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Switching accountants takes about four weeks and one action from you: telling your current accountant you are leaving. Everything else, the records request, the software setup, the catch-up, happens in the background. The switch feels hard. It rarely is. Staying with the wrong-fit accountant is what actually costs you, and it costs you in money and years, not weeks.
We move property investors onto our books regularly, and the fear is always the same: that it will be messy, awkward, or that they will be stuck chasing paperwork. Here is what really happens.
The one thing you have to do
Thank your current accountant for their support and let them know you are moving. That is it. You do not have to collect your own records, fight for files, or manage the handover. We do that for you.
The four-week handover, step by step
Once you have cleared our anti-money-laundering (AML) checks, it goes like this:
- Week 1. We send a professional clearance request to your current accountant. They are professionally obliged to release your records, and they usually do within two weeks.
- Week 2. While they gather your records, we set you up in Xero, or move you across from whatever software you are on now (and if you had no software at all, we set it all up from scratch), and connect your bank feeds.
- Week 3. We catch your bookkeeping up to current. If there is a backlog, we quote it up front, so you know the cost before we start. No surprise fees.
- Week 4. You are current. The new monthly rhythm begins.
There is more happening behind the scenes, mostly technical, like getting authority to act as your agent with HMRC. None of it needs to worry you.
What if the old accountant drags their feet?
Sometimes they do. We have had records take longer than they should. It does not stop us starting. Your new monthly rhythm begins on day one regardless of how fast the old paperwork moves, because we rebuild from your bank feeds and your own documents while the formal records catch up.
Why staying costs more than moving
The wrong setup quietly costs money every year: tax reliefs missed, structure left unadvised, questions that never get a straight answer. Four weeks of mild admin against years of that is not a close call.
Already on Xero but the file’s a mess? These are the 5 bookkeeping mistakes we see in DIY property Xero setups.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to tell my current accountant I’m leaving?
Yes, and it is the only thing we ask you to do. A short, polite message is enough. We handle the formal clearance request and the records transfer.
Will switching mid-year cause problems with my tax return?
No. We pick up wherever you are in the year. If there is a backlog to clear, we quote it before we start so there are no surprises.
Do I need to be on Xero to switch to you?
No. If you are already on Xero we take it over. If not, we set it up and connect your bank feeds as part of the handover.
Thinking about moving but not sure it’s worth the hassle? It is, and it’s easier than you think. Book a free discovery call.
