Blog / Trust Accounting & Audit Compliance

Trust Accounting & Audit Compliance

Everything property managers need to know about trust accounts — proper setup, three-way reconciliation, avoiding commingling, and passing a state trust-account audit. APM Help has held a 100% audit pass rate since 2017, and these guides cover the workflows that keep client funds clean and audit-ready.

13 Articles

What DRE auditors actually check when they audit a property manager's books
June 11, 2026
2 min read

What DRE auditors actually check when they audit a property manager's books

Every year the California DRE audits property management brokers for trust fund compliance.
Trust accounting in AppFolio vs Buildium: how the two systems handle it differently
June 1, 2026
2 min read

Trust accounting in AppFolio vs Buildium: how the two systems handle it differently

This comes up a lot when PM companies are evaluating platforms or transitioning between them. Both AppFolio and Buildium support trust accounting but the architecture and workflows are different in ways that matter for compliance.
TBK vs. CBK: Do you know the difference?
April 7, 2026
2 min read

TBK vs. CBK: Do you know the difference?

Trust bookkeeping (TBK) vs. corporate bookkeeping (CBK)—why other-people's-money and your-money must stay separated, with three-way reconciliation requirements.
Setting Up Trust Accounting in Buildium: Compliance Requirements Explained - 2025
July 14, 2025
11 min read

Setting Up Trust Accounting in Buildium: Compliance Requirements Explained - 2025

Setting up trust accounting in Buildium for state-by-state compliance—separating tenant funds from operating accounts, owner-level tracking, and audit prep.
Passing a Trust-Account Audit with Buildium - 2025
July 7, 2025
17 min read

Passing a Trust-Account Audit with Buildium - 2025

How property managers can pass a trust-account audit using Buildium—proper setup, reconciliation reports, compliance checks, and year-round audit readiness.
Three-Way Reconciliation in Buildium: Balancing Bank, Books & Trust Accounts - 2025
July 7, 2025
18 min read

Three-Way Reconciliation in Buildium: Balancing Bank, Books & Trust Accounts - 2025

Three-way reconciliation in Buildium—matching trust bank, internal books, and client trust ledger balances monthly to maintain state trust-account compliance.
How to Check if Your Books Are Audit-Ready
June 15, 2025
3 min read

How to Check if Your Books Are Audit-Ready

How to check if your property management books are audit-ready—what state auditors review and the reports to run before they find issues for you.
Trust Account Balance Reports in AppFolio
June 13, 2025
3 min read

Trust Account Balance Reports in AppFolio

AppFolio Trust Account Balance (TAB) report—how to filter by All Properties, group by owner, surface unused prepayments and unpaid bills, and catch commingling.
Top 5 Tips for Property Managers Facing a Trust Account Audit (Guaranteed Success with APM Help!)
May 10, 2024
3 min read

Top 5 Tips for Property Managers Facing a Trust Account Audit (Guaranteed Success with APM Help!)

Five steps for property managers facing a trust-account audit—engage experts early, organize documentation, leverage your PM software's reports, and stay confident.
Audit-Readiness: Squashing Risk with Tech Enablement
July 18, 2023
4 min read

Audit-Readiness: Squashing Risk with Tech Enablement

Property management external audits explained—why state audits focus on trust banking, what auditors check, and how tech-enabled bookkeeping protects you.
You Probably Have The Wrong Property Management Bank Account
May 24, 2023
3 min read

You Probably Have The Wrong Property Management Bank Account

Why many PM 'trust accounts' aren't true trust accounts—terminology, banker confusion, and choosing the correct trust-vs-operating account for client funds.
A Respectful Distance: Separating Tenant-owed Liability Banking for Painless Audit
January 6, 2022
4 min read

A Respectful Distance: Separating Tenant-owed Liability Banking for Painless Audit

Why property managers using Buildium should maintain three separate bank accounts—rental trust, security deposits, and operating—for clean books and painless audits.
Deposited a closing check in trust account instead of company operating account
January 5, 2022
1 min read

Deposited a closing check in trust account instead of company operating account

How to fix a closing check accidentally deposited in the trust account instead of operating—the journal entries to record in AppFolio without affecting owners.