Tips on Importing CSV Files

While you don't need to import data in to Landlord Vision, you may find that it helps for getting a large amount of data in at once, or that your bank is not supported on the live bank feeds and you need to do a manual import.  CSV files follow a strict format and it is not simply a case of just importing your file to the software, you need to make sure it is set up correctly first, so here are some tips to get it to work first time.

CSV stands for Comma Separated Values and if you were to open the file in a word processing package, you would see a series of numbers and words separated by commas.  All major spreadsheet packages will open a csv file in a way that you can read it and edit it if required.

Use our template

For importing properties and tenancies, use this template.

For importing bank statements, use this template.

These templates have the right headers in the right order.  Using any other set of headers will result in your data being imported incorrectly.  All columns with a star (*) should be filled in

Dropdowns

Some of the columns in the Properties and Tenancies import file require you to select an option from a drop down list.  We recommend that you use these rather than adding your own.

Dates

All dates should be in a DD/MM/YYYY format.

Other formatting tips

Don't put a space at the beginning of a word or number.

Don't use a comma in a sentence.

If you are using the Properties and Tenancies import file, ensure that the End Dates and Expiry Dates are after the Start Dates.

Reformatting bank statements

Most bank statement templates are different from each other and will require some editing to get them to import correctly.  As well as pasting the data into the relevant columns, you may need to make some adjustments to the way the data is presented.  Some banks output the incomes and outgoings in to separate columns, but Landlord Vision takes these in one column, with incomes as positive numbers and outgoings as negative.  You will need to adjust these accordingly.  Each spreadsheet will have it's own exact procedure, but I have given an overview below.

To make the outgoings negative, enter a "-1" in an empty cell.  Copy this number and then select the outgoings column.  Under Paste Special you should be able to find the option to multiply all of the numbers in the column by the copied cell, thus turning them all negative but without changing the value.

Next select the two columns and use Merge and Centre to bring the two columns together.  You can now paste the merged column in to the Amount column in the import template file.