Recurring items · Troubleshooting
Recurring items: troubleshooting
Fixes for common recurring item problems and error messages. For how recurring items work, see Recurring items; for step-by-step instructions, see Recurring items: how-to.
I can’t see Recurring Items, or Add recurring item
Section titled “I can’t see Recurring Items, or Add recurring item”Why it happens:
- Your role doesn’t include recurring items, or only lets you view them. Restricted credit control is view-only.
- Rent Collection isn’t turned on for your organisation, or for the property.
- The property is a short-term let. The property panel isn’t shown for these.
How to fix it: ask an admin to give your role permission to change recurring items, or turn on Rent Collection. See Who can use it.
The tenancy isn’t in the list when I add an item
Section titled “The tenancy isn’t in the list when I add an item”Why it happens: you can only pick current, future and prospective tenancies. Past and cancelled tenancies aren’t listed, nor tenancies whose rent is handled outside COHO. On a tenancy like that, the panel says “Rent collection and finance management for this tenancy is handled outside of COHO.”
How to fix it: check you’ve chosen the right property. For a past tenancy, add any charges with Money due in Rent Collection.
There’s no VAT field
Section titled “There’s no VAT field”Why it happens: recurring items can’t include VAT.
How to fix it: add each charge with Money due in Rent Collection, which lets you enter VAT. See Add a regular charge with VAT.
I can’t choose a category, such as Internet
Section titled “I can’t choose a category, such as Internet”Why it happens: recurring items don’t have a category. In Finances, Other items use the Other category and Rent items use Rent.
How to fix it: use the Optional description (for example “Internet”) so the tenant and your team can tell charges apart. If the category matters for your accounts, add the charges with Money due > Tenant costs, which has a category.
The tenant has two rent charges for the same period
Section titled “The tenant has two rent charges for the same period”Why it happens: a recurring item with the type Rent adds rent on top of the normal rent schedule. It doesn’t replace it.
How to fix it: use Other for anything that isn’t extra rent. If the rent schedule itself is wrong, fix it in Rent Collection. If the recurring item was a mistake, delete it before any of its charges is paid, or end it.
Charges carry on after the tenant moved out
Section titled “Charges carry on after the tenant moved out”Why it happens: COHO creates charges ahead of time, and at least to the end of the fixed term when you add the item. Setting or bringing forward a move-out date doesn’t remove charges already created; COHO only stops creating new ones. When you end a tenancy, COHO warns: “Everything updated successfully. You have set up recurring charges manually, these are not updated when adjusting your tenancy here. Please review them manually.”
How to fix it: end the recurring item on the move-out date. Unpaid charges after it are removed.
The next charge hasn’t appeared yet
Section titled “The next charge hasn’t appeared yet”Why it happens:
- It isn’t due to be created yet. Monthly charges are created about 2 months and 7 days ahead, weekly ones 3 weeks and 3 days ahead, quarterly and annual ones 30 days ahead.
- COHO creates charges during working hours (8am to 6pm UK time), so a charge due to be created overnight appears the next morning.
- Billing has finished: the item reached its end date or the move-out date, and shows Finished (Billing Inactive).
- The item has the Needs Review tag: COHO couldn’t create the next charge, usually because the end date was moved before it.
- The tenancy was cancelled or deleted, or the property was disabled.
How to fix it: open the item with View and check Billed up to and Next billing run. If billing has finished and the charge should continue, add a new item from the next date. Missed charges are created in the next run, so you don’t need to add them by hand.
Charges appeared for months in the past
Section titled “Charges appeared for months in the past”Why it happens: the start date was in the past. COHO creates every charge from the start date when you save.
How to fix it: if they shouldn’t be charged, edit the item and move the start date forward. Unpaid charges before it are removed.
I can’t delete or change an item
Section titled “I can’t delete or change an item”Why it happens:
- One of the charges that would be removed has a payment, or is on an approved owner settlement.
- The item has been changed with Review Rate. Only the latest part can be deleted or reviewed, only the first part’s start date and only the last part’s end date can be changed.
- You only have view access.
How to fix it:
- To stop it, end the item after the last paid charge instead of deleting it.
- To change the amount, use Review Rate from a date after the last paid charge.
- To correct a past charge that’s been paid or settled, add a charge or credit in Rent Collection, dated today, so it goes on the next settlement.
A charge shows “Transaction was manually changed”
Section titled “A charge shows “Transaction was manually changed””Why it happens: someone changed that charge’s amount in Rent Collection. COHO doesn’t overwrite or delete charges changed by hand when you edit or delete the item.
How to fix it: correct that charge in Rent Collection yourself.
An owner isn’t getting a charge on their settlement, or is getting one they shouldn’t
Section titled “An owner isn’t getting a charge on their settlement, or is getting one they shouldn’t”Why it happens: Who earns the income? decides it. Property Owner charges on a managed property are client money for the owner. You charges are your organisation’s income. On owned and rent-to-rent properties, all charges are yours. Other items don’t earn a management fee.
How to fix it: you can’t change Who earns the income? on an existing item. End it and add a new one with the right choice from the next date. For charges already settled, correct the next settlement. See Finances & reports.
An invoice is still in Xero after I removed a charge
Section titled “An invoice is still in Xero after I removed a charge”Why it happens: Xero is updated on the next sync of tenancies, not straight away.
How to fix it: wait for the next automatic sync, or sync tenancies by hand. If the invoice is still there afterwards, check the Xero sync log, or delete it in Xero.
Error messages
Section titled “Error messages”| Message (as shown) | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “Start date … cannot be earlier than tenancy move in date …” | The item starts before the tenancy | Choose Same as tenancy, or a later date |
| “End date … cannot be later than tenancy move out date …” | The item ends after the move-out date | Choose The end of the tenancy, or an earlier date |
| “End date cannot be earlier than start date” | The dates are the wrong way round | Correct the dates |
| “Cycle start date … must be a day of the month 27th of less due to February complications” | Quarterly and annual items can’t start on the 28th to 31st | Start on the 27th or earlier |
| “Selected frequency not supported and needs to be tested before being used” | Daily isn’t supported | Choose another frequency |
| “Start date earlier than the year 2000 and probably an error” (or “later than the year 2050”) | The date is mistyped | Correct the date |
| “Cannot modify end date when there is a successor in the series” | The amount has been reviewed after this part | Edit the last part instead |
| “Cannot modify start date when there is a predecessor in the series” | This isn’t the first part | Edit the first part instead |
| “Cannot delete a tenancy recurring transaction when it has a successor” | This isn’t the last part | Delete or edit the last part |
| “The proposed revision date falls after the tenancy’s move out date” | The New Start Date is after the move-out | Pick a date before the move-out |
| “The proposed revision date falls before the record’s start date” | The New Start Date is before the item starts | Pick a later date, or use Edit |
| “Cannot delete a rent due item which has payments assigned to it” (or “…which is marked as paid in full”) | A charge your change would remove has been paid | End the item, or review the rate, from after the last paid charge |
| “Cannot delete financial item as it is settled for the client” (or “…for the organisation”, or “part-settled”) | A charge your change would remove is on an approved owner settlement | Correct it with a charge or credit in Rent Collection instead |
| “No recurring data was created for the requested inputs” | The dates don’t produce any charge | Check the start and end dates and the move-out date |
| “Your data has been saved but there was an error that happened after saving…” | The change was saved, but the screen didn’t update | Reload the page; your change is there |
| “You do not have permissions to add the model for this organisation” (or “commit”, “delete”) | Your role can only view recurring items | Ask an admin for permission to change recurring items |