The Frustration of AppFolio’s Rent Roll Report: Why Property Managers Need a More Complete Solution

For property managers and landlords—especially those leveraging property management technology in NYC or undergoing AppFolio software onboarding for Syracuse landlords—accurate rent roll data is essential. Rent roll reports drive financial analysis, leasing decisions, forecasting, and day-to-day operational planning.

AppFolio, one of the most widely used property management software platforms, offers solid features for accounting, leasing, and maintenance. However, many users report ongoing frustration with one major flaw: AppFolio’s rent roll report does not display all tenants when someone moves out mid-month.

This limitation results in confusing and incomplete data, ultimately affecting financial visibility and operational decision-making. Below, we dive into this issue and explore what property managers can do to fix it.

The Core Problem: Missing Tenants in Mid-Month Move-Outs

AppFolio’s rent roll automatically excludes tenants who move out before the end of the current month. While this may seem logical from a system perspective, it creates several real-world challenges.

1. Inaccurate Financial Analysis

Without all tenants listed—including those who moved out mid-month—property managers cannot accurately assess:

• Total scheduled rent

• Occupancy trends

• Loss-to-lease calculations

• Actual vs. projected income

This leads to faulty budget planning and unreliable forecasting.

2. Poor Tracking of Tenant Turnover

Turnover rates matter—especially in competitive markets like NYC.If mid-month move-outs disappear from the rent roll, it becomes difficult to:

• Identify turnover trends

• Analyze retention performance

• Monitor seasonal or building-specific patterns
  

3. Reduced Efficiency in Operational Management

Property managers rely on the rent roll for decision-making around:

• Renewal offers

• Rent increases

• Budgeting for maintenance

• Vacancy planning

With missing tenants, these tasks become significantly harder and more time-consuming.

Combining Rent Roll + General Ledger: A Temporary Workaround

Some property managers combine AppFolio’s rent roll with their general ledger reports to rebuild the missing data. This allows them to capture the financial impact of tenants who moved out mid-month.

While this workaround helps create a more complete picture, it has drawbacks:

• Time-consuming data exports

• Manual reconciliation

• Higher risk of errors

• Reduced real-time visibility

For landlords in fast-moving markets—like NYC or Syracuse—this is far from ideal.

What Property Managers Really Need: A Truly Comprehensive Rent Roll

To better support users, AppFolio should enhance the rent roll report with deeper detail and more complete tenant visibility.

A comprehensive rent roll should include:

✔ All tenants — even those who moved out mid-month

This maintains the integrity of historical data.

✔ Full financial details per tenant

Including:

• Rent amounts

• Balances

• Move-out charges

• Late fees

• Credits and concessions
  

✔ Unit-level detail

Property managers need easy access to:

• Square footage

• Lease terms

• Unit status

• Security deposits
  

✔ Tenant turnover metrics and historical trends

This supports better forecasting and creates useful insight for owners and investors.

With these enhancements, AppFolio would significantly improve its value for property managers seeking accurate, reliable reporting.

Conclusion: AppFolio Is Strong, But Its Rent Roll Needs Improvement

While AppFolio remains a powerful platform for property management, its rent roll reporting falls short of providing the clarity property managers need. Combining reports may offer a temporary fix, but users deserve a more complete solution.

For landlords, especially those implementing property management technology in NYC or navigating AppFolio software onboarding for Syracuse landlords, accurate rent roll data is essential for making informed, profitable decisions.

Looking for a Partner to Help Improve Your AppFolio Setup?

At RealOps Solutions, we help property managers optimize their software systems, streamline reporting, and improve operational efficiency.

👉 Learn more about our property management technology services on our website.