How to switch from Buildium without losing your books

Updated Oct 20, 2026 · steps checked against Buildium's help center and terms

Switching from Buildium takes about two hours of exports and imports, then one dues cycle with both tools running. Download the Current Association Owners and Delinquent Association Owners reports and the General Ledger Consolidated report. Buildium's terms don't require it to keep data after the subscription ends, so export everything before you cancel.

Kahoa makes Kahoa. The steps work for any HOA software; where they name Kahoa, they describe Kahoa's setup screens.

What moves, and what stays behind?

Record	From Buildium	Into Kahoa
Owners and homes	Reports → Current Association Owners, CSV	Roster import
What each home owes	Reports → Delinquent Association Owners, CSV	Opening balances
Prepaid credits	Reports → Recurring Charges, credit balances	Opening balances, as credits
Vendors	Settings → Export Data → Vendors, Excel	Vendor import, saved as CSV
Bank activity	Not needed	24 months via bank connection
Past journal entries	Reports → General Ledger Consolidated	Keep the file; books start from opening balances
Files and attachments	Download one at a time	Document upload
Autopay enrollments	Can't be exported	Homeowners enroll again

Buildium's help center says it doesn't provide export files for all ledger financials, so run the General Ledger Consolidated report for each open year.

How do you switch, step by step?

6 steps · about 2 hours

01
Pick the cutover date
Choose the day after a dues cycle posts, so every balance in the export is final.
Time5 minutes
02
Export everything
Download Current Association Owners, Delinquent Association Owners, Recurring Charges (credit balances) and General Ledger Consolidated, plus Settings → Export Data for vendors.
WhereBuildium: Reports, and Settings → Export Data
Time30 minutes
03
Connect the bank
Link the operating and reserve accounts. Kahoa pulls 24 months of history for the treasurer to sort.
In KahoaSetup → Bank
Time15 minutes
04
Import owners and opening balances
Upload the owners CSV, then the Delinquent Association Owners export. Check that the total owed matches Buildium's report to the cent.
In KahoaSetup → Upload directory, then Enter opening balances
Time45 minutes
05
Tell homeowners
Send homeowners the new payment link and ask them to cancel their scheduled ePay payments in Buildium's Resident Center before the next draft.
Time30 minutes
06
Run one cycle, then cancel
Collect one month in the new tool, then cancel under Settings → Account and billing. Give 30 days' notice before the term ends to stop auto-renewal.
TimeOne dues cycle

Before you cancel Buildium

Keep these five files

The last Delinquent Association Owners report
General Ledger Consolidated for every open year
The balance sheet and budget reports
The last bank reconciliation
Every file you uploaded

Not the right time?

Wait to switch if

Dues are due within the next two weeks.
An audit or reserve study is in progress.
The treasurer seat is changing hands this month.

What else do boards ask about leaving Buildium?

Does Buildium charge to cancel?

No cancellation fee is published, but Buildium has a no-refund policy. Access runs to the end of the paid period, and plans auto-renew unless cancelled 30 days before the term ends.

What happens to our data after we cancel Buildium?

Buildium's terms say it isn't required to keep customer data after termination and may delete it. Export every report first.

Can we export the whole ledger from Buildium?

Not as one file. Buildium's help center points to the General Ledger Consolidated report; run it for each open year.

Does homeowner autopay move?

No. Buildium's scheduled payments run through Buildium ePay, so each homeowner cancels them and enrolls again in the new tool.

Ready to move?

Bring your Buildium export

Thirty days, no card. The bank connection fills in two years of history.

Start a 30-day trial See pricing

$50a month, flat, at any size. The 1120-H is included.