Handling the paperwork required for landlords can be time-consuming, not to mention confusing. If your records aren’t accurate, you could incorrectly file your taxes and face more than just cash flow problems.
Baselane, a free app for landlords, helps keep your income, expenses, tax records, and rent collection straight! The fintech app offers many opportunities for landlords, including free banking products that pay cash back, powerful reports, and opportunities to save money.
Check out my review below to see if Baselane is right for you.
What Is Baselane for Landlords?
Baselane is an all-in-one software program for real estate investors. Some of its top features include:
- Bookkeeping App
- Rental Collection Features
- Free BusinessChecking and Banking
Landlords can also monitor their rental and operating income and property performance.
Its features are meant to work together as an integrated platform, easing the typical stress landlords experience when balancing multiple programs or spreadsheets to manage their portfolios.
How Baselane Works
Baselane is a fintech app. This means they provide the technology and platform to manage your real estate portfolio, but any financial products come from their partner bank, Thread Bank.
Landlords can link their existing bank accounts on Baselane or open free bank accounts on Baselane, earning 4.19% APY and up to 5% cash back on debit card purchases. All information seamlessly integrates into the platform, which includes automated rent collection, simplified bookkeeping, and powerful reporting.
You can also get competitive quotes for landlord insurance, rental property, and equity loans.
Cost and Fees
Currently, Baselane is free for landlords. This includes Baselane banking, rent collection, and bookkeeping. They don’t charge monthly maintenance, account minimum, ACH transfer, overdraft, or bookkeeping fees.
You probably wonder how Baselane makes money if everything is free.
Here’s how.
They get commission or referral fees from business partners like property insurance companies or lenders. They also earn money when tenants pay rent with a credit card, and like most banks, they keep a percentage of the interest earned from money kept in the Baselane bank accounts.
Security
Baselane takes user security very seriously, including end-to-end encryption, to protect sensitive data. This means all data has protection from the moment it is collected through storage in the Baselane database.
Baselane also uses tokenization to securitize personal information. This allows them to store the token and not your individual data, reducing the risk of fraudulent activity and stolen data.
They also use identity verification before renters make payments, FDIC insurance up to $2.5 million per depositor through a deposit sweep program, and multi-factor authentication to protect accounts.
Customer Service
Baselane offers responsive customer service, allowing customers to contact them for support, including email, phone, and live chat.
Baselane also has a convenient help center with previously asked questions and the most important information customers need to use the program.
If you need to reach out to Baselane, they can be contacted using the following:
- Email: support@baselane.com
- Phone: 1-888-586-1618
Baselane’s Offerings for Landlords
Building a real estate portfolio takes a lot of work and capital, but Baselane makes it easier for investors to easily manage their portfolio with the following features.
Landlord-Designed Loans
Baselane works with Lendency to give real estate investors more capital to grow their real estate portfolio or make necessary home improvements to existing properties.
Real estate investors can apply and have an answer in seconds, receiving funding in as little as ten days. There’s no income verification required, and loan amounts are available from $55K to $2 million.
If you already own real estate and want to borrow from its equity, they offer LTVs up to 75% and require a minimum 680 credit score. Lendency offers loans to buy, refinance, or cash out on a home’s equity.
Free Business Checking
Baselane’s free business checking helps landlords make the most of their earnings with no fees and a high APY.
It comes with check-writing abilities, same-day ACH transfers, and physical and digital debit cards with spending controls.
Baselane also offers virtual accounts that you can use however you need, but some common ways are to monitor security deposits, watch a property’s operating costs, or start saving for home improvements on a specific property.
Cash Back
Baselane Banking offers the opportunity to earn cash back on purchases made with the Baselane Banking debit card. Members can earn up to 5% cash-back on home improvement purchases up to $2,000 per calendar year and 1% cash-back on all other purchases. There is no limit on the 1% cash-back earnings.
Interest
Baselane Banking pays 60x the average national bank APY, paying members 4.19% on any balance. However, the rate is variable and can change at any time.
Bookkeeping App
If bookkeeping is the last thing you want to do as a landlord, Baselane may be just what you need. Not only is it free, but it will track your expenses and income. At tax time, you can create a free Schedule E too.
The app doesn’t automatically upload information from the year, though (it only works with certain apps), so this part may be best saved for the start of the new year.
Online Rent Collection Feature
If you dread the days of calling for rent payments or knocking on tenants’ doors, Baselane makes it easy. Baselane sends automatic reminders to tenants so you can minimize late payments or the need to track down the money.
You can deposit funds in your Baselane banking account or any other account not associated with Baselane for free. You’ll receive alerts when rent is paid, and you can access the funds, usually within two business days.
Cash Flow Statement
Cash flow is the key to running a profitable real estate investment portfolio. You no longer have to chase down receipts or spend hours burning the candle at both ends trying to make heads or tails out of your accounting.
Baselane automatically tracks income and expenses, providing the necessary information, including cash flow, income statements, and expense records. Within minutes you can have visual graphs and reports ready for your review to help you make important business decisions, including tax reports, saving many headaches at tax time.
Rental Performance Dashboard
Baselane mimics many apps available for stock and crypto investors that provide a dashboard that gives investors an eagle-eye view of their investments’ performance. Baselane is the equivalent, allowing landlords to see with a few clicks how their properties are performing, helping them make decisions about their next moves.
Insurance
Baselane helps landlords save money on the protection they need. Property insurance is a must, but it can decrease profits quickly. At Baselane, you can see if you qualify for affordable rates, saving yourself hundreds of dollars a month.
It’s free to apply, and there’s no commitment or pushy sales call to avoid. If you already have property insurance, Baselane helps you switch, and they claim they save the average landlord 25% on insurance costs.
Lines of Credit
If you have properties with a lot of equity, Baselane partnered with Lendflow to help you access the cash for home improvements or to grow your real estate portfolio. Getting a quote on loans up to $10,000,000 with revolving terms takes seconds.
Baselane also offers short-term loans, receivables advances, and various other financing options with competitive rates and terms.
New Features on the Horizon
Baselane is always trying to improve its offerings. Soon, they’re offering:
- Tenant Screening: Including a credit and background check
- Built-in Platform Communication: Allowing landlords and tenants to communicate seamlessly
Features for Renters
Baselane isn’t just for landlords; renters receive benefits too, including:
- Payments: Renters can receive reminders about upcoming rent payments, use any payment method to pay rent (credit cards incur a fee), and manage their leases. The feature is free for renters and allows them to easily track rent payments and keep track of the payment information for tax time.
- Renter’s insurance: Landlord’s insurance covers the structure and liabilities but not a tenant’s personal belongings. Baselane helps you find affordable renter’s insurance to help you limit liabilities and losses for less than $10 a month.
Pros and Cons
Like any new fintech app, there are pros and cons to consider when using Baselane’s free app for landlords and renters.
Pros
- 100% free for landlords and renters
- Free banking with lucrative rewards, including cash-back
- Large fee-free ATM network with 55,000+ ATMs
- Automated rent collection
- It makes filing taxes easier
- Offers financial reports in minutes
Cons
- Doesn’t offer tenant screening (yet)
- The 5% cash-back offer is limited to $2,000 annual spend
- Tenants pay a payment processing fee to use a credit card
Baselane Customer Reviews
It always helps to hear what real people say about new fintech apps. Here’s what two Trustpilot reviewers had to say.
From a Satisfied New Customer:
“A time saver! Very easy to set up, and the high interest-rate banking account makes it a winner. The customer support team was very responsive to every question I had.”
“I love how intuitive it is to learn. It is robust enough to serve my needs, yet easy and intuitive to learn. They have been rolling out new features and updates regularly. I am using it for my personal properties (7). And I look forward to moving over the properties I manage under my property management brokerage.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Baselane is a one-of-a-kind fintech app that promises to make running a real estate portfolio much easier.
Is Baselane Worth It?
Baselane helps landlords keep all their financial information in one place. The app is free, so you don’t have much to lose, and if you take advantage of the free banking options or can get competitive rates on loans or insurance, it could be well worth it for investors.
How Do I Contact Baselane?
Baselane offers three methods of contact: email, phone, and live chat. They are available from Monday to Friday, 7 AM to 5 PM EST, by calling 1-888-586-1618 or emailing support at support@baselane.com any time.
How Does Baselane Compare to Competitors?
Baselane is in a league of its own because of the banking features it offers. However, some landlord alternatives offer other features, such as tenant screening and the opportunity to advertise available properties for rent.
Which app is best for you depends on the features you need. If you want your banking, rent collection, bookkeeping, and report creation all in one place, Baselane may be what you need.
Does Baselane Offer a Free Trial?
Baselane doesn’t need to offer a free trial because the app is 100% free. The only charges anyone pays are renters if they pay with a credit card or landlords who take advantage of special insurance or lending offers.
Is Baselane Best for You?
Baselane offers landlords many features, all for free. Setting up takes only a few seconds, and you’ll have a clear picture of your income, expenses, and other financial information within minutes.
You have nothing to lose to try the app and see if it’s right for you. As long as you can overlook the lack of tenant screening (for now), and if you take advantage of their free banking products, you might find that Baselane is what was missing from your real estate business.
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