A rent roll example is best read from the position of the person it is produced for, because they will read three columns closely and skim the rest. This walks through the columns of a standard residential rent roll and what each one says to a lender, a buyer or an accountant, including the three that reveal more than the landlord usually intends.
The identification columns
Unit, tenant, lease start and lease end. Dull, and they carry the first inference: how long tenancies run here, and whether the portfolio has a lease expiry cliff. A roll where every lease ends in the same month says something about how the portfolio is managed, and not always something good.
The money columns
Current rent and its frequency, any scheduled change with its date, and deposit held. Deposit held is inspected because it is a liability a buyer inherits, and a roll showing deposits that do not reconcile to a deposit account is the first sign that record-keeping is loose. Say where deposits are held if the format allows it.
The three revealing columns
Occupancy status with the date a vacancy started, arrears with ageing, and the date the roll was produced. A long vacancy with no date suggests nobody is measuring. Arrears that are round numbers suggest they were typed rather than computed. An as-at date well before today suggests the roll was produced for a different purpose and reused, which invites the question of what has changed.
The line under the total
A short note saying what the figures include: whether agreed-but-not-started tenancies are counted, whether any unit is let at a concession, and what the arrears column is drawn from. Three sentences under the total pre-empt the three questions the reader would otherwise send by email, and they make the rest of the document more credible rather than less.
Questions people ask about rent roll example
What should a rent roll be produced from?
The ledger, generated, for a stated date. Anything typed will eventually disagree with the underlying record.
Should market rent be shown?
Only in its own labelled column and clearly as an estimate. Blending it with passing rent is how a rent roll loses credibility.
How often should one be produced?
Monthly as routine, so that producing one for a transaction is not a special exercise performed under pressure.