Chart of Accounts Template for Rental Properties (QBO + STR/LTR)

A chart of accounts (COA) is the category structure that makes your rental bookkeeping consistent and tax-ready. This template gives landlords and STR hosts a clean, lean COA that separates income, operating expenses, and capital improvements, while keeping reporting accurate by property (without creating a mess of duplicate accounts).

Last updated: January 11, 2026

Quick links:

Ongoing support: Monthly Bookkeeping

Behind on your books: Catch-Up & Cleanup

Plan details: Pricing

STR payouts: STR Payout Reconciliation Guide

The 3 rules for a rental-property chart of accounts

1. Keep it lean. Too many categories create inconsistency and miscategorization.
2. Do not create a separate COA per property. Track by property using classes/locations/tags (depending on your system) and keep one consistent category set.
3. Separate repairs vs improvements. Routine repairs stay in expenses; improvements should be tracked as capex/fixed assets and reviewed with your CPA.

Recommended chart of accounts

Account name	Type	Notes
Rental Income	Income	LTR rent; assign to the correct property each time
STR Rental Income	Income	Record gross revenue (don’t use net deposits)
Cleaning Fee Income	Income	If paid to you; otherwise treat as pass-through per your method
STR Platform Fees	Expense	Airbnb/VRBO host fees and processing fees
Repairs & Maintenance	Expense	Routine repairs; flag anything that feels like an upgrade
Management Fees	Expense	PM fees, leasing fees
Utilities – Electric	Expense	Owner-paid
Utilities – Gas	Expense	Owner-paid
Utilities – Water/Sewer	Expense	Owner-paid
Insurance	Expense	Property/landlord/STR
Property Taxes	Expense	RE taxes
Mortgage Interest	Expense	Interest portion (or record via split from payment)
Supplies	Expense	STR consumables and property supplies
Fixed Asset – Improvements	Asset	CapEx (roof, HVAC, renovation)
…. See link to download the whole chart of accounts template

Download the template (CSV)

Download the CSV template and use it as your category blueprint. If you want to import into software, align the columns to your system’s import format or manually create the accounts from this list.

Setup steps (QuickBooks Online or Stessa)

QuickBooks Online (simple approach)

Stessa (simple approach)

1. Create accounts from the template (start with income + major expense categories).
2. Choose a property tracking method (classes/locations) and use it consistently.
3. Keep “Improvements/Capex” separate from repairs.
4. Reconcile monthly so your reporting stays reliable.

1. Ensure each transaction is assigned to the right property.
2. Use consistent categories across months and properties.
3. Confirm STR deposits are split into revenue/fees according to your STR payout method.

Common mistakes (and fixes)

• Too many categories → consolidate to the 15–25 that matter.
• Tracking by property using separate accounts → use tags/classes instead.
• Mixing capex into repairs → track improvements separately and review with CPA.
• Recording STR deposits as revenue → use your STR payout reconciliation workflow.

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