In any industry, competition brings innovation. But sometimes, it also brings noise. Misinformation, half-truths, and exaggerated claims can muddy the waters, leaving customers confused about what’s real and what’s just a cleverly crafted sales pitch.

At Clearing, we believe in letting results speak for themselves. While some paint innovations as if they were the creators of the idea, they often don’t realize they are many years late, scrambling to catch up. So, let’s set the record straight and bust some myths that may be floating around.

Myth #1: Clearing Lacks Industry Expertise

🚫 The Claim: Clearing lacks accounting expertise in the Short-Term Rental (STR) industry.

✅ The Truth: Clearing works closely with over 15 different CPA/bookkeeping firms, collaborating with experts who actively shape the product's development. Our team also includes accountant profiles who directly assist clients and bring vast experience in STR bookkeeping and trust accounting. Additionally, we have advisors who are CPAs and trust accounting experts that meet with our product team weekly to refine features and ensure we stay ahead of industry needs.

Instead of selling accounting services in-house, we empower CPAs and bookkeepers with the tools they need to better serve their clients. Unlike some who attempt to compete with CPAs, we actively support them as trusted partners, keeping them at the forefront of the industry.

Myth #2: Clearing Requires Specific Bank Accounts/Credit Cards

🚫 The Claim: Users must use Clearing’s bank partner instead of their own bank accounts/credit cards.

✅ The Truth: This is completely false. Clearing supports bank integrations in the U.S. and Canada (currently) and works with external bank accounts—not just our banking partner. In fact, we use the same bank aggregator as most FinTech softwares, but have multiple years of a head start working with these tools.

Over this time, we have developed robust, flexible integrations that handle banking errors, automation, and scalability—challenges that newer softwares haven’t even encountered yet. While some showcase staging environment demos of potential, we have been live, solving real problems at scale, for many years.

If you're evaluating software, always ask to see it in action, rather than relying on sales demos in controlled environments. A real solution should be working in the wild—not just in a sandbox.

Myth #3: You Don’t Need an Accountant with Other Platforms

🚫 The Claim: Some platforms claim their system is so easy that property managers won’t need an accountant.

✅ The Truth: The reality? Many property managers switch to Clearing because they find other systems confusing and difficult to use.

Our platform is designed for efficiency and ease of use, and many of our clients manage their finances independently without the need for outsourced services. Others, like AirSimplicity which manages 70+ Short-Term Rental properties, have reduced their accounting workload from 70-80 hours per month to just 10-20 hours, consolidating what used to require multiple people and a third-party service provider into a streamlined in-house workflow.

The claim that accountants are unnecessary is not only dangerous as a blanket statement, but also is often just a way to funnel users into overpriced service packages the company also offers. We believe in giving property managers control and transparency—without hidden fees down the line when things don’t go as planned.

Myth #4: Clearing Lacks STR-Specific Automation

🚫 The Claim: Other platforms automate STR-specific processes better than Clearing.

✅ The Truth: We’ve been building STR-specific automation for many years, while many are only now introducing basic transaction rules.

Clearing provides:

• Advanced transaction rules that adapt to property managers' needs.
• Expense management, leveraging AI for receipt and expense tracking.
• Booking reconciliation tools, ensuring accurate financial reporting.
• Automation for owner statements, financial statements and owner payments, centralizing the reporting and delivery process.

While some companies are promising future releases, we’ve already built, tested, and refined these features at scale. Innovation isn’t about announcing plans—it’s about delivering results.

‍Myth #5: Clearing Doesn’t Scale or Work Internationally

‍🚫 The Claim: Clearing isn’t built for global scalability.

✅ The Truth: We have deliberately focused on the U.S. and Canada to ensure that our core automation and scalability are rock-solid before expanding internationally. Further, we utilize the best in-class bank aggregation tools that would have the same limitations in any platform. Therefore, be sure to dig into the details if someone claims the ability to provide the same level of automation to US based clients as they would with their international clients. There are international limitations to bank aggregators, such as Plaid, which don’t just magically go away because a vendor using the aggregator creates content around it.

However, we already have started to support international clients using beta functionality, and we have a large waitlist of global users eager to come on board that we learn from while preparing our international launch. Unlike others who offer manual workarounds so they can claim to be “international,” we are focused on automation first—ensuring that when we fully open globally, the experience is seamless. If clients are okay with the some manual work processes, we wouldn’t turn them down… we are just sure to set the expectations properly so they make an informed decision on the software’s capabilities. It won’t be long till we fully open internationally and move this out of beta.

‍Myth #6: Clearing Lacks a General Ledger or Double-Sided Accounting

‍🚫 The Claim: Clearing doesn’t provide a complete general ledger or double-sided accounting.

✅ The Truth: Clearing has a flexible and scalable approach to revenue and expense categorization, ensuring property managers get the reports they need for trust accounting and financial oversight. Our system integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks Online (QBO), passing Chart of Accounts and asset allocation data, reducing the manual work needed for reconciliation in QBO.

Instead of recreating the wheel, we enhance and automate key financial workflows, allowing our clients to maintain complete accuracy and compliance without unnecessary complexity.

🔎 Want to see for yourself? Instead of taking uninformed words for it, ask to see Clearing in action—because real solutions speak louder than marketing spin.

‍Request a demo today.

‍Myth #7: Accounting Should Live in the Property Management Software

‍🚫 The Claim: PMS reporting covers all the functionality of Clearing’s system.

✅ The Truth: This is false. Property Management Software (PMS) can only do a portion of the reporting/functionality needed for true automation, compliance, and accuracy when it comes to accounting. Clearing centralizes multiple sources of financial information, including transaction details, booking details, and other financial tools/systems, to ensure complete accuracy in reconciliations and financial statements.Unlike PMS-based accounting, Clearing:

• Automates expense management and resolutions.
• Eliminates manual workflows, reducing human error and inaccuracies.
• Generates financial reports beyond just owner statements, ensuring compliance with trust accounting and tax regulations.
• Provides flexibility—if a property manager wants to switch PMS providers, Clearing’s centralized financial system ensures seamless transitions without data loss. If you centralize all financial reporting in a PMS, migrating this data will be a major headache.‍

‍How to Evaluate STR Financial Software Effectively

‍When evaluating software, don’t just take a competitor’s word for it. Here are some key tips to help you break through the noise:

✅ Ask to see it in action. A real product should be live—not just in a staging environment. Check the domain and make sure it is live in production.

✅ Check real client feedback. Not all “easy-to-use” claims hold up when actual customers weigh in.

✅ Look beyond feature announcements. Many platforms advertise upcoming releases as if they are already live. Make sure the complete functionality exists today.

✅ Prioritize automation. The best platforms are built for scale, reducing manual tasks rather than creating more.

‍Final Thoughts: Stay Focused, Let Results Speak

‍One thing is clear: true leaders don’t get distracted by noise from other industry players.

Some focus on building. Others focus on fabricating. Some innovate. Others mislead.

At Clearing, we stay focused on solving real problems. We let our product and customers speak for us. Because in the end, real solutions, not marketing spin, drive long-term success.

🚀 Want to see how Clearing can revolutionize your STR financial management?

‍Request a demo today.

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