Free Google Sheets rent payment tracker template for landlords

General Landlording & Rental Properties
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Free Google Sheets rent payment tracker template for landlords

Samuel Ralston
Denver · Member since 2026 · 5 posts · 4 votes

I've spent the last several months deep in the landlord/self managing world researching how small portfolio owners track their rentals. Talked to a ton of people managing 5-20 units on Google Sheets.

One thing that kept coming up: everyone's spreadsheet layout is slightly different, and most of them have gaps that cause problems down the road. Missing columns, no summary formulas, no way to scan who's paid at a glance.

So I put together a rent payment tracker template based on what the best setups I've seen have in common:

- Columns for unit, tenant, amount, due date, and payment status

- Color coded status so you can scan who's paid, unpaid, overdue, or partial at a glance

- Summary formulas at the bottom for total collected vs outstanding, paid count, overdue count

- Works in Google Sheets and Excel, no macros or anything weird

I also made templates for maintenance tracking, lease renewals, and expense tracking.

All free, no signup. Happy to share the download link if anyone wants them.

Also happy to hear feedback on what columns or features you'd want that I might be missing.

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Rachid AbadliBusiness Member
Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2024 · 129 posts · 36 votes
3mo

@Samuel Ralston — solid template. Spreadsheets are genuinely the right answer for anyone with 1–3 units who's disciplined about updating them.

@John Underwood — your setup managing 35 properties across multiple LLCs with SDIRA and Solo 401(k) tracking in Excel is impressive. The fact that your CPA is happy tells me it's working. But I'd bet you're spending 3–5 hours a month maintaining it, and you've got institutional knowledge in your head that isn't in the spreadsheet. What happens if you're out for a month?

Here's the ceiling I hit with spreadsheets at 4 units: they track what happened, but they don't prevent what shouldn't happen. A spreadsheet won't flag a partial payment before you accidentally accept it. It won't auto-calculate a California late fee on day 2. It won't tell you that a tenant's lease expires in 45 days and you need to send a renewal notice.

The tracker-to-system jump is less about scale and more about risk. At 1–2 units in a landlord-friendly state, a spreadsheet is fine. In California, where accepting partial rent at the wrong time can blow up an eviction, I needed something that caught mistakes before they became legal problems.

@Kelly Hester — for expense tracking, the key thing most templates miss is categorizing by Schedule E line item from the start. Saves a ton of time at tax filing.

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  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    7mo
    Quote from @Samuel Ralston:

    I've spent the last several months deep in the landlord/self managing world researching how small portfolio owners track their rentals. Talked to a ton of people managing 5-20 units on Google Sheets.

    One thing that kept coming up: everyone's spreadsheet layout is slightly different, and most of them have gaps that cause problems down the road. Missing columns, no summary formulas, no way to scan who's paid at a glance.

    So I put together a rent payment tracker template based on what the best setups I've seen have in common:

    - Columns for unit, tenant, amount, due date, and payment status

    - Color coded status so you can scan who's paid, unpaid, overdue, or partial at a glance

    - Summary formulas at the bottom for total collected vs outstanding, paid count, overdue count

    - Works in Google Sheets and Excel, no macros or anything weird

    I also made templates for maintenance tracking, lease renewals, and expense tracking.

    All free, no signup. Happy to share the download link if anyone wants them.

    Also happy to hear feedback on what columns or features you'd want that I might be missing.


     I'll take a look at it and see how it stacks up against my Excel spreadsheet.

    0Reply
    • Samuel Ralston
      OP
      Denver · Member since 2026 · 5 posts · 4 votes
      7mo
      Quote from @John Underwood:
      Quote from @Samuel Ralston:

      I've spent the last several months deep in the landlord/self managing world researching how small portfolio owners track their rentals. Talked to a ton of people managing 5-20 units on Google Sheets.

      One thing that kept coming up: everyone's spreadsheet layout is slightly different, and most of them have gaps that cause problems down the road. Missing columns, no summary formulas, no way to scan who's paid at a glance.

      So I put together a rent payment tracker template based on what the best setups I've seen have in common:

      - Columns for unit, tenant, amount, due date, and payment status

      - Color coded status so you can scan who's paid, unpaid, overdue, or partial at a glance

      - Summary formulas at the bottom for total collected vs outstanding, paid count, overdue count

      - Works in Google Sheets and Excel, no macros or anything weird

      I also made templates for maintenance tracking, lease renewals, and expense tracking.

      All free, no signup. Happy to share the download link if anyone wants them.

      Also happy to hear feedback on what columns or features you'd want that I might be missing.


       I'll take a look at it and see how it stacks up against my Excel spreadsheet.

      Here's the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Po58qjg3hGNrGSwAbpYU...

      It's a Google Sheet so just make a copy and you're good. Would be curious to hear how it stacks up against your Excel setup. Always looking to improve it.

      Thanks John
      0Reply
    • John UnderwoodPro Member
      Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
      7mo
      Quote from @Samuel Ralston:
      Quote from @John Underwood:
      Quote from @Samuel Ralston:

      I've spent the last several months deep in the landlord/self managing world researching how small portfolio owners track their rentals. Talked to a ton of people managing 5-20 units on Google Sheets.

      One thing that kept coming up: everyone's spreadsheet layout is slightly different, and most of them have gaps that cause problems down the road. Missing columns, no summary formulas, no way to scan who's paid at a glance.

      So I put together a rent payment tracker template based on what the best setups I've seen have in common:

      - Columns for unit, tenant, amount, due date, and payment status

      - Color coded status so you can scan who's paid, unpaid, overdue, or partial at a glance

      - Summary formulas at the bottom for total collected vs outstanding, paid count, overdue count

      - Works in Google Sheets and Excel, no macros or anything weird

      I also made templates for maintenance tracking, lease renewals, and expense tracking.

      All free, no signup. Happy to share the download link if anyone wants them.

      Also happy to hear feedback on what columns or features you'd want that I might be missing.


       I'll take a look at it and see how it stacks up against my Excel spreadsheet.

      Here's the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Po58qjg3hGNrGSwAbpYU...

      It's a Google Sheet so just make a copy and you're good. Would be curious to hear how it stacks up against your Excel setup. Always looking to improve it.

      Thanks John

       I have a lot more detail in my spreadsheet.

      I have:

      a tab for every property (about 35)

      who owns it as in which LLC or which SDIRA

      tenants name and contact info

      AC filter size, trash day, utility provider and contact info, deposits, last months rent if applicable, move in date, rent amount, late fee per lease etc.

      Major repairs and dates (Roof, HVAC, water heater etc)

      I have a automatic running tally of how much they might be behind, if any

      I have a summary tab that shows all payments so I can see in one place monthly gross income per entity (IRA vs non IRA owned properties.

      My tabs are color coded by ownership (Non IRA, SDIRA, Sol401k etc

      a tab that shows ownership by LLC, tac Map ID and page/book where recorded with the Register of Deeds

      My Asset protection structure of what LLC owns lower level LLC'c and who is top level ownership (a Trust)

      I have my STR income broken out on a tab by direct booking, Vrbo and Airbnb

      a tab for amortization of any loans I have out and payments (one for non IRA loans one for IRA loans)

      I have a Cap rate tab that shows my ROI by property (some are over 100% within first 3 years) because I bought cheap for cash.

      I save this and create a new one each year.

      Makes it a breeze come tax time. My CPA says I am one of his most organized clients.

      It would take me some time to purge this enough to be able to share, but you should be able to recreate this based on what I have provided.

      0Reply
  • Kelly Hester
    Member since 2026 · 1 post · 1 vote
    4mo

    We completed our first new construction rental in Nov 2025, and are soon closing on a property to build 4 more.  I would love to see your templates for maintenance and expense tracking.  We are new and would rather not learn the HARD way on things.  I appreciate your generosity in sharing your expertise.  Thank you, 

    1Reply
  • Rachid AbadliBusiness Member
    Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2024 · 129 posts · 36 votes
    3mo

    @Samuel Ralston — solid template. Spreadsheets are genuinely the right answer for anyone with 1–3 units who's disciplined about updating them.

    @John Underwood — your setup managing 35 properties across multiple LLCs with SDIRA and Solo 401(k) tracking in Excel is impressive. The fact that your CPA is happy tells me it's working. But I'd bet you're spending 3–5 hours a month maintaining it, and you've got institutional knowledge in your head that isn't in the spreadsheet. What happens if you're out for a month?

    Here's the ceiling I hit with spreadsheets at 4 units: they track what happened, but they don't prevent what shouldn't happen. A spreadsheet won't flag a partial payment before you accidentally accept it. It won't auto-calculate a California late fee on day 2. It won't tell you that a tenant's lease expires in 45 days and you need to send a renewal notice.

    The tracker-to-system jump is less about scale and more about risk. At 1–2 units in a landlord-friendly state, a spreadsheet is fine. In California, where accepting partial rent at the wrong time can blow up an eviction, I needed something that caught mistakes before they became legal problems.

    @Kelly Hester — for expense tracking, the key thing most templates miss is categorizing by Schedule E line item from the start. Saves a ton of time at tax filing.

    LeaseBase.ai
    View Page
    1Reply
  • Giuseppe Cavucci
    online · Member since 2026 · 99 posts · 44 votes
    1mo

    This is generous, and the payment tracker structure is genuinely clean. Curious about the maintenance tracking template specifically, does it just log what was done and when, or does it also account for expected lifespan per system? Most maintenance trackers I've seen (mine included, back when I used a spreadsheet) were good at the "what happened" history but weak on the "what's coming" side, no way to see that a system's approaching end of life until it actually fails.

    Not a criticism if it doesn't, just curious how you approached that piece since you clearly put real thought into the payment side.

    0Reply
  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    1mo

    This isn't anything that you'd eventually try to sell?

    Especially given what's in your profile below?

    "Software developer building tools for self-managing landlords. I've spent the last several months talking to hundreds of small portfolio owners about how they track rent, handle maintenance, and manage their properties in spreadsheets. The patterns are the same everywhere. Same blind spots, same mistakes, same frustrations.

    Not a landlord myself (yet), but I've probably looked at more rent tracking spreadsheets than anyone should. Based in Colorado. Currently building RentGuard, a monitoring tool that connects to your Google Sheet and alerts you when rent is overdue or maintenance is aging.

    Always happy to talk spreadsheets, tracking systems, or anything related to small portfolio operations."

    [email protected]248-209-6824
    Logical Property Management4.9451 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    0Reply
  • Jimmy LieuBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    1mo
    Quote from @Samuel Ralston:

    I've spent the last several months deep in the landlord/self managing world researching how small portfolio owners track their rentals. Talked to a ton of people managing 5-20 units on Google Sheets.

    One thing that kept coming up: everyone's spreadsheet layout is slightly different, and most of them have gaps that cause problems down the road. Missing columns, no summary formulas, no way to scan who's paid at a glance.

    So I put together a rent payment tracker template based on what the best setups I've seen have in common:

    - Columns for unit, tenant, amount, due date, and payment status

    - Color coded status so you can scan who's paid, unpaid, overdue, or partial at a glance

    - Summary formulas at the bottom for total collected vs outstanding, paid count, overdue count

    - Works in Google Sheets and Excel, no macros or anything weird

    I also made templates for maintenance tracking, lease renewals, and expense tracking.

    All free, no signup. Happy to share the download link if anyone wants them.

    Also happy to hear feedback on what columns or features you'd want that I might be missing.

    That sounds useful, Samuel. One thing I’d add is a column for payment method and maybe a notes field for things like late fees, payment plans, or partial payments. I’d also consider tracking the actual payment date separately from the due date. Once you have several rentals, being able to quickly look back and see exactly when rent came in can be really helpful for bookkeeping and spotting patterns. Happy to connect and answer any questions you have!
    [email protected]614-300-7535
    Jimmy Lieu, Red 1 Realty4.9120 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    1Reply
  • Russell Cabus
    Atlanta, GA · Member since 2026 · 24 posts · 4 votes
    1mo
    Quote from @Samuel Ralston:

    I've spent the last several months deep in the landlord/self managing world researching how small portfolio owners track their rentals. Talked to a ton of people managing 5-20 units on Google Sheets.

    One thing that kept coming up: everyone's spreadsheet layout is slightly different, and most of them have gaps that cause problems down the road. Missing columns, no summary formulas, no way to scan who's paid at a glance.

    So I put together a rent payment tracker template based on what the best setups I've seen have in common:

    - Columns for unit, tenant, amount, due date, and payment status

    - Color coded status so you can scan who's paid, unpaid, overdue, or partial at a glance

    - Summary formulas at the bottom for total collected vs outstanding, paid count, overdue count

    - Works in Google Sheets and Excel, no macros or anything weird

    I also made templates for maintenance tracking, lease renewals, and expense tracking.

    All free, no signup. Happy to share the download link if anyone wants them.

    Also happy to hear feedback on what columns or features you'd want that I might be missing.


    This would be really helpful for small landlords. One thing I’d add is the actual payment date, payment method, late fees, remaining balance, and a notes column for follow-ups.

    A simple monthly collection percentage would also help. From what I’ve seen working with property managers, those are usually the details that get missed once the portfolio starts growing.


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