How to switch from AppFolio to DoorKeeping: what to export and when
Export your reports from AppFolio before you cancel, cut over at a month end, and load only your current rent roll and opening balances into the new system. Plan a few days of work for a small portfolio, and keep the AppFolio exports for your records. This guide lists the reports to pull, what carries over, and how to tell tenants.
What to export from AppFolio
AppFolio keeps its data in reports. In the reports area, a report has an Actions menu at the top right that exports it to Excel or CSV (AppFolio's own owner help page says "Actions allows you to export the report to Excel or CSV"). A help article by a vendor that works with AppFolio data walks through the same path for the tenant list: Reporting, then Reports, then Tenant Directory under Tenant Reports, then Customize to choose columns, then Actions, then Export as CSV. Menu names change, so use them as a guide and look at your own screen.
| What you need | Report to look for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tenants and leases | Tenant Directory, Rent Roll | Names, units, rent, lease dates, contact details |
| What each tenant owes | Tenant ledger or a delinquency report, as of the cutover date | Opening balances |
| Deposits held | A security deposit report or the deposit lines of the ledger | Deposits are a liability, not income |
| History for taxes | General Ledger, profit and loss and 1099 reports for every year in the system | You need these long after you leave |
| Vendors | Vendor directory with tax details | Year-end 1099-NEC list |
| Documents | Files attached to leases, units and work orders | Download them; they are not in the reports |
There is no single AppFolio help page that lists every report name for a full exit, so check which reports your own account offers. If you rely on a Report Builder view, export it too.
How long does the switch take?
It depends on the number of units and how clean your records are. For a portfolio of a few dozen units, plan on a few focused days spread over one to two weeks: one day to export, one day to set up properties and import the rent roll, and a day or two to check the numbers against the old reports. Start at least a month before the cutover date so rent keeps flowing normally while you prepare.
What carries over and what does not
Think of the move as a fresh start with an accurate opening state, not a copy of years of transactions.
- Carries over as data you load: properties, units, tenants, current lease terms, rent amounts, vendor details.
- Carries over as numbers you check once: each tenant's balance and deposit on the cutover date, and the bank balance.
- Stays in your exports: old transaction history, closed work orders, past owner statements, tax reports.
- Stays as files: leases and other documents you downloaded.
Keep history where you can find it. The IRS page How long should I keep records? says records connected with property should be kept until the period of limitations ends for the year you dispose of the property.
Cutover timing: month end, deposits and autopay
- Pick the last day of a month, after you have closed that month in AppFolio.
- Export the final reports on the first business day of the next month, so the cutover date balances are complete.
- Note which tenants pay by autopay or an online portal in AppFolio. Those arrangements belong to AppFolio's payment setup, so each tenant will need a new way to pay, and you should tell them before the first rent date.
- Leave the old account readable for a month or two to look things up, but stop posting new charges there.
Example a made-up 20 unit building cuts over on November 30. On December 1 you export the tenant ledger and find three tenants owe $950, $400 and $125, which is $1,475 in total, and the deposits held add up to $22,000. After setup, the new system must show the same $1,475 owed and $22,000 held before you send any notice to tenants.
What to tell tenants
Send one notice after the numbers match. Say the date, how and where rent is paid from then on, that the lease and the rent amount do not change, and who to contact. If tenants used an online payment link or autopay in AppFolio, say plainly that it ends on the cutover date and what replaces it. Send a short reminder a few days before the first rent date.
Cancelling AppFolio: what to check
AppFolio's terms page is a landing page that links to separate terms for each of its services, and it does not itself state notice periods or data-return rules. Open the terms for the service you signed up for, read the sections on term, termination and customer data, and check your own order form for any minimum term or fee. Do this before you plan the cutover date, because the date a contract ends may decide it.
How DoorKeeping handles it
Your AppFolio exports are the source for the rent roll file you import, so tidy the spreadsheet first: one row per unit, current rent and lease dates.
In DoorKeeping you add each property with the LLC that owns it, import your rent roll from a CSV or XLSX file, and confirm the units, tenants and leases it reads. Each property has its own books, and tenants keep paying your own bank, by bank transfer or Zelle where your bank supports it, with a memo like 12B SMITH and an exact amount with its own cents. The price is $2 per unit per month with every feature included, no setup cost and no minimum. The general version of this plan is in the switching checklist.
Sources
- AppFolio, Owner Portal Help & FAQs (report export to Excel or CSV), read Oct 30, 2026
- Pinata help, Download tenant directory from AppFolio (steps; page dated July 19, 2024), read Oct 30, 2026
- AppFolio, Terms of Service landing page, read Oct 30, 2026
- IRS, How long should I keep records?, read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- Can I export my data from AppFolio before I cancel?
- Yes. AppFolio reports have an Actions menu that exports to Excel or CSV. Export the rent roll, tenant ledgers, general ledger and vendor details, and download documents separately.
- Will my tenants' autopay move to the new system?
- Not automatically. Payment arrangements are set up inside each system, so tell tenants how they will pay after the cutover date and send a reminder before the first rent date.
- How long does it take to switch from AppFolio?
- For a few dozen units, plan a few focused days across one to two weeks, starting about a month before a month-end cutover.
- Do I need to import years of old transactions?
- No. Load current leases and opening balances, and keep the old history in your exported reports.