Preparing Your Import File
Everything the importer needs, and nothing it does not. Get the file right and the rest of the import is three clicks. The seven columns Download the sample from the Import CSV tab and you get...
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Everything the importer needs, and nothing it does not. Get the file right and the rest of the import is three clicks.
The seven columns
Download the sample from the Import CSV tab and you get exactly this shape:
unit,floor_number,first_name,last_name,email,phone_number,occupant_type
101,1,John,Doe,john@example.com,5551234567,OWNER
102,1,Jane,Smith,jane@example.com,5555678901,TENANT
201,2,,,,,
| Column | Required | What to put in it |
|---|---|---|
unit |
Yes | The unit or suite number, exactly as you want it to read in URBI. Every row needs one. |
floor_number |
No | A number. Leave it blank rather than guessing. |
first_name |
No | The person's first name. Blank on a unit only row. |
last_name |
No | The person's last name. Blank on a unit only row. |
email |
No | Where their invitation goes. Without it the person cannot be created. |
phone_number |
No | Digits, with optional spaces, dashes, brackets, dots, a leading plus, or an x for an extension. |
occupant_type |
No | One of the six values in the next section. |
One row per person
A unit with an owner and two tenants is three rows, all carrying the same unit number. URBI creates the unit once and attaches all three people to it.
unit,floor_number,first_name,last_name,email,phone_number,occupant_type
412,4,Dana,Wu,dana.wu@example.com,4035550142,OWNER
412,4,Sam,Ellis,sam.ellis@example.com,4035550188,TENANT
412,4,Ivy,Ellis,ivy.ellis@example.com,,TENANT
A unit with nobody in it yet is one row with the unit number filled in and the rest blank. It imports as a vacant unit and you can add people later.
The six occupant types
Write them in capitals exactly as shown in the left column.
| Value in the file | What it means | What it does |
|---|---|---|
OWNER |
Off site owner. Owns the unit, lives elsewhere. | Creates the person, sets the unit to Owner. |
RESIDENT |
On site owner. Owns the unit and lives in it. | Creates the person, sets the unit to Owner. |
TENANT |
Renter. | Creates the person, sets the unit to Rented. |
PROPERTY_MANAGER |
Manages the unit for the owner. | Creates the person, sets the unit to Rented. |
DEPENDENT |
External contact, for example a family member. | Creates the person, sets the unit to Owner. |
EMERGENCY_CONTACT |
Someone to call in an emergency. | Creates no user and sends no email. Writes an Emergency Contact entry on the unit's wiki instead. |
On a commercial or education property these same six values carry different labels in the interface (Employee, Student, Teacher and so on), but the values you write in the file never change.
How the occupant type sets the unit's status
This catches people out, so it is worth stating plainly.
- Any row typed
TENANTorPROPERTY_MANAGERsets the unit to Rented. - Any other filled in type sets the unit to Owner.
- A row with no occupant type leaves a brand new unit Vacant.
When a unit has several rows, a tenant always wins. If unit 412 has an owner row and a tenant row, the unit ends up Rented no matter which order the rows appear in, and a later owner row can never pull it back to Owner. An owner row only claims a unit that is otherwise empty.
Column names you do not have to fix
URBI matches your headers to its own fields before you confirm anything, so an export from another system usually maps itself. Any of these are recognised:
| URBI field | Headers it recognises |
|---|---|
unit |
unit, unit number, unit no, unit name, unit id, suite, apt, apartment |
floor_number |
floor number, floor no, floor, level, storey |
first_name |
first name, firstname, first, fname, given name |
last_name |
last name, lastname, last, lname, surname, family name |
email |
email, email address, e mail, mail, email addr |
phone_number |
phone number, phone, mobile, cell, telephone, tel, cell phone, phone no |
occupant_type |
occupant type, occupant, type, role, resident type, user type |
Anything it still cannot place, you set by hand on the mapping screen. Columns you leave unmapped are simply ignored, so you do not have to strip extra columns out of an export first.
Five things that will save you a round trip
- Save as CSV, not XLSX. The uploader reads CSV only.
- One header row, at the very top. Property management exports often carry four or five title rows above the real header. Delete them.
- Every row needs a unit number. A row without one cannot be imported at all.
- No two rows with the same email and the same unit. The second one is refused as a duplicate invite.
- Check the emails are the ones you want to write to. These addresses receive an invitation the moment you press import.
What is not in this file
Leases, rent amounts, condo fees and parking are a separate import. This file creates units and people only.