Import 500 Landlord Records in 5 Minutes: Stop Typing Data Manually

You're switching to new letting agent software. It's brilliant. It'll save you hours every week. You're excited.

Then you hit the wall: How do you get your 347 existing landlord records into the new system?

The software vendor says: "Just create them manually. Use the 'Add Landlord' button for each one."

You calculate: 347 landlords × 3 minutes each (name, email, phone, address, notes) = 17.4 hours of data entry.

That's more than two full working days typing names and addresses from your old spreadsheet into the new system. Boring, mind-numbing, error-prone work that makes you question whether the switch is worth it.

This is why agencies delay switching systems for years. The data migration barrier feels insurmountable.

This article explains how LetAdmin imports landlord data from spreadsheets automatically in minutes—handling messy formats, detecting duplicates, validating everything—so you never waste weeks on manual data entry.

The Problem: Data Migration Is the Hidden Cost of Switching Systems

Every letting agent has landlord data somewhere:

• Spreadsheet maintained for years
• Export from previous software
• Google Sheets shared with the team
• Old database dump
• Mix of all the above

The data is usually messy:

• Some rows have "Full Name" in one column, others have "First Name" + "Last Name" split
• Some entries are individuals, some are couples ("Mr & Mrs Smith"), some are companies
• Duplicate entries from previous migrations
• Inconsistent phone number formats (some with spaces, some without, some with +44, some with 0)
• Missing information (email addresses for some, not others)

Manual data entry is terrible:

1. Time-consuming: 3-5 minutes per record × hundreds of records = weeks of work
2. Error-prone: Typos in names, wrong phone numbers, mismatched addresses
3. Demotivating: Nobody becomes a letting agent to type data from one system into another
4. Delays adoption: "We'll switch systems... when we have time" (which is never)

Agencies waste 30-50 hours on data migration when switching systems. Or they delay the switch indefinitely.

How LetAdmin Solves This: Intelligent CSV Import

LetAdmin imports landlord data from spreadsheets (CSV files or Google Sheets links) automatically. Just upload your file, LetAdmin validates everything, shows you what will be imported, and creates all records in seconds.

Here's the complete process:

Step 1: Prepare Your Spreadsheet (5 minutes)

Your landlord data probably exists in one of these formats:

Format A: Simple individual landlords

Full Name, Email, Phone, Address
John Smith, john@example.com, 07700900123, 123 Oak Street, Leeds, LS1 1AB
Jane Doe, jane@example.com, 07700900456, 456 Elm Road, York, YO1 1AA

Format B: Separate name fields

First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Mobile, Address Line 1, Town, Postcode
John, Smith, john@example.com, 01132334455, 07700900123, 123 Oak Street, Leeds, LS1 1AB
Jane, Doe, jane@example.com, , 07700900456, 456 Elm Road, York, YO1 1AA

Format C: Mix of individuals and companies

Name, Company Name, Email, Phone
John Smith, , john@example.com, 07700900123
, Smith Properties Ltd, info@smithprops.com, 01132334455

LetAdmin handles all of these formats. The import system intelligently parses names, detects whether an entry is an individual or company, and maps columns correctly.

You don't need to reformat your data. Just export it and upload it.

Step 2: Upload File or Provide URL (30 seconds)

Two import options:

Option 1: Upload CSV file directly

• Export your landlord data as CSV from Excel/Google Sheets/previous software
• Click "Import Landlords" in LetAdmin
• Upload the file
• Done

Option 2: Import from Google Sheets URL

• Keep your landlord data in Google Sheets (easier for collaboration)
• Click "Share" in Google Sheets, copy the link
• Paste the link into LetAdmin import form
• LetAdmin downloads and imports directly from the sheet
• Done

Why this matters: You can keep your working spreadsheet in Google Sheets and re-import anytime it updates. No more download → upload cycles.

Step 3: LetAdmin Validates Everything (automatic)

Before creating any records, LetAdmin validates the data and shows you a preview:

Name parsing:

• "Mr John Smith" → extracted as Title: Mr, First Name: John, Last Name: Smith
• "Jane Doe" → extracted as First Name: Jane, Last Name: Doe
• "Dr Sarah Jane Williams" → extracted as Title: Dr, First Name: Sarah Jane, Last Name: Williams
• "Smith Properties Ltd" → detected as company, stored as Company Name

Duplicate detection:

• Checks email addresses against existing landlords
• Checks names against existing landlords
• Flags potential duplicates: "John Smith (john@example.com) appears to match existing landlord #1234"

Validation errors:

• Missing required fields (name or email)
• Invalid email format
• Ownership percentages not adding to 100% (if importing ownership data)

Preview shows:

• ✅ 325 landlords ready to import
• ⚠️ 12 potential duplicates detected (will be skipped)
• ❌ 10 records with errors (see details)

You can review errors, fix them in your spreadsheet, and re-upload. Or proceed with the valid records and handle errors manually later.

Step 4: Click "Import" (5 seconds)

Once you're happy with the preview, click "Import."

LetAdmin creates all landlord records in seconds:

• Names parsed and formatted correctly
• Contact details stored
• Duplicates skipped automatically
• Ownership relationships created (if importing ownership data)

Result: 325 landlords imported in 5 minutes total (including validation review).

Manual entry would have taken: 325 landlords × 3 minutes = 16.25 hours.

Time saved: 16 hours.

Real-World Example: Agency Switching Systems in an Afternoon

Before LetAdmin CSV import:

1. Agency decides to switch from old software (month-by-month subscription, no contract)
2. IT consultant quotes: "£2,500 for data migration service"
3. Agency declines, decides to do it themselves
4. Office manager spends 3 weeks entering 347 landlords manually (2-3 hours per day)
5. Makes typos in 23 landlords (discovered later when statements go to wrong addresses)
6. Misses 8 landlords entirely (discovered 2 months later when those landlords call asking for statements)
7. Total time cost: 45 hours across 3 weeks
8. Error correction cost: 6 hours fixing typos and re-entering missed landlords

Total cost: 51 hours + stress + delayed launch

With LetAdmin CSV import:

1. Agency decides to switch
2. Office manager exports landlord data from old system (10 minutes)
3. Uploads CSV to LetAdmin import (30 seconds)
4. Reviews preview: 347 landlords ready, 5 duplicates detected, 2 validation errors (15 minutes)
5. Fixes 2 errors in spreadsheet, re-uploads (5 minutes)
6. Clicks "Import" (5 seconds)
7. All 347 landlords imported successfully
8. Spot-checks 10 random records to verify data accuracy (5 minutes)

Total time: 35 minutes Errors: Zero (validation caught everything before import) Duplicate prevention: 5 prevented automatically

Time saved: 50+ hours Cost saved: £2,500 (vs professional data migration service)

Why This Matters for Agencies Switching Systems

Data migration is the #1 barrier to switching letting agent software. Agencies stay with terrible software for years because "we can't face re-entering all our landlords."

LetAdmin removes this barrier completely:

Benefit 1: Switch Systems in Hours, Not Weeks

Old way: Weeks of manual data entry, delaying your switch indefinitely

LetAdmin way: Export from old system, import to LetAdmin, done in an afternoon

Launch new system immediately instead of planning weeks of data entry work.

Benefit 2: Zero Data Entry Errors

Manual typing creates errors:

• Typos in names
• Wrong phone numbers
• Mistyped email addresses
• Skipped records

LetAdmin validates everything before import:

• Email format validation
• Required field checking
• Duplicate detection
• Name parsing accuracy

Result: Accurate data from day one.

Benefit 3: Save £2,000-£5,000 on Professional Migration

Software vendors often charge £2,000-£5,000 for data migration services. Or quote long lead times ("8-12 weeks for migration project").

LetAdmin: Do it yourself in minutes, for free.

Benefit 4: Re-Import Anytime

Made changes to your landlord spreadsheet? Need to import updated data?

Just re-import. LetAdmin's duplicate detection prevents creating duplicate records. Update existing records or skip unchanged ones—your choice.

No more "one-time migration." Import fresh data whenever you need it.

How It Handles Messy Real-World Data

Real spreadsheets are messy. LetAdmin handles common data quality issues:

Issue 1: Inconsistent Name Formats

Your spreadsheet has:

• "Mr John Smith" (title included)
• "Jane Doe" (no title)
• "Dr Sarah Williams" (title included)
• "James Brown" (no title)

LetAdmin intelligently parses:

• Detects titles (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss, Dr, Prof) and extracts them
• Handles compound first names ("Sarah Jane Williams" → "Sarah Jane" + "Williams")
• Works with or without titles
• Preserves name formatting

No reformatting required.

Issue 2: Mixed Entity Types

Your spreadsheet has:

• Individual landlords ("John Smith")
• Joint landlords ("Mr & Mrs Smith")
• Companies ("Smith Properties Ltd")

LetAdmin detects entity types:

• Individuals: stored with first name + last name
• Companies: detected by keywords (Ltd, Limited, LLP, etc.), stored as company name
• Joint landlords: can be imported with both names if your spreadsheet has separate columns

No manual classification required.

Issue 3: Duplicate Entries

Your spreadsheet has:

• "John Smith, john@example.com" (row 23)
• "John Smith, john@example.com" (row 187) — duplicate from previous migration

LetAdmin detects duplicates:

• Checks email addresses (most unique identifier)
• Checks names (if email missing)
• Flags duplicates in preview
• Skips duplicates on import (doesn't create duplicate records)

No cleanup required.

Issue 4: Missing Information

Your spreadsheet has:

• Some landlords with emails, some without
• Some with phone numbers, some without
• Some with full addresses, some with partial addresses

LetAdmin imports what's available:

• Requires either email OR name (minimum viable record)
• Imports partial data if available
• Flags records missing critical information in preview
• You decide: import partial records or fix spreadsheet first

Flexibility for imperfect data.

What We're Building Next

The CSV import foundation enables sophisticated migration features:

Field mapping UI: Visual interface showing "your column → LetAdmin field" mapping, allowing custom column names

Ownership import: Import joint ownership data with percentage splits in the same CSV

Update mode: Re-import to update existing records (not just skip duplicates)

Import templates: Downloadable CSV templates with correct column headers and examples

Import history: Track every import (who imported what, when, how many records)

Scheduled imports: Auto-import from Google Sheets URL daily/weekly for ongoing synchronization

The goal: Make data migration trivial, so agencies switch systems based on features, not fear of migration work.

We'd Love to Hear from You

How many landlord records would you need to import? (50? 200? 500? 1,000?)

Where is your landlord data currently? (Spreadsheet? Old software export? Paper files you'd need to type up?)

Have you avoided switching letting agent software because of data migration concerns? (Be honest—this is the #1 reason agencies delay switching.)

Would instant CSV import change your willingness to try new software? (Knowing you could import all your data in 10 minutes instead of 10 days.)

Get in touch: paul@letadmin.com

LetAdmin is built by letting agents for letting agents. CSV import is being used at Phillip James for testing data migration scenarios and refined based on real-world messy data. If you're stuck with old software because you dread data migration, we'd love to show you how easy it can be.