Security Deposit Management: Understanding Revela's Integration with Whale
Revela integrates with Whale, a modern security deposit management platform that automates the collection, holding, and return of security deposits. Whale is fully compliant with regulations in all 50 states. Through this integration, deposit data flows automatically between Whale and Revela, so your team doesn't have to manage the collection and return of deposits manually.
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What Is Whale?
Whale is a fully automated security deposit solution that replaces the traditional process of collecting, holding, and returning deposits by check or bank transfer. Residents hold their deposit in their own FDIC-insured Whale account, where it remains locked for the duration of their lease. Whale handles compliance and deposit returns so you don't have to.
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How It Works
The deposit lifecycle is broken into three stages:
Move-In
- Whale sends the resident an invitation to open and fund their account.
- The resident completes setup in about 3 minutes, connecting their bank via Plaid.
- Whale confirms receipt and the deposit status is reflected in Revela automatically.
Active Lease
- The deposit remains locked in the resident's FDIC-insured Whale account.
- Residents receive monthly interest payments and can withdraw earned interest at any time.
Move-Out
- You conduct your move-out inspection as normal within Revela.
- Whale deducts any applicable charges and transfers those funds directly to your bank account.
- The remaining deposit balance is unlocked and immediately available to the resident — no check, no waiting!
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What Revela Handles vs. What Whale Handles
| Revela | Whale | |
|---|---|---|
| Lease & resident data | ✓ | |
| Deposit collection & holding | ✓ | |
| Interest payments to residents | ✓ | |
| Move-out disbursements | ✓ | |
| State compliance & regulations | ✓ | |
| Deposit status sync | ✓ |
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Key Things to Know
- Minimal setup for your team. During onboarding, Whale's team will help you create a Whale account so your properties can be linked between our systems. From there, day-to-day deposit activity is reflected directly in Revela, though Whale's portal is available anytime you want a portfolio-wide view of your Whale-managed deposits.
- Residents benefit too! Deposits are held in the resident's own FDIC-insured account, where they earn interest and get their money back faster at move-out.
- Fully compliant. Whale is registered with the SEC and maintains compliance with security deposit regulations across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
- No bank? No problem! Residents without a traditional bank account can still participate in Whale. By paying their deposit in cash through MoneyGram, unbanked residents can fund their deposit requirement, and in doing so, gain access to their own FDIC-insured Whale savings account -- and become banked in the process!
- Whale is the resident's point of contact for any questions about their deposit account or interest earnings.
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Have Questions?
To learn more about enrolling in the Whale program, contact your Revela Customer Success representative. For questions about an active Whale account, residents can contact Whale directly through their platform.