Receivables Aging
A report grouping what each tenant owes by how long each charge has been outstanding, used to manage collections and spot disputes.
Also called: AR aging, accounts receivable aging, aged receivables, tenant aging
A receivables aging report lists what each tenant owes, grouped by how long each charge has been outstanding: typically current, 1 to 30, 31 to 60, 61 to 90, and over 90 days. It shows which balances are routine and which are becoming a collection problem.
Commercial aging is read by charge
Commercial tenants often dispute a specific charge while paying everything else. A tenant withholding a disputed CAM true-up looks the same as a tenant in financial trouble on a balance-only aging. Broken down by charge type, they are clearly different:
| Tenant | Charge | Current | 61-90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suite 120 | Base rent | $9,200 | |
| Suite 120 | CAM true-up | $9,200 |
Suite 120 is paying rent and disputing a reconciliation. The response is the calculation detail, not a default notice.
Keeping it accurate
- Apply payments to the intended charges. Applying oldest-first can turn a disputed recovery into apparently unpaid rent.
- Issue credits as credit memos, applied to specific charges, rather than negative invoices that leave negative balances.
- Write off explicitly, with an approval, against the specific charge. Never delete the original invoice.
- Include reconciliation balances. Year-end true-ups are real receivables and belong on the aging once accrued.
Security
A security deposit or letter of credit is the landlord’s backstop for aged balances. Applying a deposit is a separate transaction, recorded against the charges it covers, not a write-off.
The commercial property accounting guide covers the rest of commercial AR.