If you’re managing properties and using AppFolio, you probably didn’t get into this business to spend hours reconciling bank accounts or chasing down unpaid invoices. But bookkeeping is a critical part of keeping your business running smoothly, and when it’s disorganized, it’s not just stressful. It can cost you money, time, and even trust with your owners or investors.

The good news? AppFolio is rolling out tools that can lighten your accounting load—and Q3 is the perfect time to take advantage of them. Whether you’re behind on reconciliations, struggling with vendor payments, or just trying to avoid the year-end crunch, this post breaks down what’s new, what’s next, and what you should do right now to stay ahead.

What’s New: AppFolio’s Summer 2025 Product Update

AppFolio released a powerful set of updates in June 2025 designed to help property managers streamline day-to-day accounting workflows. Two of the most important updates for your bookkeeping team are below.

1. Purchase Order (PO) Approval Workflows:

Managing vendor payments is a pain point for many small to mid-sized property managers. Before this update, tracking and approving POs often meant manual communication, missed approvals, and a whole lot of confusion when reconciling invoices at month-end.

AppFolio’s new PO Approval Workflows change that. You can now:

Why it matters:
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This isn’t just a time-saver; it’s a risk reducer. You avoid paying unapproved bills, stay on top of budget compliance, and create a clear audit trail for every transaction. That makes month-end closes and annual reviews significantly easier.

2. Threaded Email Integration in Realm-X Messages​
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Have you ever tried tracking down a vendor’s invoice only to realize the communication was buried in someone’s inbox? Or worse—gone altogether?

The latest Realm-X Message updates now include full email threading, which means:

For accounting, this means fewer loose ends and faster resolution when something doesn’t match the ledger. No more asking, “Who approved this charge?” or “Where’s the backup?”

Coming Soon: Realm-X Performers Automate More of Your Bookkeeping

AppFolio has also launched its new Realm-X Performers, AI-powered bots designed to take over repetitive administrative tasks across leasing, maintenance, and soon, accounting.

While many of these bots are currently handling leasing and maintenance tasks, they’re also paving the way for more automated bookkeeping features that are expected to expand through Q3 and Q4.

Here’s what you can expect:
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The takeaway: If you often struggle with uncategorized transactions, inaccurate charges, or just wish you could “set it and forget it,” these tools could be a game changer.

The Real Cost of Waiting Until Year-End

Let’s be honest: most property managers don’t realize their books are a mess until it’s almost too late. Whether it’s tax season, an investor request, or a bank audit, the last thing you want is to spend December fixing problems that could’ve been solved months earlier.

Here’s what we see most often when year-end rolls around:

These issues are fixable, but waiting until December means you’re cleaning up under pressure.

What You Should Be Doing in Q3 (Right Now)

Even if you’re not ready to overhaul your entire bookkeeping process, Q3 is a strategic time to pause, evaluate, and clean up. Here are 5 things you can do right now:
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​1. Review and Close Old Purchase Orders

Use the new PO workflows to identify:

• Open POs with no invoices attached
• Vendor charges missing approval
• Duplicate or outdated vendor requests

Cleaning this up now ensures your expense reports and property budgets are accurate before Q4.

2. Reconcile Bank Accounts Monthly

This sounds basic but it’s often skipped when things get busy. Make Q3 the quarter where you:

• Set a recurring date to reconcile every account
• Match every deposit, rent payment, and vendor withdrawal
• Resolve any unassigned or uncleared transactions

With clean reconciliations, your owner reports and tax prep get 10x easier.

3. Audit GL Codes and Categories

It’s easy for team members to miscategorize expenses or income—especially during high-volume months. Set aside time to:

• Review common expense categories (maintenance, legal, admin)
• Make sure charges are consistently applied across properties
• Look for misclassified rent or deposit payments

This is key for making sure your Profit & Loss reports are actually useful (and not misleading).

4. Clean Up Tenant Ledgers

Are you seeing leftover balances for tenants who already moved out? Or overpayments that never got refunded?

Take time now to:

• Close out old ledgers
• Resolve unapplied payments
• Double-check balances on security deposit accounts

This reduces owner confusion and helps with compliance in regulated states.
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​5. Set Up Automation Wherever You Can

Whether it’s Realm-X bots or custom workflows, automate anything you’re doing more than twice a month:

• Recurring management fees
• Late fee triggers
• Move-in/move-out inspections

Automating the small stuff gives you more time to focus on the big picture and catch errors before they snowball.

Don’t Let Your Books Fall Behind, ​We Can Help You Clean Up and Catch Up!

Whether you need a full mid-year clean-up or ongoing support, we’re here to help you get back on track.

Don’t wait until the holiday season to clean up your books. AppFolio’s new tools combined with a proactive Q3 strategy can save you hours of time and serious headaches later. Get ahead now, and you’ll finish the year feeling confident, not chaotic.
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