Expert Buildium Bookkeeping Services For Scaling Property Investors & Managers In San Francisco
San Francisco portfolios rarely fit one bucket: pre-1979 rent-controlled buildings, condo associations, and single-family rentals often sit under the same management company, sometimes the same building after an Ellis Act conversion. Buildium is built for that overlap, running rental trust accounting and HOA association books in one instance. That convenience becomes the risk when reserve contributions, operating assessments, and tenant trust funds share a chart of accounts with no default wall between them. We build that wall and keep the ledgers straight.
We work with accountant access inside your own Buildium instance, exactly as you would grant an internal hire.
California rules that apply here
- Deposit return deadline
- 21 calendar days
- Statute
- Civil Code 1950.5
Why Buildium Operators in San Francisco Come to REA
Residential and association management in one system
Separating trust money from reserves
In Buildium, rental security deposits, HOA operating assessments, and HOA reserve contributions can all live in the same bank rules and chart of accounts. We set up separate bank sub-accounts and GL mapping for each so a condo association's seismic retrofit reserve never reads as available cash against a rental owner's payout.
Rent ceiling documentation, done right
San Francisco's Rent Ordinance caps annual increases and requires a paper trail for every lawful bump. Buildium's general ledger is simple by design, it does not natively flag which units are pre-1979 and rent-controlled versus exempt under Costa-Hawkins. We tag units at setup and tie every rent change to its supporting notice inside the ledger.
Ellis Act withdrawal costs, tracked
An Ellis Act withdrawal carries relocation payments, capital improvement costs, and specific accounting for units taken off the rental market. Buildium's reporting is built for smaller teams, not this kind of one-time event, so we build the cost schedule outside the standard chart of accounts and reconcile it back in, keeping the withdrawal auditable without cluttering the ongoing GL.
Buildium and California Deposit Rules
Civil Code 1950.5
California Civil Code 1950.5 gives us 21 calendar days after move-out to return a deposit or send an itemized statement of deductions, no grace period, no exceptions for weekends. Buildium tracks the move-out date and deposit balance but does not calculate or flag the 21-day deadline on its own, and it will not stop a late refund from posting. We run the countdown manually against Buildium's move-out data and clear every deposit before day 21, on rentals and any HOA-held move-in deposits alike.
California Civil Code section 1950.5(g)(1) requires the deposit, or an itemized statement plus the remaining balance, within 21 calendar days of the tenant returning possession. Deductions above $125 must be supported by receipts for labor and materials.
All California requirementsHow we keep you inside it
- Deposit liabilities tracked per tenant in Buildium, so a 21 calendar days deadline is answerable from the ledger
- Trust accounts reconciled three ways every month
- Deduction documentation recorded against the correct ledger
- Aging deposits flagged before the statutory window closes
Buildium Accounting & Bookkeeping Services
For San Francisco Portfolios
- Process Review & Set Up
- Bank Reconciliations
- AP / AR
- Accurate NOI, Balance Sheets
- Recording HUD's & Accruals
- Owner Distributions
- Monthly Statements & Reports
- Management Fees
- Corporate Bookkeeping
- Tenant Chargebacks
Take the Whole Close, or One Function
San Francisco operators use REA for the full monthly close or for the single function that has become a bottleneck. Each one is performed inside your Buildium instance.
Trust Accounting
Compliant, audit-ready trust funds
Learn moreBank Reconciliation Services
Three-way reconciliation, every account
Learn moreAccounts Payable & Receivable
Bills paid, rent collected, owners paid
Learn moreBookkeeping Cleanup & Catch-Up
Back books fixed and current
Learn moreCAM Reconciliation
Annual commercial true-ups
Learn moreOn a Different Platform in San Francisco?
We Work Inside All of Them
Experts In All Property Types
- Single-Family
- Multifamily
- Student Housing
- Affordable Housing
- Community Associations
- Commercial
Experts In All Property Types
Residential, commercial and everything in between. The asset class changes what the books have to prove, and our teams are staffed accordingly.
- Single-Family
- Multifamily
- Student Housing
- Affordable Housing
- Community AssociationsSee the page
- CommercialSee the page
Check Out What Our Clients Have To Say About Us
Property Managers, Investors & Owner Operators
As REA exclusively specializes in Real Estate, I rest easy knowing my financials are precise every month while saving money at the same time, an invaluable benefit.
I highly recommend Real Estate Accounting (REA) services from this group. They truly are great and have helped us tremendously at a time we needed it the most. I felt very comfortable giving up all my accounting responsibilities to this team and I'm still glad I made the decision to work with this group. Nothing less than an amazing experience!
REA and team have been nothing but excellent helping our firm with its day to day financial needs. Their expertise, professionalism, and timeliness have made our lives so much easier. We foresee a long relationship with REA and team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Buildium handle California's 21-day security deposit deadline automatically?
No. Civil Code 1950.5 requires us to return a San Francisco tenant's deposit or send an itemized statement within 21 calendar days of move-out, but Buildium has no built-in deadline flag or block on late refunds. We track move-out dates against the statute manually and clear the deposit or statement before day 21, then log the date in Buildium's file notes for the record.
Can Buildium keep rental trust funds and HOA reserves separate?
Buildium supports both, but it does not force separation between them. A manager running rentals and an HOA in the same portfolio can end up with reserve contributions and operating assessments in the same bank feed. We set up distinct bank sub-accounts and GL segments for each fund type, so an association's reserve balance never overlaps with a rental owner's trust ledger.
What kind of San Francisco properties end up on Buildium?
We mostly see it on smaller portfolios mixing pre-1979 rent-controlled buildings, condo associations, and single-family rentals, sometimes all managed by the same office. Buildium's combined rental and association ledger fits that mix better than a rentals-only platform would, but it means rent ceiling tracking, lawful increase notices, and HOA reserve accounting all have to be built into the same chart of accounts without crossing wires.
More in California
Other California markets, the platforms we work in, and the functions available on their own.
Buildium Bookkeeping for San Francisco
Schedule a call and we will review your Buildium setup, your California deposit handling, and what it takes to close clean every month.