Rentlark FAQ

Record-keeping tool only, not tax, legal, or accounting advice. Landlord-tenant and tax rules vary by state and city; consult a licensed attorney or CPA.

Buying

What is Rentlark?
A spreadsheet tracker for US landlords with 1 to 10 units. It records rent (including partial and late payments), late fees, deposits, expenses and repairs, and shows rent status, a dashboard and a year-end summary of your own records. It comes as Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) files that you can also upload to Google Drive and open with Google Sheets, each as a Sample and a Blank edition, plus a quick-start PDF.

How much does it cost? Is it a subscription?
It's a one-time payment of the price on our Gumroad page, in US dollars, with no subscription and no automatic renewal. You buy it at https://rentlark.gumroad.com. Gumroad handles checkout and adds any sales tax or VAT.

Is there a Pro, Notion or free version?
No. Rentlark is the only product we sell right now.

Do I need an account with you?
No. Your files are in your Gumroad receipt email and your Gumroad library.

What's the refund policy?
You get a full refund within 30 days of purchase, no questions asked. Email rentlark@mail.grokbot.com with the email you used to buy. We issue the refund through Gumroad, to your original payment method. We aim to issue it within 5 business days (Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays) of your request. Your license ends with the refund. See the Refund Policy.

Do I get updates?
Yes. Updates to version 1.x are free, through your Gumroad library. Your copy doesn't change on its own: to use an update, make a fresh copy and move your data over, following the update notes.

Can I share it with another landlord?
No. Each license is for one buyer's own rental properties, including through your own LLC. Please don't share the files.

Apps and devices

Which apps is it designed for?
Rentlark is designed for Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel 2016 or later. It uses formulas only, with no macros, scripts, add-ons or bank connections.

Apple Numbers? Not supported.

Other currencies? US dollars only.

Can I use it on my phone?

Rentlark is built for a computer and hasn't been tested on phones, so please download, upload and open your file on a computer.

Getting set up

Google Sheets says "Request access."
Don't click it. Sign in to a Google account (a personal one if your work account blocks outside files), download Rentlark v1.0 (Sample) or Rentlark v1.0 (Blank) (Microsoft Excel files) from your Gumroad library, upload the file to Google Drive, and open it with Google Sheets. If you see a green .XLSX label next to the file name, click File > Save as Google Sheets and work in that copy. See the note on Troubleshooting.

Can I upload the .xlsx to Google Sheets?
The .xlsx file is for Microsoft Excel. To use Google Sheets, upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets; see the note on Troubleshooting. In Google Sheets, an uploaded copy doesn't include the edit warnings that protect the formula cells, so type only in the input cells.

Microsoft Excel shows "Enable Editing."
That's Microsoft Excel's Protected View for downloaded files. Click Enable Editing. There are no macros to enable.

I get a warning when I edit some cells.
In Microsoft Excel, every tab except Payments, Expenses and Repairs is protected (no password) so its formulas don't get typed over, including the calculated tabs like Rent Status, Annual Summary and Dashboard. Click OK on the message and type only in the input cells. In Google Sheets, an uploaded copy doesn't include the edit warnings that protect the formula cells, so type only in the input cells. The hidden tabs (Lists, Engine) hold calculations; don't edit them.

Can I sort or filter my payments, expenses and repairs?
Yes. Payments, Expenses and Repairs aren't protected and have filter buttons on their header row, so you can sort and filter them. Totals don't depend on row order. Select the whole table before sorting, never just one column, so each row stays together. Filters only hide rows; every total still counts all rows. In Microsoft Excel, calculated tabs like Rent Status are protected.
In Google Sheets, use the filter buttons on the header row, or select the whole table and use Data > Sort range.

Where do I set the rent due day? Can each tenant have a different one?
The rent due day is one setting in Settings and applies to the whole file, together with grace days and the late-fee rule. You can't set a different due day for each lease.

How do I log a payment?
Add one row on Payments and pick the Lease ID (payments are logged by lease, not by unit). Choose a Type (Rent, Late fee, Deposit or Other), and enter the date and amount. For a partial payment, just enter the smaller amount. A blank Type counts as Rent.

The rent went up. What do I do?
End the old lease row and add a new lease row with the new rent and its own Lease ID.

How do I record a bounced check or a refund to a tenant?
Add a negative payment row dated the day the money went back.

Why does a month show "–"?
It isn't due yet as of the Settings As of date.

Payments go to the wrong month.
Rent payments always pay off the oldest month first. "For month" is for your reference only.

Are deposits income?
Rentlark never counts deposits as income. Deposit-type payments are tracked separately on the lease, and a check shows if the amount received is short or over what the lease requires. A deposit you keep, or use as rent, may be income under IRS Pub. 527, so confirm with your tax preparer.

What does a red message in the Check column mean?
The row has a problem and may not be counted until you fix it, for example a missing date, an unknown Lease ID, or an "Other" expense with no description. The Dashboard shows how many rows need fixing. "Type blank, counted as Rent" is only a note. See Troubleshooting.

How many units, leases and rows does it hold?
10 units, 30 lease rows, 1,500 payment rows, 1,500 expense rows and 200 repair rows.

Can I use one file for several years?
Yes. Keep adding rows in the same file and pick the year in Settings. Balances carry over from December to January.

What about 2027 and later?
2027 and later use the 2026 Schedule E lines until the IRS publishes the final form for that year; categories may be updated then. Not tax advice.

Taxes and legal

Is the Annual Summary ready for my tax return?
It's a summary of your own records, not a tax return. Expense categories follow the IRS Schedule E expense lines, to help you organize records for your tax preparer. Not tax advice. Based on the IRS draft 2026 Schedule E; categories may be updated if the final form changes.

Is my late fee or deposit amount legal?
We can't advise on that. Rules vary by state and city. Ask a licensed attorney or CPA where the property is, then set the rule you choose in Settings.

Does it include leases, notices or tenant screening?
No. Version 1 has no leases, legal notices or screening tools.

Support and privacy

How do I contact you, and how fast do you reply?
Email rentlark@mail.grokbot.com directly (please don't reply to your Gumroad receipt). We reply within 2 business days, meaning US business days (Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays). There's no phone support.

Who answers?
An AI assistant on the Grok Bot platform drafts each reply, and Tomer Avni approves and sends every one.

Can you see my data?
No. Your copy lives in your own Google account, or on your own computer or Microsoft account. We never ask you to share it. Please don't send tenant details in support emails. We don't train AI models on your data ourselves.

How do I ask you to delete my emails?
Email rentlark@mail.grokbot.com. We'll ask our AI platform provider to delete them and tell you the result. See the Privacy Policy.