What reports should landlords review each month?
The rent roll comes first. This shows every unit, current tenant, lease terms, rent amount, what’s been paid, and what’s outstanding. Review it at the start of each month to see who paid on time, who’s late, and how late. A tenant who’s 5 days late once is different from one who’s been 10+ days late three months running. The pattern matters more than any single late payment.
After the rent roll, look at your profit and loss statement. If you own multiple properties, you need this broken out by property, not just a combined total. A portfolio that’s profitable overall can hide an individual property that’s losing money every month. Seeing each property’s income minus expenses tells you which ones are actually working and which are dragging down your returns.
Watch your expense categories for anything unusual. Repairs spiking on one property might signal deferred maintenance catching up or a problem tenant causing damage. Utility costs jumping could mean a vacant unit left with heat running or a leak you don’t know about. These are the kinds of issues real estate investors catch early when they’re reviewing financials monthly instead of once a year at tax time.
Accounts receivable aging shows how old your unpaid balances are. Current versus 30 days versus 60+ days matters for collection strategy. A tenant 60 days behind is a different conversation than one who’s 10 days late. This report tells you where to focus your collection efforts and which situations might be heading toward eviction.
Your bank reconciliation confirms actual cash position. Accrual-based reports might show rent as income when it’s billed, not when it’s received. The bank balance tells you what you actually have to work with for mortgage payments, repairs, and distributions.
If you’re managing properties yourself, reviewing these reports monthly keeps you connected to the financial reality of your investment. If you use a property manager, request these reports and actually look at them. Many owners get monthly statements and file them without reading. That’s how small problems become expensive ones.
Working with bookkeeping services in Santa Fe NM that understand rental properties helps ensure your reports are structured the way landlords need them. Generic bookkeeping tracks income and expenses but might not break out results by property or track security deposit liabilities correctly. The goal is reports that answer the questions you actually ask: Is this property making money? Which tenants are behind? What’s my real cash position after all obligations?
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