If you’ve ever managed a property or have known someone who has, then you know that property managers have their hands full when the first of the month rolls around. This is because they have to sort through tons of paperwork and figure out which tenants have paid their rent and which ones have yet to pay. Then they also have to compare the payments made to the numbers on the paperwork to make sure that the tenants are paying the correct amount. On top of this managers have to put up late notices and eviction notices if tenants haven’t paid on time. This task can be very tedious for managers and there are several mistakes that can be made during it because of the amount of time required to do it. Luckily there is online software that managers can use to make the beginning of the month a lot less hectic.

One type of payment method that is used by some managers is an automated withdrawal system. Using this system managers don’t have to worry about collecting rent from everyone as the payments are taken out on the same day every month from tenant’s bank accounts. Tenants will have to give the manager their bank account number, routing number, and have to sign a consent form for the automated payments. Tenants that use this method don’t have to worry about making their rent payments every month. There can be problems every once in a while for the manager as some payments might be rejected due to insufficient funds. If this happens the property may be charged a fee by the bank that they will have to pass on to the tenant. Another problem for managers is that they can’t change the value of the rent. Therefore the managers will have to collect separate payments for utilities that change such as water.

Another easy payment method is by using a payment system that allows for credit card or debit card payments. This method can be slightly risky for management. This is because if a payment has insufficient funds the management might get stuck with a fee that is between 2 and 3 percent. The benefit of this system is that your tenants won’t have to run around to try to get money orders and they can do it quickly and effectively from their home. As a property manager you can benefit from this because all of the payments will be organized and you will have an easy to read record as to who paid their rent and on what day they paid it.

Finally you can also set up an online payment system where you use your bank account to pay your rent but it’s not automated. This system works best as there are no fees as there would be with credit cards.

The online software helps managers be more organized and makes their lives a lot easier. If they ever need to look up anything it’s all in the computer and very easy to do so.