An import file failed validation

Symptom

You upload a CSV to PropLink and the preview shows rows with errors that block the import.

Cause

The most common errors:

• Missing required columns. Each import type has required columns that must be present.
• Wrong column header names. Headers must match the template exactly.
• Invalid format. Postcode format wrong, email format wrong, date format wrong.
• Reference does not exist. A unit's site reference does not match a known site.
• Duplicate keys. Two rows with the same reference within the file.
• Encoding issue. Non-UTF-8 characters confuse the parser.

Fix

1. Download the template afresh from the relevant import page.
2. Compare your file's column headers against the template character-for-character.
3. Open the CSV in a plain-text editor to confirm UTF-8 encoding.
4. Fix each error row using the preview screen's error message.
5. Re-upload.

Prevent it next time

• Always start from the latest template download.
• Open the CSV in a tool that does not change encoding (avoid Excel for the final step; it can corrupt UTF-8).
• Validate references against an export of existing records.

Still stuck?

Contact PropLink support with the CSV file (with sensitive data removed) for a one-off import to be done on your behalf if the cause is unusual.