Four workstreams move on independent schedules when leaving Baselane: rent collection, security deposits, OTA payouts, and the accounting feed. Each has its own cutover point, and moving one before the others are ready sends money to the wrong account during the next rent cycle.
The failure mode usually shows up two or three weeks after signup. A tenant's rent payment still routes to Baselane, an Airbnb payout lands in the account you're trying to close, or a security deposit notice misses the state-required lead time. The order you move these four things decides whether the first rent cycle on Relay reconciles cleanly.
Is this switch right for you?
The switch fits portfolios that want Relay handling banking while a rent collection tool such as TurboTenant or RentRedi handles tenant payments and a tool such as Stessa, QuickBooks Online, or Xero handles the books. If keeping rent collection and banking in one product matters more than deeper account structure, the move is probably not worth the setup work.
You will likely benefit from switching if you run any of the following:
Multi-LLC portfolio. Properties across two or more LLCs that you want to see side by side without commingling money.
Profit First or per-property allocation. Rent deposits that need to split automatically into tax reserves, maintenance reserves, and operating accounts the moment they land.
Existing tools to keep. Stessa, TurboTenant, RentRedi, QuickBooks Online, or Xero already running, with a banking layer that needs to work alongside them.
Per-card spending controls. Debit cards3 for contractors, cleaning crews, or property managers with per-card limits tied back to specific accounts.
If your portfolio is one or two properties and Baselane's bundled rent collection, banking, and bookkeeping cover everything without operational pain, staying put is the simpler call.
3The Relay Visa® Debit Card is issued by Thread Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
What you pay: Baselane bundle vs. the Relay stack
The TurboTenant or RentRedi + Stessa + Relay stack usually costs less per year than Baselane's Smart plan, with the trade-off being three logins instead of one. Pricing on both platforms changes, so confirm current rates on each provider's pricing page before making a final call.
A typical Baselane-style bundle for a small portfolio runs a few hundred dollars per year combined once you add up the paid Smart plan, premium rent collection features (faster payouts, autopay perks), bookkeeping add-ons, and any per-transaction fees on ACH or card payments. Some of that is sticker price and some shows up as fees on individual rent payments, but the all-in annual number is what matters for comparison.
The stack breaks down like this:
Relay (banking). No monthly maintenance fee on the standard plan, with paid tiers available if you want higher transfer limits or expanded features.
TurboTenant or RentRedi (rent collection). Low-cost landlord plans, with tenant-paid ACH on most tiers.
Stessa, QuickBooks Online, or Xero (accounting). Stessa offers a free tier with paid upgrades for advanced reporting; QuickBooks Online and Xero run as monthly subscriptions.
For a small portfolio, the stack frequently totals less per year than Baselane's Smart plan while adding multi-account structure, per-card spending controls, and a real general ledger on the accounting side. As your portfolio scales, the gap usually widens because Relay's account structure and Stessa's per-property reporting both stay flat in cost as you add doors.
When to time the switch
Schedule E continuity is the main reason to time the switch carefully. A mid-year move splits your property-level books across two systems for the same tax year, which adds CPA work at filing time.
The cleanest windows are the end of Q4 or the start of a new tax year. Every full month of rent, expenses, and OTA payouts for the new year then flows through Relay and your chosen accounting tool from day one, and the prior year stays whole in Baselane. If you can't wait that long, plan the switch around a clean month-end so partial-month reconciliation lives in one place.
Mid-year switches also affect 1099-NEC issuance for contractors paid from Baselane above the IRS reporting threshold (currently $2,000 as of 2026, up from the old $600 threshold; verify the current threshold on the IRS 1099-NEC instructions page before filing). You will need totals from both platforms when January filing rolls around, so export contractor payment history before closing the Baselane account either way.
Pre-migration checklist
Settling these decisions before you notify tenants makes the switch smoother. Fewer open questions at cutover lower the chance of missed payments or broken records.
Relay account opened and configured. Separate checking accounts for the income and reserve buckets you want to track, plus a shared operating account and a security deposit account.
Rent collection tool chosen. Pick the tool (most landlords making this switch land on TurboTenant or RentRedi) before you notify tenants so you can include enrollment instructions in their notice.
Tenant communication template prepared. Draft the notice with the switch date, new rent collection enrollment link, and instructions for stopping payments through Baselane's tenant payment portal.
Accounting tool decided. If you currently rely on Baselane's native bookkeeping for property-level P&L, decide whether Stessa, QuickBooks Online, or Xero will produce your Schedule E data going forward.
Historical data exported from Baselane. Pull transaction history as a CSV from the Transactions tab, your tenant ledger from the Rent Collection section, security deposit records from each lease, and contractor payment history for 1099 prep. Property tags, expense categories, and property-level P&L structure won't carry over to Stessa, QuickBooks Online, or Xero automatically, so plan to re-map categories on the accounting side after import.
Baselane card and bill pay status reviewed. Note which vendors get paid through Baselane's bill pay and which subscriptions or recurring charges hit Baselane debit or virtual cards. Each one needs a destination on the Relay side before you close the old account.
Baselane lending products checked. If you have an open Baselane line of credit, term loan, or any active financing through the platform, those facilities stay tied to the lender's terms and don't move with the banking. Confirm repayment routing before changing your operating account.
Settle each item on this list before you send the tenant notice so the rest of the migration runs on a confirmed setup.
Set up Relay before the cutover
Set up Relay before cutover so incoming payments have the right destination from day one.
Open and configure your Relay account. Apply online and build your account structure: separate checking accounts for rent inflows and reserves, a shared operating account, and a dedicated security deposit account. For multi-LLC portfolios, keep each entity's banking separate while using a structure that lets you see entities side by side.
Set up automated transfer rules. Configure Relay's automated transfer rules so each rent deposit or OTA payout splits a set percentage into your tax reserve, maintenance reserve, and operating accounts. If you use a Profit First-style setup, separate those allocation buckets before the money gets spent elsewhere.
Set up your chosen rent collection tool. Create tenant records in TurboTenant, RentRedi, or your other chosen tool, and designate your Relay checking account as the rent deposit destination. Run a test deposit before notifying tenants.
Notify tenants before you move money
Tenant notification has two separate parts: where rent gets paid and where security deposits are held. Some states require written notice for one, the other, or both, and missing either rule can create friction during the next rent cycle.
Send formal written communication 30 to 60 days before the switch date. Include the date of change, enrollment instructions for the new rent collection tool, and steps for stopping payments through Baselane's tenant payment portal. For security deposits, document the new account number and bank name so you can include them if your state requires deposit-location notification (covered in the next section).
Verify your state's requirements before sending, since some jurisdictions require a specific format or lead time, and keep a record of when each tenant received the notice.
Move security deposits first
Move security deposits before you close anything else. Tenant money cannot mix with operating cash even briefly during a transfer, and several states treat deposit location as a separately regulated detail.
Open a dedicated security deposit account in Relay, then transfer deposit balances from your Baselane account. Several states have statutes governing where security deposits must be held and what landlords must disclose to tenants about the deposit account, so a change in deposit location can trigger a new written notice requirement.
Check your state's landlord-tenant statute (or a current resource like the HUD tenant rights page for your state) before initiating the transfer, and add the new account number and bank name to the tenant notice if required.
Move payouts, payments, and records in order
Move payouts, payments, and records only after the new banking and rent collection setup is ready.
Update OTA payouts, vendor payments, and connections. Reroute Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com payouts to Relay. Update ACH details with contractors, insurance providers, and cleaning crews. Move recurring charges off Baselane debit and virtual cards onto Relay cards3 or ACH. Switch your bank feed connection from Baselane to Stessa, QuickBooks Online, or Xero.
Run both accounts in parallel for one full rent cycle. Verify expected rent deposits, OTA payouts, and contractor invoices land in Relay. Reconcile against your Baselane statements to catch missed routing updates.
Close or downgrade your Baselane account. Transfer any remaining balances and export final historical data for your records, including contractor payment totals for 1099 prep.
3The Relay Visa® Debit Card is issued by Thread Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
Common migration pitfalls
Most migration problems come from changing one workflow before the others are ready.
Missed rent payments during transition
Cause: Tenants received insufficient lead time or never enrolled in the new rent collection tool.
Fix: Provide 30 to 60 days' notice, send follow-up reminders 7 to 10 days before the switch, and run both collection paths during the parallel period if the new tool allows.
Security deposit commingling
Cause: Deposit money transferred into a general operating account at Relay instead of a dedicated account.
Fix: Open the separate security deposit account before initiating the transfer, and verify your state's notification requirements.
Direct deposit gaps
Cause: One or more OTA platforms, contractors, or insurance providers still routing payments to your Baselane account after the cutover.
Fix: Build a complete update list before the switch date and confirm each source has acknowledged the new routing.
Stranded card charges
Cause: Subscriptions or recurring vendor charges still hitting a Baselane debit or virtual card after the account closes.
Fix: List every recurring charge before cutover and move each one to a Relay card3 or ACH.
3The Relay Visa® Debit Card is issued by Thread Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
Accounting data discontinuity
Cause: Transactions came over but categories and per-property tags didn't, so your Schedule E view is broken.
Fix: Export transactions, categories, and per-property tags before closing the account, then re-map them in Stessa, QuickBooks Online, or Xero before the first month-end.
Each of these traces back to one workstream moving ahead of the others. Sequencing fixes most of them.
What to do after the first clean cycle
Once the first clean rent cycle runs, shift Relay from migration mode to ongoing operations.
Connect your accounting tool and map property classes. Link Relay to Stessa, QuickBooks Online, or Xero and map each account feed to the right property, class, or tracking code so Schedule E prep stays current throughout the year instead of piling up at filing time.
Issue team spending cards with per-card limits. Give contractors, cleaning crews, and property managers a Relay Visa® Debit Card³ tied to the right account so transactions reconcile to the correct property automatically when paired with Stessa properties, QuickBooks Online classes, or Xero tracking codes.
Set a weekly reconciliation check for the first 60 days. Review automated transfer rules and bank feed accuracy weekly. Catching a misrouted OTA payout in week two is far cheaper than catching it at month-end.
³The Relay Visa® Debit Card is issued by Thread Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted.
Run one clean cycle before closing Baselane
The switch from Baselane to Relay comes down to sequencing: tenant notice goes out first, security deposits move into a dedicated account, OTA payouts and vendor ACH details get rerouted, and the two accounts run in parallel for one full rent cycle. When that cycle reconciles without manual cleanup, the migration is done and Baselane can be closed or downgraded.
Relay's separate checking accounts, automated transfer rules, per-card spending controls, and Stessa, QuickBooks Online, and Xero connections give you the structure to keep rent, reserves, and operating cash easy to track once the move is finished. Open a Relay account to set up the banking structure before the next rent cycle begins.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to switch to Relay?
A short burst of active setup usually spreads across 3 to 6 weeks on the calendar. Opening the Relay account is the fast part, but tenant enrollment in the new rent collection tool usually determines the overall timeline. The more tenant communication, routing updates, and testing you finish before cutover, the smoother the switch tends to go.
Is Relay cheaper than Baselane?
For most multi-property landlords, yes. A typical Baselane bundle (faster rent deposit plus premium rent collection and bookkeeping add-ons) runs a few hundred dollars per year combined, while the TurboTenant or RentRedi + Stessa + Relay stack usually totals less per year on software cost, even before factoring in per-transaction fee differences. The trade-off is running three tools instead of one bundle. Confirm current pricing on each provider's pricing page before you decide, since rates change.
Does Relay have rent collection?
Relay handles banking, and a separate rent collection tool handles tenant payments. Landlords making this switch usually pair Relay with TurboTenant or RentRedi, though Apartments.com Rentals, Avail, Hemlane, and Innago are also common picks. Rent then flows into the chosen Relay checking account once the new payment setup is live.
What accounting tool should I use after switching from Baselane?
The three most common picks are Stessa, QuickBooks Online, and Xero. Stessa is purpose-built for real estate and offers a free tier with per-property P&L, plus Schedule E reporting on its paid Manage plan, which lines up well with what landlords lose when they leave Baselane's native bookkeeping. QuickBooks Online and Xero are general-purpose accounting tools that handle larger or more complex portfolios well, especially when paired with property classes or tracking codes.
How should you handle security deposits during the switch?
Open a dedicated security deposit account at Relay before transferring any money from your Baselane account. Keep deposit money separate from operating cash, and verify your state's notice rules before moving the balance. Deposit handling carries its own routing and recordkeeping risk, so it should move on a dedicated step.
Will my tenants need to do anything?
Yes. Tenants currently paying through Baselane's tenant payment portal need to enroll in your new rent collection tool and set up their payment method there. Send formal communication with clear enrollment instructions and follow-up reminders 30 to 60 days before the switch date, since some states require written notice when the method or destination of rent payment changes.
