Security deposits

Finance → Accounting → Security Deposits → /deposits A security deposit is money held against a lease — against damage, unpaid rent, or breach of terms. It is not income: it is a liability you hold on the tenant’s behalf until the tenancy ends, which is why it is tracked separately from rent and reported on its own.

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Where to find security deposits

1. Open Finance → Accounting → Security Deposits.
2. Open a deposit record to see its balance breakdown and activity.
3. Depending on your permissions you can also work from the related Deposit Deductions and Deposit Refunds views.

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Recording a deposit

Record the deposit when you set up the lease, or when the money arrives. Enter the amount, the date received, and the related lease or tenant, along with the bank account holding it. Because a deposit is billed and settled like any other charge, it is raised against a deposit service type and settled by a payment — which is what gives the deposit record its paid amount. See Chart of accounts for the service-type mapping.

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During the tenancy

• Deposits are usually held until the lease ends. Use the list or filters to see which deposits are active.
• If you need to adjust the amount (e.g. partial refund or top-up), use the edit or adjustment option for that deposit record, if available.

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Deposit detail workflow

Inside a security deposit record, the details view includes:

• Balance breakdown (paid, deducted, refunded, and withheld amounts).
• Deductions section to add, edit, and delete deduction entries.
• Refunds section to add, edit, and delete refund entries.
• Download PDF report for sharing or audit documentation.

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How deposit balances are calculated

Security-deposit balances in the details screen are calculated from the linked invoice and child transactions:

• Paid amount: the amount already paid on the deposit invoice.
• Refunded amount: sum of all refund entries linked to that deposit invoice.
• Deducted amount: sum of deduction entries with status applied.
• Withheld amount: remaining held balance after deductions and refunds.

Formula used in the app’s deposit view: withheld amount = paid amount - refunded amount - deducted amount

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Validation rules during edits

• You can only add new deduction/refund rows when withheld amount > 0.
• For create actions, amount must be greater than 0 and cannot exceed current withheld amount.
• For edit actions, the app allows the existing row amount plus current withheld amount so unchanged values remain valid.

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Refund progress states

The deposit view also classifies refund progress:

• none: no amount refunded yet.
• partial: refunded amount is less than paid amount.
• full: refunded amount equals paid amount.

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Security-deposit reporting (PDF)

From the deposit detail page, use Download PDF Report to generate a security-deposit report for that specific deposit invoice. The report is intended for audit/share workflows and is generated from current deposit data, including:

• deposit/invoice identifiers and lease or unit context
• current balance breakdown (paid, deducted, refunded, withheld)
• recorded deduction and refund activity at report time

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Releasing a deposit at move-out

When the tenant moves out, release the deposit (full or partial) from the Security Deposits area. Record any deductions first, then process any eligible refund amount. The balance updates automatically in the deposit detail summary.

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Next steps