Problems with the file you uploaded
This article explains every message you can see about the file itself, from the moment you choose it on the Upload step through to the checks that run once it is on the server. It covers the fee and...
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This article explains every message you can see about the file itself, from the moment you choose it on the Upload step through to the checks that run once it is on the server. It covers the fee and lease spreadsheet (the main file for this wizard) and, at the end, the one message specific to the bank details spreadsheet (the second file, used for bank debit agreements). If you have two files and are not sure which one a message is about, each entry below says so plainly. For help preparing the files themselves before you upload, see Preparing your fee and lease file and Preparing your bank details spreadsheet.
The file will not upload at all
These messages appear before your data is looked at in any detail. Something about the file itself, its type, its size, whether it could be read, or whether the upload reached the server, stopped it going any further.
"Continue enables once a file is uploaded"
What it means. This is not an error. It is the message shown beside the Continue button before you have chosen a file at all.
Why it happened. You have not yet dragged a file onto the drop area or picked one with the file browser.
What to do. Choose your fee and lease spreadsheet. Continue becomes available as soon as a file is accepted.
"File must be a CSV under 50 MB"
What it means. The wizard only accepts spreadsheets saved in the CSV format, and only up to 50 MB in size.
Why it happened. The file you chose is not a .csv file (for example, it may still be an Excel .xlsx file), or it is a .csv file over 50 MB.
What to do.
- Open the file in your spreadsheet program.
- Save it again, choosing CSV as the file type.
- If it is still over 50 MB, split it into two or more smaller files and upload them one at a time.
"This file could not be read. Check that it is not password protected or damaged, then choose another file."
What it means. Your browser tried to open the file's contents and could not.
Why it happened. The file is password protected, or it is damaged in a way that stops it from being read as text at all.
What to do.
- Remove any password protection from the file.
- Re-export or re-save the file from your spreadsheet program.
- Choose the file again.
"Row 1 cannot be used as the header row because it has no usable column headings. Choose another row."
What it means. The wizard looks at the very first row of your file for column names such as unit or payer name. It could not find any there.
Why it happened. For this wizard, the header row is always the first row of the file. If that row is blank, or holds something other than column names (a title, a logo line, a note), the wizard has nothing to read.
What to do. Delete any rows above your real column headings so that the column names are the very first row in the file, then upload it again.
"Storage upload failed"
What it means. Your file was accepted by the wizard, but it could not be stored afterwards.
Why it happened. This can happen for a few different reasons on the server side, and the message you see may include more detail from the storage system itself.
What to do. Try uploading the file again. If it keeps happening, contact your URBI administrator.
"Only .csv files can be imported."
What it means. The same CSV-only rule as above, checked again once the file reaches the server.
Why it happened. The file's declared type is not a CSV type, even though it may have passed the first check in your browser.
What to do. Save the file as CSV and upload it again.
"Creating the import batch timed out. Please try again."
What it means. The server needed more time to set up your import than it was given, so nothing was created.
Why it happened. This is usually a temporary slowdown, not something wrong with your file.
What to do. Wait a moment, then upload the file again. No partial import is left behind for you to clean up.
"Failed to create the import batch"
What it means. The server could not start your import at all.
Why it happened. An internal step failed while setting up the batch. The message you see may include more detail after a colon.
What to do. Try again. If it keeps happening, ask your URBI administrator to check the property's import settings.
"file is not a CSV (expected a .csv extension)."
What it means. This is the same CSV-only check, run a second time when the file is prepared for the deeper checks described below.
Why it happened. The stored file's name does not end in .csv.
What to do. Upload a real .csv file.
"this import batch has no uploaded file to stage."
What it means. The import was started, but no file ever finished attaching to it.
Why it happened. The upload step did not complete, usually because an earlier step in the upload was interrupted.
What to do. Start the upload again from the beginning.
"could not access source file"
What it means. The wizard could not reach the file after it was stored, to read its contents.
Why it happened. You may also see this as "could not download source file (HTTP 404)" or "could not stat source file (HTTP 500)", depending on exactly what step failed. All three mean the same underlying problem: the stored copy of your file could not be reached.
What to do. Upload the file again.
The file uploaded, but there was nothing usable in it, or it broke a size limit
These messages mean the file itself was readable and reached the server, but once its rows were actually counted or checked, something about its size or contents stopped it going further.
"This file could not be read into usable rows. Add at least one populated row and upload it again."
What it means. The wizard found a header row, but no data underneath it.
Why it happened. Your file only has column headings, with no rows of actual unit, payer, or lease information below them, or every row underneath the header is blank.
What to do. Open the file, add at least one row of real data under the headings, and upload it again.
"the CSV contains no data rows."
What it means. The same problem as above, found by a second check that runs once the file is on the server.
Why it happened. Only a header row survived once the server looked at the file. This can happen if every data row in the file is blank.
What to do. Add data rows to the file and upload it again.
"file exceeds the 10 MB import ceiling."
What it means. Once your file is on the server, it is measured again against a stricter limit than the 50 MB check done when you first chose it.
Why it happened. The stored file is larger than 10 MB. This limit is separate from, and smaller than, the 50 MB limit checked at the moment you pick the file.
What to do. Split your spreadsheet into smaller files, each under 10 MB, and upload them one at a time.
"the CSV has 24,000 rows, above the 20,000-row import ceiling."
What it means. Your file has more rows of data than the wizard can import in one batch. The actual numbers you see will match your own file and the 20,000-row limit.
Why it happened. The wizard sets a ceiling of 20,000 rows per import to keep each batch reliable.
What to do. Split the file into two or more files of 20,000 rows or fewer, and upload each one separately.
"could not load units"
What it means. While checking your file's unit numbers against the property's real units, the wizard could not read the property's unit list at all.
Why it happened. This is a read failure on the server, unrelated to anything in your file.
What to do. Try the upload again. If it keeps happening, contact your URBI administrator.
"unexpected error while staging"
What it means. Something went wrong while the wizard was preparing your rows for review, in a way that does not match any of the other messages in this article. You may also see this as "could not stage rows".
Why it happened. An internal step failed partway through.
What to do. Upload the file again.
"The staging result is not confirmed yet. We'll keep checking. Refresh this import if it does not update."
What it means. This is not a failure. The wizard is still waiting to hear back that your rows were prepared successfully, and is showing you placeholder rows while it waits.
Why it happened. The check that prepares your rows for review is taking longer than the wizard's usual wait time.
What to do. Wait a short while. If nothing appears, close the import and reopen it.
A required column is missing, or was not recognised
The wizard reads your column headings and tries to match each one automatically to the fields it needs. Most files need no changes here at all. When a match cannot be made, you either rename the column in your spreadsheet or point it at the right field yourself, in the table on the Upload step.
The "CSV column / Maps to" table on the Upload step, with one unrecognised column pointed at the right field.
| CSV column | Maps to |
|---|---|
| unit # | unit_label |
| tenant_full_name | not recognised, pick a field → payer_name |
| move_in_note | Not used |
"This file is missing the required Unit column."
What it means. One of the four columns every fee and lease file must have could not be found anywhere in your file.
Why it happened. The wizard could not match any of your column headings to one of the four required fields: unit, lease type, start date, or billing day (plus the amount column that goes with your lease type). You may see this naming any one of them, for example "the required Lease type column", "the required Start date column", or "the required Billing day column", depending on which one is missing. The payer name column is optional. If you leave it out or leave a cell blank, the unit's current payer is used.
What to do.
- Check your file for a column holding that information.
- If the column exists but is named unusually, either rename it to something the wizard will recognise, or use the CSV column / Maps to table on the Upload step to point it at the right field by hand.
- If the column does not exist at all, add it to the file and upload it again.
Continue stays locked until unit_label is mapped
What it means. The unit is the one field that must be mapped before you can move past this step. Older versions of the wizard also asked for payer_name here. That is no longer the rule, because payer_name is optional.
Why it happened. The unit_label field is not yet pointed at a column in your file. If any other required column is missing, you will see a message about that column instead.
What to do. In the CSV column / Maps to table, choose the column that holds your unit numbers as the target for unit_label.
"The "" column looks like bank details, so it was not saved. Rename it, or remove it and choose the file again."
What it means. Account numbers and other bank details are never stored in a fee and lease file. A column whose name looks like bank information (for example one with a bank word in its heading) was taken out of the stored copy of your file.
Why it happened. Your fee file has a column with a bank-style name. The column is named in the message.
What to do. If that column was not meant to hold bank details, rename it and choose the file again. If you do not need it, remove it from the file and choose the file again. Bank details belong in the separate bank details file, which is read once and never stored.
The values inside a column are the wrong shape
These messages appear on the Review step, against individual rows, once your file's columns are recognised but the actual values inside them do not fit what that column needs. They are also included in the downloaded error report and the summary email.
"unit label is required"
What it means. A cell that the wizard needs was left blank on this row.
Why it happened. You may see this for any of the four required fields: "unit label is required", "lease type is required", "start date is required", or "billing day is required", depending on which cell was empty. A blank payer name is not an error. The unit's current payer is used. If the unit has no payer, or more than one, that row asks you to choose one on the Payer step.
What to do. Fill in the missing cell in your source file and upload it again, or skip that one row and deal with it separately.
"lease type must be RESIDENTIAL_RENTAL or CONDO_OWNERSHIP, got "Month to Month""
What it means. The lease type column only accepts two exact values, and this row's value was something else. The text shown in quotes at the end will match whatever your file actually contained.
Why it happened. Your file's lease type column holds a value the wizard does not recognise.
What to do. Change the cell to exactly RESIDENTIAL_RENTAL or CONDO_OWNERSHIP, whichever applies to that row, and upload the file again.
"start date must be a real date in YYYY-MM-DD format"
What it means. A date column on this row does not hold a real, valid calendar date written the way the wizard expects.
Why it happened. You may see this naming the start date, the end date, or the escalation start date, depending on which date column has the problem. A common cause is a date written as MM/DD/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY instead of YYYY-MM-DD, or a date that does not exist, such as February 30.
What to do. Reformat the date in that cell as YYYY-MM-DD (for example, 2026-11-01 for November 1, 2026) and upload the file again.
"rent frequency "Twice a month" is not a supported billing frequency"
What it means. The rent frequency column only accepts a fixed list of values, and this row used something outside that list.
Why it happened. The value shown in quotes is whatever your file actually contained. The accepted values are ONE_TIME, MONTHLY, QUARTERLY, SEMI_ANNUAL, ANNUAL, BIWEEKLY, and WEEKLY.
What to do. Change the cell to one of the accepted values, or leave it blank, in which case it defaults to MONTHLY.
"escalation type "Yearly increase" is not supported"
What it means. The escalation type column only accepts a fixed list of values, and this row used something outside that list.
Why it happened. The value shown in quotes is whatever your file actually contained. The accepted values are NONE, FIXED_AMOUNT, FIXED_PERCENT, and CPI.
What to do. Change the cell to one of the accepted values, or leave it blank, in which case it defaults to NONE.
"Not a real calendar date"
What it means. A final check on the assembled row rejected one of its values.
Why it happened. You may also see "Expected YYYY-MM-DD", "Not a valid email address", or "Email exceeds RFC 5321 maximum" here, depending on which cell failed and why. Each of these names exactly what was wrong with that one cell.
What to do. Correct the cell named in the message and upload the file again.
"This row has no validated lease data."
What it means. This row reached the final commit step with no usable lease information attached to it at all.
Why it happened. The row's values were never successfully checked and prepared, usually because an earlier problem with the row was never corrected.
What to do. Correct the row in your source file and upload it again.
"This row has no start date."
What it means. This row reached the final commit step without a start date on record.
Why it happened. The start date on this row was missing or was never successfully saved during the earlier steps.
What to do. Add a start date to the row in your source file and upload it again.
Getting a sample file to start from
"No units found for this property, so the sample has column headers only. Please add units first, then download it again."
What it means. The ready-made template you downloaded has the right column headings, but no rows filled in for your property's units.
Why it happened. Your property does not have any units set up yet.
What to do. Add units to the property in property settings, then download the sample file again.
"Sample download failed"
What it means. The button to download a ready-made template did not produce a file.
Why it happened. The request for the sample file did not succeed.
What to do. Try again.
"Failed to load units"
What it means. The sample file could not be built because the property's unit list could not be read.
Why it happened. This is a read failure on the server, unrelated to anything you did.
What to do. Try again. If it keeps happening, contact your URBI administrator.
The bank details file (the second spreadsheet)
Everything above is about your fee and lease file. This one message is about the other file, the one you upload separately on the Review step to add bank debit agreements.
"Invalid CSV row"
What it means. One line of your bank details file could not be read as a proper row at all.
Why it happened. This usually means a stray comma, an extra quotation mark, or a line that does not line up with the rest of the file's columns.
What to do. Open the bank details file, find and fix the line named in the row list under "These rows could not be uploaded", and upload the file again.
Checks to run before you upload again
Most of the messages above trace back to one of these four things. Checking them first will prevent the great majority of upload problems.
- Confirm the file is a genuine
.csvfile, not an Excel or Numbers file simply renamed, is not password protected, and is under 50 MB (10 MB once it reaches the server). - Confirm the very first row of the file holds your column headings, with no title, logo, or note above it, and that there is at least one row of real data underneath.
- Confirm all four required columns exist somewhere in the file, either under names the wizard recognises or mapped by hand: unit, lease type, start date, and billing day. The payer name column is optional.
- Confirm dates are written as YYYY-MM-DD, and that lease type, rent frequency, and escalation type use one of their accepted words rather than free text.