Hemlane + QuickBooks: The Property Management Integration You’ve Been Waiting For

Hey everyone, I’m a Product Marketer here at Hemlane, and I’m genuinely excited to tell you about the feature our team has been obsessing over for the past year: native, real-time QuickBooks sync that actually works the way landlords and property managers need it to.

We didn’t just bolt on another integration to check a box. We built this one from the ground up based on what thousands of you told us you actually use every single day.

Why So Many of You Still Choose QuickBooks (Even When Your Property Software Has “Built-In” Accounting)

Last year (2024), we ran one of our biggest landlord/manager surveys ever. We asked small-to-mid-sized landlords and management companies one simple question:

“For your property management account, which software do you use?”

54.3% of respondents said QuickBooks.

Not All-in-One. Not AppFolio’s accounting module. Not Buildium’s. Not even RentRedi or TenantCloud’s built-in books.

QuickBooks. By a landslide.

When we followed up and asked why, the answers fell into three clear buckets:

1. You run multiple businesses. You flip houses, you have a construction company, you wholesale, you have an LLC that owns an Airbnb portfolio, or you’re a real estate agent with commission income. You want one chart of accounts, one set of books, one place to run payroll, one place your CPA already knows inside out.
2. You’ve been using QuickBooks for 5–15 years. You’re comfortable with it. You know exactly how to categorize security deposit interest, late fees, or owner contributions. You’ve got custom reports you’ve refined over a decade. Starting over in some property software’s half-baked accounting module feels like career suicide.
3. Tax time is already stressful enough. Your CPA lives in QuickBooks. They send you journal entries. They pull reports directly. Switching accounting systems right before April 15th is not on anyone’s bingo card.

We heard you. Loud and clear.

So instead of trying to force everyone into “Hemlane Accounting,” we doubled down on making Hemlane the best possible feeder system into the accounting software you already love and trust. So you can use Hemlane’s accounting OR you can just use your beloved Quickbooks.

The Magic Is in the Payout Philosophy (Yes, Really)

Here’s where most property management + QuickBooks integrations fall apart: bulk payouts.

Most platforms collect rent for the entire month, pile owner bills on top, then cut one giant check or ACH to the owner on the 10th with a vague “Owner Distribution – October” description.

Good luck reconciling that in QuickBooks.

You end up with a $47,832.19 lump sum in your bank feed and no idea which tenant paid what, which invoice was deducted, or why the management fee is exactly $4,127.63 this month.

We do it differently at Hemlane, and this difference is why our QuickBooks sync is so ridiculously clean. Every single transaction is disbursed the moment it clears.

• Tenant pays rent on the 3rd → we send the owner their share (minus fees) on the 4th or 5th.
• Maintenance invoice comes in on the 12th → owner is billed immediately, payment processed individually.
• Late fee posts on the 8th → owner gets that money the next day.

That means your bank account (and therefore your QuickBooks bank feed) shows dozens of small, perfectly described transactions instead of one incomprehensible blob.

ACH – Hemlane Management Fee – 123 Main St

ACH – Owner Distribution – 123 Main St – October Rent – Tenant Smith

ACH – Maintenance reimbursement – 123 Main St – Plumbing – Vendor XYZ

ACH – Owner Distribution – 123 Main St – Late Fee – Tenant Jones

When you create simple QuickBooks rules by GL account, every single one of those transactions creates its own individual journal entry in QuickBooks, with the exact same date, amount, and memo/description. You can get a list of GL account code that are listed on your bank statement and subsequently put into QuickBooks here. 

Three-way reconciliation (Hemlane → Bank → QuickBooks) becomes easy. Most of our users tell us they now reconcile in minutes instead of hours.

The Combo Most of Our Power Users Actually Run (Bank Sync + QuickBooks Sync)

Want to make reconciliation basically automatic?

Turn on both:

1. Hemlane Bank Sync (Plaid connection to your operating or trust account)
2. QuickBooks Sync with your bank

QuickBooks can auto-match everything that is processed through Hemlane. Our users who run this combo routinely go weeks without touching Undeposited Funds or touching a single bank rule.

Who This Integration Is Perfect For

• Landlords with 5–200 units who outgrew spreadsheets but don’t want AppFolio pricing with ACH fees charged to their tenants
• Property managers who have clients that demand QuickBooks reports
• Accidental landlords who are also running other businesses
• Anyone who has ever screamed at a bulk owner statement PDF while trying to code it in QBO

The Bottom Line

If you’ve been holding off on Hemlane because you didn’t want to give up QuickBooks, wait no longer.

We didn’t just add QuickBooks support. We built the integration QuickBooks die-hards actually asked for: individual payouts, crystal-clear descriptions, real-time posting, and zero duplicate data entry. With Hemlane, you can easily sync or import transactions into QuickBooks, automate categorization, and reduce accounting errors. Whether you choose bank syncing or CSV import, your property financial data stays accurate and organized.

Learn More: Visit Hemlane’s support article on importing transactions into QuickBooks for step-by-step instructions.

FAQ: Hemlane QuickBooks Integration

Q: Can I automatically sync Hemlane with QuickBooks?Yes. By syncing your bank account, all Hemlane transactions are automatically imported and categorized in QuickBooks.

Q: How do I create QuickBooks rules for Hemlane transactions?Go to Banking → Rules in QuickBooks. Use the Hemlane Reference ID (REF-) or shortcodes (e.g., LFS for late fees) to assign the correct property, unit, or GL account automatically.

Q: Can I manually import Hemlane transactions into QuickBooks?Yes. Download transactions as a CSV file and use a QuickBooks importer app. Map columns to QuickBooks fields to maintain property-level tracking.

Q: What is the difference between syncing and importing?Syncing automatically updates QuickBooks through your bank account, while importing requires manually uploading a CSV. Syncing is recommended to save time and prevent duplicates.

Q: How do I avoid duplicate transactions in QuickBooks?Use only one method: bank syncing or manual import. Double-check rules and import mappings before processing transactions.

Q: What categories and codes does Hemlane use?Hemlane uses shortcodes like REI / REN for Rent, NRI / LFS for Late Fees, and RAM / RAP for Repairs. Reference IDs link each transaction to a specific property or unit.