Expert Buildium Bookkeeping Services For Scaling Property Investors & Managers In Savannah
Savannah's rental stock runs through historic district rowhouses, a steady base of SCAD student housing, and a short-term rental sector shaped by the city's permitting rules. Buildium handles all three inside one general ledger, and it's also where many Savannah operators run a self-managed HOA alongside those rentals, since historic district infill and condo conversions often come with an association attached. That combination, rental cash and assessment cash in the same instance, is where our bookkeeping work concentrates.
We work with accountant access inside your own Buildium instance, exactly as you would grant an internal hire.
Georgia rules that apply here
- Deposit return deadline
- statutory window
- Statute
- O.C.G.A. Title 44
Why Buildium Operators in Savannah Come to REA
Residential and association management in one system
One Ledger, Two Fund Types
When a Savannah property manager pairs historic district rental units with a self-managed HOA on the same street, Buildium keeps both inside one chart of accounts by default. We set up separate bank feeds and GL segments for trust rent and association assessments so reserve contributions never get read as operating income, or the other way around.
SCAD Turnover, Reconciled Monthly
Savannah's SCAD-driven rentals reset hard around the academic calendar, with leases turning over in a tight late-summer window. Buildium's general ledger is simple enough for a small team to run, but that simplicity still leaves someone to reconcile deposit refunds, move-out charges, and new trust deposits by hand at turnover. We handle that reconciliation every cycle.
Short-Term Rental Income, Isolated
Savannah regulates short-term rental permits closely, so many owners run one or two STR units alongside a longer-term portfolio in the same Buildium account. STR income moves on a different rhythm than monthly rent, and it's easy to let that blend into the same operating category as trust rent. We code it separately so owner statements stay accurate.
Buildium and Georgia Deposit Rules
O.C.G.A. Title 44
Buildium tracks security deposits as trust liabilities and can generate a move-out statement, but it doesn't enforce Georgia's own timeline under O.C.G.A. Title 44. Getting the itemization out, or the deposit refunded, inside the statutory window is on us, not the software. In a Savannah account also running a self-managed HOA, that gets harder if deposit trust funds and association reserve funds sit in overlapping ledger categories. We keep those separate so a clean deposit record is ready when the clock is running.
Georgia law under O.C.G.A. Title 44 requires deposits to be held in escrow and returned with itemized deductions inside the statutory window.
All Georgia requirementsHow we keep you inside it
- Deposit liabilities tracked per tenant in Buildium, so a statutory window 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 Savannah 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
Savannah 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 Savannah?
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
Real Estate Accounting truly is a special company. They helped as if they were a part of our company, with the concern and caution as an employee would have, but even more. They quickly ascertained our needs and developed an effective team to help with our accounting needs. They were extremely responsive and always accurate. I would recommend their services to anyone who needs help with their property management accounting.
Adam the owner took a personal interest in my situation and was willing to work with me to see if his company was a good fit. I may be too small for them but I would highly recommend them to anyone considering a bookkeeper for their property management business.
Following a series of erroneous financials from my previous bookkeeper, who lacked expertise in real estate, it's been truly remarkable to receive not only accurate financials on a consistent basis but also proactive advice without prompting. The REA team is a game-changer in real estate accounting!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Buildium handle Georgia's security deposit law automatically?
No. Buildium holds the deposit as a trust liability and can produce a move-out statement, but O.C.G.A. Title 44 requires the itemized statement or refund to go out inside a specific statutory window, and that timing is a manual step, not a system setting. We track the move-out date and deposit disposition ourselves and flag it before the window closes, rather than relying on Buildium to prompt us.
Can Buildium keep our rental trust money and HOA money separate if we manage both?
Buildium supports both rental and association management in one instance, which is convenient for a small Savannah team running rowhouse rentals alongside a self-managed HOA, but it doesn't wall the two off by default. Reserve contributions and operating assessments can land in the same general ledger categories as rental trust funds unless someone builds the chart of accounts to keep them apart. We set that structure up during onboarding, not after a problem shows up.
Do you work with SCAD-area rentals and short-term rental units, or just standard leases?
Yes, and that mix is common in Savannah: historic district rowhouse rentals, SCAD-area student leases that turn over on the academic calendar, and a smaller number of short-term rental units operating under the city's permitting rules. Buildium's chart of accounts has to reflect all three at once, since each moves money on a different schedule. We reconcile each category on its own cycle instead of treating the whole portfolio as one lease type.
More in Georgia
Other Georgia markets, the platforms we work in, and the functions available on their own.
Buildium Bookkeeping for Savannah
Schedule a call and we will review your Buildium setup, your Georgia deposit handling, and what it takes to close clean every month.