-Year, Mileage Log, Booking Calendar, Sample Data, Leave a Review — plus a browser companion. Independent product. Not affiliated with Airbnb, Inc. or Vrbo.
Use this when the unit is sold by the night. Do not force those stays onto the long-term rent roll. Occupancy and ADR are stay-level; a monthly rent row cannot hold them.
7. Before you own it: go / caution / no-go
Real Estate Deal Analyzer Spreadsheet | BRRRR Rental Cash Flow ROI Cap Rate Excel Google Sheets
Listing 4528634147 · $7.99 · state active
Live attached files: Real_Estate_Deal_Analyzer.xlsx, Real-Estate-Deal-Analyzer.html, Real_Estate_Deal_Analyzer_Start_Here.pdf, Get_The_App.pdf. The .xlsx was not in ~/.claude/workspace/products/ this session; tab names below are from the live listing description.
Listing copy: 12 tabs — Start, Deal Dashboard (go / caution / no-go), Property Inputs, Rehab Budget, Rental Analysis (NOI, cap rate, cash-on-cash, GRM, 1% Rule / 50% Rule / GRM quick-checks), Cash Flow Projection (10-year), BRRRR Exit Planner (65% / 75% / 80% LTV scenarios), Flip Profit, Sensitivity, Comparables / notes, Sample Data Guide, Leave a Review — plus an HTML companion. One deal before you bid. Not a rent roll. Not investment advice.
8. The landlord set — four browser dashboards, not the Excel pack
Landlord Rent Roll Bundle Spreadsheet | Tenant Payment Deal Analyzer Excel Sheets
Listing 4533445912 · $19.99 · state active
Be exact about the download. Live attached files on this listing (list-listing-files, 29 August 2026) are five items, none of them .xlsx:
LandlordPropertyManager-Interactive.htmlReal-Estate-Deal-Analyzer.htmlAirbnb-STR-Tracker.htmlRenovation-Tracker.htmlProperty_Bundle_Start_Here.pdf
That matches the listing copy: four interactive HTML dashboards plus a start-here PDF. Double-click to open in a browser. If you need the Excel rent roll, the Excel deposit ledger, or the Excel vacancy file, buy those listings above. Buy this set if you want the HTML dashboards in one download.
How to choose
| If your actual problem is… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Who paid, who is late, lease end dates, what repairs cost | Landlord Rent Roll · $6.99 |
| Move-out: held, deducted, refunded, remaining | Security Deposit Tracker · $6.99 |
| Rent + owner expenses + deposits in one Excel file | Expense & Deposit Tracker · $7.99 |
| Empty days, make-ready, work orders | Vacancy Tracker · $6.99 |
| Airbnb / VRBO / direct stays, occupancy, host net | Vacation Rental Bookkeeping · $7.99 |
| Underwriting a purchase before you bid | Deal Analyzer · $7.99 |
| Four investor jobs as browser dashboards | Landlord Rent Roll Bundle · $19.99 |
Practical stack: the rent roll (who paid + lease dates) plus the security-deposit file (what you still hold). Use the combined expense-and-deposit workbook instead if you want those jobs in one Excel file. Add vacancy only when a unit is on notice or empty. Add STR or the deal analyzer only when that pile exists.
Files open in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets (upload in Drive). The three workbooks opened on disk this session do not use macros. The security-deposit listing copy says it is not tested in Apple Numbers — do not use Numbers.
Love Guarantee and custom work
Every listing on this page carries the same 14-day Love Guarantee.
Love Guarantee (14 days): Message Smart Files Shop if the file is not right — free fix, free small customization, or refund.
Free small customizations (typical examples): rename a column, add a header, change a property label, swap a category name, put your unit list on the dropdowns.
Paid customs — shop-wide / typical menu; message for a quote before any extra charge. Individual listings may quote lower for tweaks already in scope for that file — always by quote, never a surprise invoice. For paid customs, timeline is usually 1–3 business days after we lock the brief.
- Light custom $15–$29 — property names / header on every tab; extra categories
- Standard custom $39–$79 — extra unit slots, a board-report tab, a branded refund-letter data export
- Deep custom $89–$149 by scope — branding, data import, multi-entity
The shop says yes to requests like “add our property names to the rent-roll dropdowns.” It does not take full bookkeeping outsourcing, tax filing, or property-management work. One free polish pass is included on paid customs after first delivery.
What these files will not do
They will not connect to your bank, AppFolio, or Airbnb payout report. They will not file a Schedule E, compute depreciation, or tell you your state’s deposit-return deadline. They will not make a full-time physician a real-estate professional. They will keep a small landlord from reconstructing the year out of a text thread and a shoe box of plumber receipts.
If you want the files, buy them on Etsy through the live links above. This page is a guide, not a checkout. Browse the rest of the shop at etsy.com/shop/SmartFilesShopUS.
FAQ: Landlord rent rolls and lease tracking
Do I need property-management software for a handful of doors?
Not for the four ledgers: who paid, what you still hold, which leases end, and what empty days cost. Excel or Google Sheets can hold those rows. Software is a later step when you have a manager, owner draws, or more doors than you will actually log.
Is a rent roll the same thing as a security-deposit ledger?
No. Rent collected is income you received. A deposit is money you still hold. Mixing them in one total is how April gets ugly. Use a payment log for rent and a deposit ledger for held / deducted / refunded / remaining.
Does the Schedule E helper file a tax return?
No. The expense-and-deposit workbook maps category totals to common Form 1040 Schedule E Part I labels as a bookkeeping convenience. The opened file states it is not a tax form and does not calculate depreciation. Confirm every line with a tax preparer.
What is the Love Guarantee?
Every listing on this page carries the same 14-day Love Guarantee: message Smart Files Shop if the file is not right — free fix, free small customization, or refund. Customs pricing is not uniform across listings; individual listings may quote lower. Always by quote.
Can you put our unit list on the dropdowns?
Yes. That is a typical free small customization. Larger work (extra unit slots beyond the template, a branded refund-letter export, multi-entity) is a paid custom, quoted before any extra charge. For paid customs, timeline is usually 1–3 business days after we lock the brief.
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