Rental property spreadsheet template
Two sheets, because a building and the doors in it are different things. The properties sheet holds the address and the year it was built. The units sheet holds bedrooms, baths, square feet, and the house rules for each door. Both use the exact column names LeaseRooster imports.
Properties columns
The rental-properties-template.csv file has these columns, in this order.
- name
- line1
- line2
- city
- region
- postal_code
- country
- year_built
- hoa
Units columns
The rental-units-template.csv file has these columns, in this order.
- property_name
- label
- bedrooms
- bathrooms
- square_feet
- pets_allowed
- smoking_allowed
- furnished
- parking
- utilities_included
What the properties columns are for
name is what you call the building, like Maple Duplex. The units sheet uses this name to know where each unit belongs, so pick one and stick to it. line1 and line2 are the street address, with line2 for a suite or condo number. region is the two-letter state code. country can stay blank if the property is in the US. year_built matters more than people expect. The federal lead-based paint disclosure rule covers housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. § 4852d), and whether California's AB 1482 rent cap covers a building can depend on its age. hoa is yes or no, so you remember whose rules apply to the pool.
What the units columns are for
property_name ties the unit to a row on the properties sheet. label is the unit name as the lease says it: A, B, 2, or 3B. bedrooms and square_feet are whole numbers; bathrooms can be 1.5. pets_allowed, smoking_allowed, and furnished take yes or no. parking is one of none, street, assigned, or garage, and the importer flags anything else. utilities_included lists what you pay for, separated by semicolons, like water;trash. Fill it in. It is the first thing a tenant asks about when the gas bill shows up.
Why two sheets and not one
Most landlords start with one long sheet and repeat the address on every unit row. That works until you fix a typo in the address on three rows and miss the fourth. With two sheets, the address lives in one place. It is also how the LeaseRooster importer is built: properties, then units, then tenants, then leases, each pointing at the one before.
A mistake to avoid
Renaming a property on one sheet and not the other. If the units sheet says Maple Duplex and the properties sheet says 12 Maple, those unit rows have no property to attach to and will not import. Fix the name in the file and upload it again.
IRS Publication 527, Residential Rental Property
Pub. 527 (2025), chapter 1, "Repairs and improvements"; IRS, "How long should I keep records?". Pub. 527 tells landlords to separate the costs of repairs and improvements and keep accurate records, because you need the cost of improvements when you depreciate or sell the property. The IRS says to keep records relating to property until the period of limitations expires for the year you dispose of it. A list of what you own, and when it was built, is where that record starts. Consult a licensed attorney or tax professional for advice on your specific situation.
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