Book a New Client Introduction. Or call 323-463-2600.
lavicpa is an independent CPA firm and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by AppFolio, Inc. AppFolio® is a trademark of its respective owner.
For the wider software map, see property management software and your CPA.
What AppFolio gives your CPA (and what it does not)
AppFolio is strong for operations and owner reporting. It does not produce a finished Schedule E or Form 8825.
Useful outputs for tax work usually include:
- Owner statements by property or portfolio
- Income and expense detail for the tax year (or year to date)
- Transaction or export views your manager already produces
A CPA still has to reconcile rents, fees, reserves, and capital items, then place them on the right tax forms for the right entity. The software tracks the property. The return is a separate job.
Owner statements vs taxable rental income
The amount your manager deposits is usually not the same as taxable rental income.
The owner draw is cash left after collections, expenses, fees, and reserve movements. Taxable rental income and deductible expenses are built from the underlying activity, not from the deposit alone. That translation is a core reason owners bring AppFolio statements to a CPA.
Common gaps between the statement and the return include management fees that need the right line, repairs versus capital improvements, and reserve transfers that move cash without creating income or a deduction.
Reserves, deposits, and capex that trip April
Items that often need CPA review:
- Reserve contributions and releases that change cash but not taxable income the same way
- Security deposits held or returned
- Capital improvements recorded like repairs (or the reverse)
- Owner contributions and draws that look like “income” or “expense” on a cash summary
- Prepaid rent or accrued items that sit outside a simple monthly PDF
Your CPA reconciles these against Form 1098 mortgage interest, property tax bills, and the prior return so the Schedule E or partnership reporting matches the year you actually lived.
Schedule E and Form 8825 from AppFolio data
Where the rental sits for tax purposes decides the form.
- Individual landlords often report on Schedule E.
- Partnerships and many multi-member LLCs use Form 8825 inside the partnership return, then issue K-1s.
- S corporations with rental activity have their own reporting path. Confirm entity type before you assume Schedule E.
One AppFolio world can hold several tax entities. If LLC A owns two doors and LLC B owns three, the export package should say which properties belong to which entity. Multi-entity owners need that map as much as they need the PDFs.
What to send before an intro
Bring what you already have. You do not need to become your own bookkeeper.
Checklist:
1. Year-end (or year-to-date) owner statements by property or entity 2. Income and expense detail or transaction exports your PM already produces 3. Mortgage Form 1098s 4. Property tax bills 5. Prior-year returns (and K-1s if partnerships) 6. A simple entity chart (who owns which property)
Prefer packages your manager already sends owners. Ask for clearer labels by entity if the portfolio spans more than one LLC.
Year-round planning that sits on top of the software
Tax season is one slice. Planning sits on the same facts.
- 1031 exchange CPA when you sell and want deferral modeled before clocks start
- Cost segregation when basis and depreciation timing matter on a purchase or major improvement
- Property tax appeals when assessed value and cash tax burden need a separate look
- Real estate CPA in Los Angeles for entity hygiene and ongoing rental reporting
AppFolio data helps show what happened. Planning decides what to do next. High-net-worth landlords who only meet a CPA in March often miss 1031 timing, cost-segregation windows, and entity cleanup that should happen mid-year.
How lavicpa works with AppFolio owners (and what we do not do)
lavicpa is an LA-focused real-estate CPA firm. For AppFolio owners we prepare returns, advise on entities, and plan around 1031, cost segregation, and related issues using the owner documents you already receive.
What this page is not:
- Not a full AppFolio bookkeeping takeover for a property-management company with hundreds of doors
- Not a national “statement factory” that only maps PDFs to Schedule E and stops there
- Not a claim of partnership or affiliation with AppFolio
Sibling pages for other stacks: Yardi Breeze CPA for investors, Buildium CPA for landlords, DoorLoop CPA for landlords. Hub: PM software and your CPA.
Book a New Client Introduction
1. Schedule a New Client Introduction. 2. Or call 323-463-2600. 3. Have owner statements, 1098s, property tax bills, prior returns, and a short entity list handy if you can.
Shawn Lavi, CPA leads client introductions for this work. We will tell you what is in scope for tax and planning, and what would be a separate books engagement if you need one.