What Is the Tenant Ledger?
The Tenant Ledger is a running financial record for tenants. It captures:
Rent charges
One-time or recurring fees (utilities, late fees, etc.)
Payments received
Adjustments or Credits
Running balances
How to Access the Tenant Ledger
Method 1: Rent Collection Page
Go to the Rent Collection tab to see a list of all of your tenants including their rent amounts, balances and balance status.
Click a tenant’s name
Select Ledger & Charges (found under the property address)
Method 2: Properties Page
Navigate to the Properties page.
Select the relevant property.
Navigate to the Leases tab.
Click the tenant whose ledger you wish to view.
Click on Ledger & Charges to access their payment details.
Method 3: Reports Page
Go to the Reports page and select the "Tenant Ledger" under the Report Type drop down.
Choose the relevant property address to view the ledger report.
Automate Your Ledger: Set It & Forget It
Most entries in the ledger are automatically generated if your account is set up properly:
Monthly rent charges are auto-added on the 1st of each month if:
Valid lease dates and rent amounts are saved in your leases
Payments are pulled from your Transactions page when:
Categorized as Income
Assigned to the correct Unit/Tenancy
Keep your rent roll and transactions up to date, and your ledger will take care of itself.
Troubleshooting Missing Entries
Missing Rent Charges? Double-check the lease dates in your lease set up.
Missing Payments? Find the income item on your Transactions page and make sure it’s assigned to the correct Unit and Tenancy.
Ledger Discrepancies? Review the ledger for any inconsistencies, then adjust lease term details to cover missing charges and ensure accurate data.
Overdue Rent Errors? Disable and re-enable rent collection for the affected lease. Ensure the new start date aligns with the lease terms to refresh the system and update ledger data.
Adjusting the Ledger Timeline
To clean up older data or skip prior history:
Click More > Adjust Balance
Set a Calculate Since date and a starting balance.
Options:
All Time – Starts from the first lease
Today – Current date only
Earliest Charge – First rent or manual charge
Custom Date – You choose
Add Charges & Credits
Need to bill for something outside rent? Do this:
Add a Charge
Landlords can also use the "Add a Charge" option to enable tenants to pay more than their usual rent amount. For instance, this can be helpful if the tenant wants to pay in advance or cover additional expenses like utilities or repair costs.
Click More in the upper right corner of the ledger
Choose Add Charge
Enter name, date, charge amount and category
When payment is received, assign the income to the tenancy via the Transactions page
Both the charge and payment will appear in the ledger.
When rent collection is enabled, adding a charge will change the balance due for the tenant. The tenant will need to make a manual payment for the added charge. It will not automatically be included in their auto-renew.
Add a Credit
Credits can also be used to adjust tenant balances, allowing tenants to pay less than their current rent balance.
Use credits to:
Write off unpaid amounts
Reimburse the tenant for prior overpayments or repairs
To add a Credit:
Click More in the upper right corner of the ledger
Choose Add Credit
Enter the name, date, credit amount and category.
Payment Rules and Limitations
Understanding payment limitations helps prevent confusion between you and your tenants:
Tenants can only make payments up to their current balance shown in Stessa.
To allow tenant payments exceeding the balance, landlords must first add the additional amount as a charge.
Added Charges are not automatically included in Auto-Pay. Tenants will need to manually make a payment for any added charges.
The balance field cannot be edited to permit entries greater than the due amount.
Applying credits can enable tenants to pay less than their current balance when needed.
Editing or Deleting Line Items in the Ledger
To manage specific transactions in the tenant ledger, follow these simple steps:
Locate the transaction you want to modify in the ledger.
To delete a line item, click the trash icon next to the transaction. Note: You can only delete one time charges and credits. You cannot delete a rent charge associated with a lease.
To edit, click the pencil icon and make the necessary changes. Note: Changing the Rent Charge amount will change the amount for all previous rent payments.
Save the changes to ensure the ledger is updated accurately.
Ledger Issues
Check these if your ledger looks off:
Lease start dates missing or incorrect
Payments not categorized or not assigned to the right tenancy
Tenant charges not entered manually (e.g., for utilities or late fees)
Refresh the ledger by disabling and re-enabling rent collection for streamlined updates and accuracy.
Negative ledger balances due to missing charges? Re-enter specific lease term details to reconcile discrepancies.
Tenant app shows incorrect rent status? Restart rent collection settings and wait for the system to refresh within 24 hours.
Lease renewal discrepancies? Review and update lease start and end dates. For partial-month adjustments, add prorated charges manually.
Overdue rent notices despite payments being current? Disable and re-enable rent collection for the applicable lease to refresh the system and update balances.
Tips
Tenant wants to pay more than their balance? Add the additional amount as a charge first.
Setting up custom payment schedules (e.g., weekly)? Use the credit system to adjust the displayed balance accordingly.