The hold investor funds feature allows accounts using the AppFolio integration to reserve owner funds for an approved maintenance estimate before the final expense is billed.

Important: Only owner approval of an estimate triggers the export that can create a fund hold in AppFolio. An estimate approved internally by a manager or team member does not trigger a fund hold.

1. Overview

The Export approved estimates to hold funds setting allows Property Meld to export an approved estimate to AppFolio so that AppFolio can reserve funds from the property owner before a maintenance expense is billed.

Property Meld does not hold the funds itself. Property Meld exports the approved estimate information to the linked AppFolio work order. AppFolio's own hold-funds functionality then reserves the funds on the AppFolio side.

This feature is only available for customers using the AppFolio integration.

Owner approval is required

The export that triggers the fund hold only occurs when the estimate is approved by the property owner through the Request Owner Approval process.

Using the internal Approve action as a manager or team member does not export the estimate for hold-funds purposes and will not create a fund hold in AppFolio.

2. Before you begin

Before using this feature, confirm the following:

• The AppFolio integration is enabled for your account.
• The Enable hold on funds when estimate is sent for approval  setting is enabled.
• The Meld is associated with a property linked to AppFolio.
• The estimate will be sent through Request Owner Approval, rather than approved internally by a manager.
• The Hold investor funds checkbox is available when requesting owner approval.

If you do not see the Hold investor funds checkbox when requesting owner approval, contact Property Meld Support to confirm that this option is enabled for your account.

To help prevent export issues, make sure the Meld and property are properly linked before requesting and receiving owner approval.

3. Enable the fund hold setting

To enable approved estimate fund holds:

1. Go to your AppFolio integration settings in Property Meld.
2. Locate the Enable hold on funds when estimate is sent for approval setting.
3. Select the checkbox.
4. Save your integration settings.

Once this setting is enabled, eligible estimates can be exported to AppFolio after the required owner-approval process is completed.

4. Request a fund hold on an estimate

To request that funds be held for an estimate:

1. Create the estimate in Property Meld.
2. Select Request Owner Approval to send the estimate to the property owner.
3. Select the Hold investor funds checkbox for that estimate.
4. Send the estimate to the owner for approval.
5. The property owner reviews and approves the estimate.
6. Once the owner approves the estimate, Property Meld exports the approved estimate information to AppFolio.
7. AppFolio's own system reserves the applicable owner funds.
8. When the Meld is completed and the bill is created, the fund hold is released in AppFolio and the bill becomes the actual transaction.

Do not use the internal Approve action if you want the estimate to trigger a fund hold. Internal manager or team-member approval does not export the estimate for hold-funds purposes.

5. Fund hold status

After an approved estimate is successfully exported to AppFolio, the approved estimate in Property Meld may display a fund hold status.

For example:

Fund Hold Status: Funds Held

This indicates that the approved estimate was successfully exported and AppFolio has held the related funds.

6. Estimate amount sent to AppFolio

The amount sent to AppFolio is based on the Meld amount, including any applicable markup.

This helps ensure that the amount held in AppFolio reflects the expected maintenance expense before the final bill is created.

7. When the Meld is billed

When the Meld is completed and the bill is created, the fund hold is released in AppFolio.

The bill then becomes the actual transaction for the maintenance expense.

This allows the estimate to reserve funds ahead of time while the final bill reflects the completed work and actual billing details.

8. If the fund hold does not happen

If an estimate has been approved but you do not see the expected fund hold in AppFolio, check the following:

1. Was the estimate approved by the property owner through Request Owner Approval?
   Only owner approval triggers the export. Internal manager or team-member approval does not.
2. Was the Hold investor funds checkbox selected when owner approval was requested?
   This option must be selected for that specific estimate.
3. Is the Export approved estimates to hold funds setting enabled?
4. Is the Meld linked to the correct AppFolio property?
5. Was the estimate sent for and approved by the owner after the applicable settings were enabled?

If everything above appears correct and the fund hold still does not appear, contact Property Meld Support so we can review the export.

Frequently asked questions

Does a manager approving an estimate internally trigger the fund hold?

No. Only owner approval through Request Owner Approval triggers the export that can result in a fund hold. Internal manager or team-member approval does not export the estimate for hold-funds purposes.

Is this available for all integrations?

No. This feature is only available for customers using the AppFolio integration.

Who actually holds the funds, Property Meld or AppFolio?

AppFolio does. Property Meld exports the approved estimate information to the AppFolio work order, and AppFolio's own system performs the fund reservation.

I don't see the Hold investor funds checkbox when requesting owner approval. What should I do?

Contact Property Meld Support to confirm that the option is enabled for your account.

The availability of this checkbox is controlled at the account level, so its absence does not necessarily indicate an error.

Does the exported estimate include markup?

Yes. The amount exported to AppFolio includes the Meld amount plus any applicable markup.

When are funds released?

Funds are released when the Meld is completed and the bill is created.

Can more than one approved estimate be exported for the same Meld?

Only one approved estimate should be exported per Meld.