Automatically Sync AppFolio Tenant / Lease Data
Once you have your AppFolio property / unit sync enabled, you can also sync your AppFolio tenant / lease info into zInspector. You must have properties synced before you can set up tenant sync for those properties—so refer to our AppFolio Sync support article here as needed.
Set up is quick and easy, with five basic steps:
- Obtain your AppFolio sync ID from zInspector.
- Generate and save a custom Tenant Directory report in AppFolio.
- Email the custom report to zInspector for the initial sync.
- Confirm the initial sync in zInspector.
- Create a scheduled report in AppFolio to sync the custom report daily.
The video below provides step-by-step instructions for setting up your AppFolio Tenant / Lease Sync.
A detailed written walkthrough follows the video.
Note: You will need Admin permissions in zInspector and Property Management (or better) permissions in AppFolio to set up the sync.
Before you begin: Review your AppFolio records and ensure that all tenant rows include an entry in the Emails and Lease Start Date fields. Any records lacking these fields cannot sync properly in zInspector!
STEP 1: Obtain your AppFolio Sync ID from zInspector
1. On the zInspector website, go to Settings > Accounting Integration.
2. Select AF (Appfolio) from the drop-down, and verify that AppFolio is synced and enabled.
3. Click Import / Sync ID.
4. In the Link to AF window, copy the Scheduled Report Email Address (see screenshot below).
STEP 2: Generate and Save a Custom Tenant Directory Report in AppFolio
1. In AppFolio, go to Reporting, then Reports, and select the Tenant Directory.
2. Customize the report with the following selections:
- In the Filters tab, select the following:
- In the Columns tab, check only the following boxes (30 total):
- In the Grouping tab, ensure that Do not group rows is selected:
3. Click Update to generate the report.
STEP 3: Email the Report to zInspector for the Initial Sync
1. With the generated report now open, click on Actions, then Email.
2. In the Customize Report window do the following:
- Change the Format to CSV.
- Paste the email address you copied earlier from zInspector into the Email Body:
Tip: To paste this email address, highlight it and press Ctrl+V (Windows), command+V (Mac), or else right-click and select Paste.
- You now need to alter the email address by replacing “unit” with “tenant” like this:
BEFORE: sync+afunit_####@zinspector.com
AFTER: sync+aftenant_####@zinspector.com
- Paste the altered email address from the Email Body into the Recipients field, then click Send:
STEP 4: Confirm the Initial Tenant Sync in zInspector
1. On the zInspector website, go to Contacts > Tenants.
2. The initial sync may take up to five minutes. After a five or so minutes, refresh the page and confirm that the tenant info has synced successfully.
Still not syncing? If your tenant and lease information has not synced after five minutes, check the following:
- If you are designated to a specific User Group, you may not have access to the properties to which the tenant and lease data is synced. Depending on your user privileges, you (or an Admin user on your team) can check your User Group assignation by going to Group –> User Group tab and selecting All Units in the User Group drop-down for your username. Return to Advanced –> Contacts –> Tenants tab to see if the sync data shows up.
3. Now go to Tenants. See the additional info brought over by the sync—namely the relationships between the Tenants, Properties, and Lease data. Checkmark the Tenants box to see tenants easily beneath their leases. Use the searchboxes in the column headers, or select a filter (such as Moving In or Current) to narrow your results:
Tip: Select Moving In to see all incoming tenants, and click Invite next to their names to invite them to complete their own zInspector Move-In Inspections.
STEP 5: Create a Scheduled Report in AppFolio to Sync the Custom Report Daily
1. In AppFolio, return to your previously generated Tenant Directory, select Actions, then Save Layout.
2. Select Make a copy of this report and name it (e.g., “zTenantSync”) then click Save.
3. Still in AppFolio, go to Reporting, then Scheduled Reports, and click on New Scheduled Report.
4. In the Schedule Name field, enter the previously chosen report save name (e.g., “zTenantSync”).
5. In the Saved Reports searchbox, again select the saved report by name.
6. Select the Format CSV.
7. Paste the previously altered email address into the Message field; confirm that it begins with “aftenant.”
8. Paste the email address again, this time into Recipients.
9. Set the Frequency to Daily.
10. Click Save—and you’re done!
TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS:
1) Move-In is an essential Appfolio field—you included that column when generating the tenant report above. Any tenant/lease row without a date in the Move-In field cannot be imported.
2) Emails is an essential Appfolio field required for syncing your Appfolio tenant / lease data correctly—you included that column when generating the tenant report above. Any tenant/lease row with a blank Emails field will imported but you will not be able to send them invites for them to perform their own inspections.
If the message “There are properties with blank names in the report that will not be imported” appears instead, a similar situation is occurring with your Property / Unit Sync, and you should refer to the corresponding article for more information.
Already syncing? Need to quick-sync recent changes into zInspector? See this article.
Having trouble with a sync? zInspector can help. Please email us at support@zinspector.com.