Getting Yardi up and running is more than just flipping a switch. It’s the foundation of how your leasing, accounting, operations, and reporting will function going forward. A poorly executed setup can mean clunky workflows, redundant data entry, and constant troubleshooting. A well-executed one means time saved, cleaner reporting, and fewer headaches for your entire team.
To avoid avoidable friction later on, the right Yardi setup from the start makes a real difference. Here’s how you can do it right.
1- Map Out Workflows Before You Touch the System
One of the most common mistakes during setup is jumping directly into system configuration without first understanding how your teams actually operate.
Start by documenting your end-to-end processes:
- How does a lease get created and approved?
- What’s the flow for maintenance requests?
- Who enters vendor invoices, and how are they approved?
- How are late fees assessed and reversed?
Each of these touchpoints affects how Yardi modules should be configured. Skipping this step results in workflows that don’t align with how your staff works, leading to manual workarounds or duplicated efforts.
2- Choose Modules Based on Need, Not Popularity
Yardi offers a long list of modules, including Procure to Pay, Voyager Core, Resident Screening, Facility Manager, and more. But not every module fits every business.
Before activating everything available, evaluate your actual operational needs. Ask:
- Do you have the internal capacity to manage procurement workflows?
- Are you dealing with recurring compliance inspections?
- Is your maintenance team mobile and in need of on-the-go work order access?
Start with what solves your current friction points. You can always scale later. Too many modules too early will overwhelm users and slow down adoption.
3- Define User Roles with Precision
Not everyone should have access to everything. During the Yardi setup process, defining who can view, edit, approve, or post data is critical. If user permissions are too loose, you risk data being overwritten or posted incorrectly. If they’re too strict, employees can’t get work done without IT assistance.
Take time to map user access by job function, not just by department. For example, your leasing agents may need access to CRM and unit availability, but shouldn’t have the ability to edit GL accounts or post journal entries.
Periodic audits every 6 months can help prevent permission creep that clutters the system and introduces errors.
4- Build a Clean, Standardized Chart of Accounts
Your general ledger (GL) structure dictates the financial integrity of your reporting. A cluttered, inconsistent chart of accounts causes misposts and skews reports. This often happens when companies migrate from a legacy system or try to mirror an old chart without refining it.
During Yardi setup, aim for:
- Clear naming conventions
- Consistent hierarchy across entities
- Distinct ranges for different categories
A structured chart of accounts makes it easier to onboard new accounting staff, troubleshoot discrepancies, and produce accurate monthly reporting.
5- Organize Properties and Entities Thoughtfully
The way your properties and legal entities are structured in Yardi affects everything from reporting to workflows and even permissions. If you group properties incorrectly or skip key tax IDs, you’ll run into serious limitations later.
Group properties under the correct management company and owner structure. Each property should be tied to the correct chart, vendor list, and bank accounts.
6- Keep Vendor and Tenant Data Clean From Day One
Bad data causes daily problems. Duplicate vendors, outdated tenant addresses, and inconsistent naming conventions slow down every process, from invoicing to correspondence.
Before migrating data or entering new records:
- Merge duplicate vendors.
- Standardize abbreviations and address formatting.
- Archive inactive tenants or vendors.
- Validate contact information.
Yardi setup isn’t just about getting data into the system; it’s about getting usable, clean data in. It’s far easier to do this upfront than to fix it later after transactions have been processed.
7- Design Approval Workflows That Reflect Actual Authority
Approval chains in Yardi must reflect how your business functions, not just what looks good on paper.
If invoices over $5,000 need two layers of review, build that into the AP workflow. If regional managers sign off on lease renewals above a certain threshold, reflect that in the leasing approval path.
Workflows should balance oversight with efficiency. Too many layers slow things down. Too few invite mistakes. A thoughtful structure increases accountability and trust in the system.
8- Configure Automated Notifications with Purpose
Yardi lets you configure automatic emails for events like lease approvals, invoice submission, and late fee posting. These are useful, but only when they’re targeted.
If everyone gets every alert, users start ignoring them. During setup, define:
- Who needs to know what, and when?
- Which events actually require immediate attention?
- How often should reminders be sent?
A good notification setup supports your workflow instead of creating digital noise.
9- Prioritize Training for Task Owners
Yardi setup isn’t complete without a training component. But blanket training doesn’t work. Sales teams don’t need accounting workflows, and maintenance staff don’t need to learn journal entries.
Train by role, not by module. And focus on what users will do weekly, not just what’s technically possible in the system.
Role-based training helps reduce onboarding time as compared to generic software demos. That time saved turns into income when teams use the system correctly from the start.
10- Lock in a Testing Schedule Before Going Live
Testing is a vital part of the setup process. Before going live, run through all critical workflows using test data. This includes:
- Leasing flows: applications, move-ins, renewals.
- Accounts payable: invoice entry, approvals, check runs.
- Maintenance requests: creation, dispatch, completion.
- GL reporting: trial balance, income statement, variance reports.
Assign specific people to test each workflow, not just the project manager. A Yardi setup is only successful if the users can replicate their daily work without hitting roadblocks.
11- Document Every Decision and Configuration
The average implementation project involves dozens, sometimes hundreds, of configuration decisions, such as which late fee rule to use, how to name GL accounts, and what filters are used for dashboards.
If these aren’t documented, your team will struggle to answer questions when something doesn’t look right down the line.
Create a central setup guide that captures:
- Module configurations.
- User role logic.
- Data mapping details.
- Workflow rules.
- Approval chains.
This becomes a key resource for onboarding new team members, troubleshooting issues, and preparing for audits.
12- Leave Room for Iteration
Don’t view setup as “one and done.” You’ll learn things within the first few months of going live, things that could improve efficiency, tighten controls, or clean up reporting.
Build a review window where users can share feedback and request adjustments. Often, small tweaks like changing field defaults or adjusting a report filter can make the system significantly more user-friendly.
Companies that treat setup as an ongoing effort, not a one-time event, get far more value out of their Yardi investment.
Conclusion
The effectiveness of your Yardi setup depends on the choices you make early in the process. Rushing through configuration, skipping user-specific training, or migrating messy data all create avoidable issues down the line.
But with a strategic approach focused on how people work, what data matters, and where decisions get made, you can build a platform that improves your daily operations instead of complicating them.
At the end of the day, Yardi is only as strong as the setup behind it. Invest in doing it right.
