Encyclopedia
13 articles across Trust Accounting, Daily Bookkeeping, Owner Reporting, Tax & Compliance, PM Software, and Audits & Reviews.
The property manager's accounting resource
Your books should be as solid as your units.
TrustKeeping is the accounting encyclopedia, training hub, and live webinar series built exclusively for property managers. Stop guessing. Start knowing.
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Trust Accounting 101
Wednesday 21 October, 1:00 PM ET, 60 minutes, co-hosted with Clearing
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01 / Encyclopedia
The PM accounting encyclopedia.
Explore 13 practical, source-backed articles written for property managers: covering trust accounting, daily bookkeeping, owner reporting, tax compliance, software setup, and audit readiness.
Trust Accounting3 articles
What is a Trust Account?Foundational
Commingling: The Cardinal SinCompliance
3-Way Reconciliation ExplainedReconciliation
Daily Bookkeeping for STR Property ManagersDaily workflow
How to Categorize STR Management ExpensesChart of accounts
What Should an STR Owner Statement Include?Owner statements
How to Reconcile Owner StatementsReporting controls
1099 Reporting for STR Property ManagersTax reporting
Lodging Tax Basics for STR ManagersLocal compliance
Set Up a PMS for Accurate STR AccountingSystem setup
Connect PMS and Accounting SoftwareIntegrations
Prepare for a Trust Account AuditAudit readiness
Internal Controls for STR Property ManagersRisk controls
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What access includes
The encyclopedia, the training, and the templates.
Request access to the encyclopedia, the training tracks, and the templates. Each request is reviewed personally.
Beginner track
For people new to property management accounting.
Intermediate track
For operators with 1 to 5 years of experience.
Advanced track
For growing or scaling firms.
Checklists and templates
Checklists and templates for trust accounting, owner reporting, and the monthly close.
02 / Webinar series
12 months. 12 sessions. All free.
Every month, TrustKeeping hosts a live webinar on a core accounting topic for property managers. Recordings stay available. No certification required.
Trust Accounting 101
The Foundation Every PM Needs
Wed 21 Oct, 1:00 PM ET. Co-hosted with Clearing.
Trust Accounting 101
The Foundation Every PM Needs
Wed 21 Oct, 1:00 PM ET. Co-hosted with Clearing.
Trust Bank and Liability Reconciliation
Keeping Trust Funds Accurate and Compliant
Wed 18 Nov, 1:00 PM ET. Co-hosted with Clearing.
Year-End Accounting Checklist
Close Your Books Like a Pro
Getting Your Tax Prep in Order
Start the New Year Audit-Ready
1099s and Vendor Tax Reporting
File Right. Avoid Penalties.
Owner Statements That Build Trust
Reporting That Retains Clients
Mastering 3-Way Reconciliation
Best Practices for Revenue Recognition
Managing Your STR Expenses Like an Expert
Enhance your profit margin by controlling your expenses
Financial Accounting 101
Core Principles Every PM Should Know
Mastering Lodging Taxes
Short-Term Rental Compliance Made Simple
Audit-Ready Property Management
Survive and Thrive Under Review
Setting Up STR Accounting for Scale
Systems That Grow with Your Portfolio
03 / Case studies
Real problems. Real fixes.
These are real accounting situations faced by HostAllies clients. See how growing property managers strengthened trust accounting, reporting, and financial operations.
$50K
Trust-account correction identified
Aggieland · College Station, Texas
Aggieland came to HostAllies with delayed owner statements, inconsistent expense tracking, and no dependable monthly trust-accounting process. Reconciliation work identified $50,000 that needed to move from the trust account to the operating account, while system rules were corrected to strengthen owner reporting and margin visibility.
186
Property-level P&L visibility
Cohova · Northwest Arkansas
Cohova’s enterprise PMS was surrounded by spreadsheet-heavy, error-prone processes that left leadership without reliable property-level performance insight. HostAllies rebuilt the chart of accounts around operating metrics and connected the technology stack to create one financial source of truth across the portfolio.
34
An accounting back office built from scratch
Dolphin Run · Gulf Coast, Florida
When Dolphin Run brought management of its vacation-rental portfolio in house, it inherited no dependable accounting infrastructure or financial visibility. HostAllies built the back office with the controller, established owner-statement and trust-accounting workflows, supported tax and 1099 readiness, and restored timely financial reporting.
04 / Free training
Learn at your own pace
Three structured learning tracks for every experience level. All content is free, built by CPAs who specialize in property management accounting.
New to PM accounting
Beginner track
Start here. Learn the vocabulary, the core concepts, and the compliance basics every property manager must know before managing a single dollar.
- What is a Trust Account?
- PM Accounting Vocabulary
- Setting Up Your Chart of Accounts
- Your First Bank Reconciliation
4 Modules, Self-Paced
1 to 5 years experience
Intermediate track
Go deeper. Master 3-way reconciliation, owner statement reporting, 1099 compliance, and common software configurations.
- 3-Way Reconciliation Mastery
- Owner Statements That Retain Clients
- 1099 Filing for PMs
- AppFolio & Buildium Setup
6 Modules, Self-Paced
Growing or scaling firms
Advanced track
Protect the firm. Build internal controls, prepare for state audits, manage multi-entity accounting, and scale your bookkeeping infrastructure.
- Internal Controls for PMs
- State Audit Preparation
- Multi-Entity & Multi-State Accounting
- Year-End Close Process
5 Modules, Self-Paced
Free downloads
- Trust Account Reconciliation ChecklistMost DownloadedPDF
- PM Chart of Accounts TemplateXLSX
- Security Deposit Compliance Guide by StatePDF
- Owner Statement TemplateDOCX
- 1099 Filing Checklist for Property ManagersPDF
- DRE Audit Prep ChecklistPDF
- Year-End Accounting ChecklistPDF
- Vendor Invoice Workflow TemplateXLSX
Free access with TrustKeeping membership.
Who built this
Built by people who do this work.
TrustKeeping is developed by CPAs and property management consultants with combined decades of experience in property management accounting, state licensing compliance, and real estate bookkeeping systems. All content is reviewed annually.
05 / Request access
Get access
Request access to the encyclopedia, the training tracks, and the templates. Each request is reviewed personally.
- Accounting articles and guides
- Live webinars and recordings
- Self-paced training
- Checklists and templates
- Regulatory updates