Rental clients with clean books. Conversations that keep them yours.
Tethered is a bookkeeping app for rental owners, available only to clients of our CPA partners. They log as they go all year, then hand you a tax-ready report with every number, every receipt, and a short list of questions for you. Less chasing in March, more time advising.
- Totals organized by Schedule E line
- Depreciation and carryovers tracked year after year
- Every judgment call sent to you, not decided for you
- Free for you and your clients
- Your name and logo
- Clients by your invitation
What your clients see once they're linked to you: your name on every question, your answers in their books.
Everything you'd ask for, before you ask.
Each property gets its own year-end report as a PDF and a spreadsheet, kept year after year so nothing starts over when you pick up a new client.
| Line 3 | Rents received | $61,500 |
| Line 9 | Insurance | $2,412 |
| Line 10 | Legal and professional fees | $650 |
| Line 14 | Repairs | $552 |
| Line 16 | Taxes | $5,980 |
| Line 17 | Utilities | $1,611 |
| Line 18 | Depreciation | $24,601 |
| Expenses and depreciation | $36,214 |
A sample report from our demo property. Some lines left out to keep it short.
Clients who understand their numbers value the advisor who explains them.
Tethered shows owners what their deductions are worth and what they'll likely owe. Where a choice calls for professional judgment, it doesn't guess. It writes the question down, shows what's at stake, and tells your client you'll know what's right for them.
- Every judgment call goes to you. De minimis, bonus depreciation, partial dispositions, the small-taxpayer safe harbor: flagged for your expertise, never decided by software.
- They see what your expertise is worth. "Up to $4,395 in tax savings. Dana will look into this." Your client walks in knowing your advice pays for itself.
- Fewer surprises, fewer reasons to shop around. A running tax estimate all year means the bill in April is the one they expected.
- De minimis electionNew refrigerator, $1,450. Can we deduct it in full this year?~$371
- Partial dispositionFull roof replacement, $18,500. Can we write off what was left of the old roof?~$4,395
- 1099s3 payees were paid $600 or more. Which need a 1099?
- Estimated paymentsTax owed so far is about $3,100. How much should we pay each quarter?
You make the call on each one, your answer is recorded in their books, and next year starts from your decisions.
A property management company that works with CPAs, not around them.
We're Tethered Properties, a full-service property management company in Los Angeles County. We built Tethered to keep the books for our own family's six-unit building. Few property managers coordinate with their owners' CPAs. It's how we run every property, and it's why we'd like to know you.
When a client is ready to hand off the day-to-day running of a property, we'd be glad to be the manager you recommend. You stay their advisor, and we keep you informed all year.
Good to know
Does Tethered give tax advice or prepare returns?
No. It's a bookkeeping tool. It totals the numbers, keeps the schedules, and shows estimates so owners understand their year. Anything that's a judgment call is written up as a question for you. You prepare and file the return.
Why invitation only?
So every client has a CPA in the loop. The app flags judgment calls instead of deciding them, and that only works when there's a professional to answer. It also means the clients who find Tethered through our partner search come to you.
What does it cost my clients?
Nothing. There's no trial, no card and no limit on properties. We're a property management company. Some owners eventually ask us to manage a property, and that's how we make money. Your clients never have to.
How do I see a client's books?
Clients you invite share their books with you from the start, and can turn it off any time. Clients who already use Tethered can accept your invitation to connect, or invite you from a property. You sign in with a code sent to your email; there's nothing to install. You can see every entry and receipt, download the reports, answer their questions and correct their tax settings, but never change their entries.
Can my staff have their own logins?
Not yet. Each firm signs in with the email it applied with, using a code sent to that inbox. Separate logins for staff are on our list; if your team needs them, tell us and we'll move them up.
Can I import the numbers into my tax software?
Each client's year-end package has a PDF and a spreadsheet organized by Schedule E line (with a Form 8825 summary for multi-member LLCs), plus a QuickBooks import file. There's no direct import into Drake, Lacerte, UltraTax or ProConnect yet; you enter the Schedule E totals from the report's first page. If a direct import would help, tell us which software you use.
Is my clients' data safe?
Connecting a bank is optional for clients, and read-only: they sign in through Plaid, and Tethered never sees bank passwords. Each account can only see its own properties and those shared with it, and receipts are kept in private storage. Clients decide who can view their books, and can download everything or close their account at any time.
Does it handle LLCs and multiple owners?
Yes. Each property records its owners and their shares, splits estimated tax by owner, and produces a Form 8825 summary for multi-member entities.
Which areas do you manage properties in?
Los Angeles County, from single-family homes and small multifamily buildings to commercial space. The bookkeeping app works for rental owners anywhere in the US.
Let's work together
Tell us a little about your practice. We'll reply within one business day to set up a short call, and we're happy to send a one-page overview you can share with your clients.