Product boundaries # Archive, Delete, or Downgrade: What Happens to Rental Records? Archive preserves rental history, permanent delete removes it, and a downgrade limits future actions without erasing existing records. August 22, 2026·6 min read·By HostHours ![A field-guide illustration of a caretaker choosing between an active shelf, an archive box, and a closed disposal bin](/_astro/archive-delete-downgrade-rental-records-hero.CuGS6gOH_Ze54Tn.webp) ## Summarize with AI [![ChatGPT icon](/icons/ai/chatgpt.svg)ChatGPT](https://chat.openai.com/?q=Please+read+this+article+and+summarize+the+key+points%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhosthours.app%2Fblog%2Farchive-delete-downgrade-rental-records%2F)[![Google AI Mode icon](/icons/ai/gemini.svg)Google AI Mode](https://www.google.com/search?q=Please+read+this+article+and+summarize+the+key+points%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhosthours.app%2Fblog%2Farchive-delete-downgrade-rental-records%2F&udm=50&aep=11)[![Claude icon](/icons/ai/claude.svg)Claude](https://claude.ai/new?q=Please+read+this+article+and+summarize+the+key+points%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhosthours.app%2Fblog%2Farchive-delete-downgrade-rental-records%2F)[![Perplexity icon](/icons/ai/perplexity.svg)Perplexity](https://www.perplexity.ai/search/new?q=Please+read+this+article+and+summarize+the+key+points%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhosthours.app%2Fblog%2Farchive-delete-downgrade-rental-records%2F)[![Grok icon](/icons/ai/grok.svg)Grok](https://x.com/i/grok?text=Please+read+this+article+and+summarize+the+key+points%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhosthours.app%2Fblog%2Farchive-delete-downgrade-rental-records%2F) Archive, delete, and downgrade answer different questions. Archive changes whether a property is active. Delete removes data. Downgrade changes which new actions a plan allows. Choosing the wrong one can turn a routine portfolio change into a destructive decision. The safest approach is to decide what should happen to the history before touching the control. Action Existing history New work Can the action be reversed? Archive a property Preserved and readable Stopped while archived Yes, through Restore when the plan allows Permanently delete a property Removed with linked tax years, records, and evidence No No archive restore path Downgrade a plan Preserved, including excess history Limited by the new plan Access can change again through the store plan ## Archive when the property should become history In HostHours, Archive applies to the physical property identity and all of its tax-year workspaces. An archived property remains readable, but it does not accept new records. That makes archive appropriate when a property has been sold, management has ended, or the owner wants it out of the active working set without removing prior records. The property can be restored later if the current plan has room for it. At least one property identity must remain unarchived. Archiving does not turn a tax-year workspace into another property, and starting a new tax year is a different action. Successive years for the same physical property remain linked to that identity. Before archiving, finish any pending synchronization and check attachment status. Archive is nondestructive, but unresolved local work should still be reconciled while the property is active and recent. ## Delete only when removal is intentional Permanent property deletion requires explicit confirmation because its scope is broad. It removes the physical property identity, every associated tax-year workspace, activity records, and linked evidence. Do not confuse that action with deleting one ActivityEntry. A record deletion has a brief Restore record option immediately after the action. That short undo does not describe permanent property deletion. Also separate property deletion from account deletion. Deleting the account is broader. Its supported backend flow removes server data and Storage objects, fences off writes already in flight, clears the local workspace and evidence queues, and clears account-scoped drafts and calendar selections. Account deletion does not automatically cancel a subscription purchased through the App Store or Google Play. Cancellation remains a separate store or customer-center action. HostHours reminds the user of that difference before account deletion completes. If the goal is to reduce clutter or fit a smaller plan, permanent deletion is usually not the first control to reach for. Archive and historical-only access preserve more options. ## Downgrade limits future actions A downgrade is not a cleanup job. Existing records do not disappear because the new plan has a lower limit. Existing evidence stays visible. A portfolio larger than the active-property allowance remains readable, and Export My Data remains available. The plan controls what happens next: * Essential can keep up to three active physical properties. * Free can keep one active physical property. * Excess properties can remain as historical-only properties. * The Free allowance of 15 saved records applies to the current number of records and future saves. * New attachment uploads follow the new plan’s limit, while existing files are not deleted. * New premium actions such as provider Voice, reviewed import, Calendar Recall, or full packet generation remain unavailable without the required entitlement. The active-property selection matters after a downgrade. Choose the property that still needs ongoing entries. Keep the others readable until a later plan change or a deliberate archive decision. There is one difficult offline edge case. A property created only on the device before the downgrade may never have reached the server. The server cannot verify that it predates the entitlement change, so synchronization fails closed. The documented options are to restore the prior plan or export the local workspace, not silently grant an uncertain exception. ## Export before a destructive change Export My Data remains available on every plan and after downgrade. It creates a portable JSON containing account and workspace facts such as properties, entries, participants, categories, reviewed months, and evidence metadata. The export does not embed original binary evidence files or old generated reports. Before permanent deletion, confirm how you will retain any original photos, PDFs, or other files needed outside the app. A simple pre-deletion check is enough: 1. Confirm whether archive would meet the actual goal. 2. Wait for pending sync and attachment operations to finish. 3. Export the workspace data and preserve needed original files. 4. Check which physical property and tax years the confirmation names. 5. Review the store subscription separately if deleting the whole account. ## Choose the action by its consequence Archive keeps history and stops new work. Downgrade keeps history and narrows future access. Permanent delete removes the selected property and its linked data. Pause at the confirmation screen and read the scope, especially when several tax years share one property identity. A quiet record lifecycle is one where the reversible option is used first and destructive removal is unmistakable. HostHours provides recordkeeping and data-management tools. It does not prescribe how long a user must retain records for tax, legal, insurance, or business purposes. Clear answers ## Frequently asked questions Does archiving a rental property delete its records or evidence?+ No. Archive preserves all tax-year workspaces for the physical property as readable history while stopping new records until the property is restored. Does a HostHours subscription downgrade erase records above the new limit?+ No. Existing records, evidence, and a larger portfolio remain available as history. The lower plan limits future saves, uploads, premium actions, and active properties. Can a permanently deleted property be restored from the archive screen?+ No. Restore applies to an archived property. Permanent property deletion is a separate destructive action that removes the property identity, its tax years, records, and linked evidence. Does deleting a HostHours account also cancel the store subscription?+ Not automatically. Account deletion removes account data through a separate confirmed flow. Subscription cancellation remains a store or RevenueCat customer-center action. ## Related guides * [![A field-guide illustration of an open rental-work packet with organized records and visible empty spaces still needing review](/_astro/hosthours-packet-ready-or-draft-hero.DawlWx6-_1LxbR8.webp) What Makes a HostHours Packet Ready or DRAFT? ](/blog/hosthours-packet-ready-or-draft/) * [![A field-guide illustration of an owner recording water-heater work at a remote rental property beyond reliable cellular coverage](/_astro/offline-rental-property-visit-hero.C_pNJtqn_ZP3Veh.webp) What Works Offline During a Rental Property Visit ](/blog/offline-rental-property-visit/) * [![An illustrated rental cabin with a work notebook, timer, repair photo, receipt, tools, and organized folder](/_astro/rental-property-work-log-hero.DTe3lpHH_16EGhK.webp) How to Build a Rental Property Work Log You’ll Actually Keep ](/blog/rental-property-work-log/) [← All HostHours guides](/blog/) Source: https://hosthours.app/blog/archive-delete-downgrade-rental-records/