How to Set Up a Chart of Accounts For a Real Estate Company

In the Setting up a Chart of Accounts for your Real Estate Management Company blog, we talked high level about setting up a Chart of Accounts for a real estate company. This time we are taking it one step further and we are walking you through the process, step by step for QuickBooks desktop. You can download the free sample IIF file at the bottom of the blog, or an Excel Sample company. 

A critical task for commercial owners

If you are a QuickBooks Online user and want to know how to set up a chart of accounts in that version, check out the blog and video: How to Set Up a Chart of Accounts for a Real Estate Company in QBO.

This chart of accounts is more focused on a portfolio comprised of residential real estate. If your portfolio has mostly commercial real estate assets, check out our new blog: Setting up a Chart of Accounts for a Commercial Real Estate Company

Amy-Heinen-Quick-Action-Accounting

We had the opportunity to sit down with Amy Heinen from Quick Action Accounting to do a deeper dive into the process of setting up a Chart of Accounts. As an experienced accountant, Amy has seen her share of poorly organized Charts of Accounts. In our conversation, she talked about the process she recommends and provides tips along the way to make the process go a little smoother. Amy is a QuickBooks expert and a local favorite accountant.

 Topics Covered:

  • Importance of a good Chart of Accounts
  • The function of a Chart of Accounts
  • Elements of a Chart of Accounts
  • Process for importing an IIF file
  • Results of a good Chart of Accounts in your financial reports

Importance of a Good Chart of Accounts

If the Chart of Accounts is not set up correctly from the beginning it can lead to a lot of time and money to clean up down the road. Many businesses have struggled simply because they were unable to clearly see how their business was operating. Don’t let that be you. And, if your current Chart of Accounts is not meeting your needs, invest the time and make it a tool you can rely on.

Main Function of a Chart of Accounts

The Chart of Accounts is the foundation of your business. It provides a way for you to share data with others including bankers and accountants. The Chart of Accounts gives you a mechanism for you to tell the story of your business. If appropriately organized, you will be able to see how your business is performing in key financial reports.

What is the Chart of Accounts Composed of?

  • Assets – These are your stuff and things: Cash, Accounts Receivable, Properties
  • Liabilities – Things you owe: Accounts payable, Taxes payable, Notes payable (mortgages)
  • Equity – What you actually own
  • Revenue – Sales and rental income
  • Expenses – Costs you incur to generate sales

Starting from Scratch to Import

Amy shared you can use the templates that are provided within QuickBooks. However, she finds she ends up making so many alterations that it would have been easier to start from scratch. So, that is what we are going to illustrate – importing a template Chart of Accounts for a real estate business from scratch. The procedures we have provided apply to QuickBooks. But, the concept for a good Chart of Accounts apply to any accounting system.

To begin the process, go to Lists and Select Chart of Accounts.

Adding-New-Chart-Of-Accounts-in-Quickbooks

Before importing the IIF file (Scroll to the bottom of the blog to download a free copy of the IIF File), clean out all the accounts you do not need. This will prevent duplicates when the template IIF file is imported. As a note, there are a few accounts you will be unable to delete as QuickBooks will require them and they will be dealt with later in the process.

Here is what you should be left with after cleaning out the Account before importing the IIF file.

Cleaned-Out-Chart-of-Accounts

Next, turn on the numbering for your Chart of Accounts. Go to Edit and select Preferences. Under Accounting, select Company Preferences. Then check the Use account numbers box and select OK. You can turn this on before or after you import your file.

Allowing-Account-Numbers

If you are using the template IIF file we provided, download that now to your desktop. To import, go to File, select Utilities, then Import, and then IIF Files. (Scroll to the bottom of the blog to download a free copy of the IIF File.)

Process-for-Importing-IIF-files

A successfully imported file will look like this when the import is complete.

Successsfully-Imported-IIF-File

Numbering in your Chart of Accounts

How you set up your numbering is up to you, but giving yourself room to grow is good.  Here is an example of how you could use a 5 digit numbering schema.

Structure-of-number-schema

Deleting an Account

To Delete an account, select the account you want to delete, right click and select Delete Account, or control + D on the keyboard. QuickBooks will ask you if you are sure you want to delete this account. Click OK.

Deleting-an-account

Setting up Subaccounts for your Real Estate – Fixed Assets

Once the IIF file has been imported, you can add subaccounts for each of your unique assets. You will create a subaccount for all the fixed assets for each property you own. Most people use the address of their property when they create the subaccounts for each Fixed Asset account.

To add an account, go to the bottom of the Chart of Accounts screen and select Account and then New.

Creating_New-Account-in-Chart-Of-Accounts

This screen will come up and you will want to select Fixed Asset and then Continue on the bottom right.

Creating-New-fixed-asset

On the next screen, you will enter the account name (100 15th Ave in this case) and then select the Subaccount, Dwelling/Building, assign the number in the right-hand corner, then hit Save & Close.

Creating-A-Fixed-Asset-Subaccount

Continue this very same process for Land, Property Improvements, and Accum Deprec (accumulated depreciation). The unique number you assign to each property will be used for all the subaccounts. By breaking your fixed assets out in this way, it will help your accountant when they record your taxes. Those are the same categories on your tax returns. Your Chart of Accounts should have subaccounts for each property under Dwelling/Building, Land, Property Improvements, and Accumulated Depreciation.

Fixed-Assets-With-Each-Subaccount

Setting up Subaccounts for your Real Estate – Notes Payable

Your Notes Payable section should have subaccounts for each mortgage you have. Go to the bottom of the Add New Account and select Long Term Liability and select continue.

Setting-Up-Subaccounts-For-Long-Term-Liabilities

Once again add in the Account Name for your property, select the Subaccount of Notes Payable, and continue with your unique numbering sequence in the right-hand corner. In the Description, you can reference your lender and account number as reference.

Finished-Notes-Payable-Sample

Setting up Subaccounts for your Real Estate – Escrow

Next set up the subaccounts for the Escrow Account. Create a new account and select Bank and hit Continue.

Setting-Up-Escrow-Subaccounts

Like the other subaccounts you have already set up, you will enter the property address, the unique number of the property and that it is a subaccount of Escrow Accounts. Select Save & Close.

Setting Up Your Profit and Loss Accounts

The way you set up your income and expense accounts will help you understand your business and tell the story of your performance. Many people have only a single account for rental income. But including separate incomes for base rent, garage, pet income, common area maintenance charges, etc. will provide you greater clarity. The separation of revenues will show you what drives your revenue.

Like you previously did, to add additional subaccounts for rental income, click Account at the bottom left hand of the Chart of Accounts screen, select New and begin. When you are on the Add New Account screen, select Income and click Continue.

Setting-Up-Income-Accounts

As before, follow the same unique numbering schema for each property. And create a subaccount for each type of rent or rental type income you plan to track.

Setting up Properties in the Customer Center

The Customer Center is where each tenant or customer is set up. Each individual tenant will be a customer. This set up will allow you to see the income separated out by customer (or property) in your financial reports. 

Customer-Center-Set-up

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Financial Reports – The Final Step

Finally, it is time to run reports. To run Reports, go the top menu bar and find Reports, then Company & Financial. Select the report type you are interested in running. In this instance, we are running Profit & Loss by Job.

Start-Running-Reports

Here is what your Profit & Loss by Job will look like. Any income or expense will align with each customer now.

Profit-&-Loss-by-Job

The Balance Sheet is another important report to look at when evaluating the performance of your company.

There are a number of other reports you can run as well, but these will get you started on the right foot. As we have stated before, organizing your chart of accounts correctly from the very beginning will pay off. You will be able to understand your business more clearly and allow you to track that metrics that matter. As an added bonus, your accountant will appreciate your clean records and your lender will commend your organization.

Download a copy of the free IIF file here

Or

If the IIF version does not work for you, try our Excel Sample Real Estate Company file which you can here.


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Summary
 How to Set Up a Chart of Accounts For a Real Estate Company
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How to Set Up a Chart of Accounts For a Real Estate Company
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Setting up a clean chart of accounts for your real estate business is an important foundational step to running your business well. Join STRATAFOLIO as we explain step-by-step how to begin.
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22 thoughts on “How to Set Up a Chart of Accounts For a Real Estate Company

  1. I use QB 2016, and the sample chart of accounts IIF file available here will not import.
    It says “created using a different version of QB”
    Do you have one that will work for QB 2016?
    If so, how can I get it?
    Thanks!, this is a great tutorial.
    Matt

    1. Hello! Glad you stopped by. We were all new to QuickBooks at one time. I assume you are trying to import the IIF file into QuickBooks. Start by downloading the IIF file to your desktop. To import, go to File, select Utilities, then Import, and then IIF Files. If you are really trying to view the IIF file, download the file, save it in Excel and then you can both see and edit the chart of account entries. Good luck! Jeri

  2. Hello I am importing into QB pro 2018 I keep getting error. Error on Line 15: Imported account has a duplicate account number. So only about 14 have imported.

    1. Hello, Jimmy – Thank you for reaching out to us. We double checked the file and there are not any duplicates inside of the IFF file. We believe you got this error because the account was already created and perhaps skipped a step. Check back in the article, prior to uploading the file, you need to remove any duplicates so it doesn’t error. Hopefully, that will take care of your issue. Good luck! Jeri

  3. Hello. I am getting the same error as Jimmy. Prior to importing I had deleted all of the accounts in cart of accounts (except the two payroll accounts it wont allow). I get the same error regarding line 15. I think line 15 is rental income and does not appear to be duplicated, regardless I can not import the full list

    1. Hello – Sorry you are experiencing this issue. I would make sure the numbering is turned on and try again in a new company file. Take care – Jeri

  4. Hi Jeri I am a Mac user with 2016 desk top Version. I am unable to download the file. Can you send the IFF file a different way?

  5. Do you have an article for setting up QB Desktop for a real estate brokerage with agents, commissions, and trust accounts? If so can you sent me the link for it.

    1. Hi Nancy, unfortunately, this has not been the subject of any of our posts. Thank you for stopping by and let me know if you need help finding a resource to get you going. Take care, Jeri

  6. In your P&L it looks like you are using classes, but this tutorial doesn’t mention using them. What am I missing? Do you put each property into a class?

    1. Hi Daniel, Thank you for the question. We actually set up different accounts for our properties rather than classes. But using classes is another option. Thank you for stopping by and asking the question! Jeri

      1. Hi Jeri, I just asked this same question on your YouTube tutorial. Could you or Ann elaborate on this? From a set up perspective, it seems much easier to create a class for each property rather than sub accounts for each property for each relevant account. However, I wouldn’t want to sacrifice better functionality that sub-accounts may provide over classes down the road. Sorry for the detailed question, but I want to get this right before starting up. Thank you again! John Carr

        1. Hi John, Thank you so much for reaching out! I wish this was a straight forward answer but it is highly dependent on your situation and your needs. Classes are simpler to use and may well be fine. Lots of people suggest that you only use sub-accounts for balance sheet items and use classes for income and expenses. We completely understand wanting to get this right from the get-go! Using sub-accounts across the board will provide another view into each property (which we really like). It does come down to preference, your reporting situation, what you want to get out of your financial reports, and how much time you want to put into this. Amanda Davis at dlux.solutions is a great resource on this. We had an extensive conversation on this very topic. We applaud your diligence on the front end! Please let us know what you ultimately do. Take care. – Jeri

  7. Hi Jeri, Between 13:49 & 14:51 you talk about Setting up Properties in the Customer Center and that this should be another video… Do you have a video on this, or can you provide more information? This sounds like a fundamental part of the setup and having the reporting work the way shown?

    By the way, all your videos and follow information are great – thanks!!

    1. Hi Ross, Thank you for reaching out and leaving a message. We have not yet created that video, unfortunately. It is a great topic that needs more exploration and step-by-step instructions! Thank you for the kind words, too:) We love hearing from our readers! Take care and stop by again…we are always putting out new informational content. Jeri

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