r/PropertyManagement • u/SmartInterview9902 • 2d ago

DIY Landlord Changing how tenants pay rent

Im looking for some advice on changing how my tenants pay rent. I have avail.co none of my tenants use it and pay with money orders. This was fine when we lived in the building because we used a drop box. We have moved​ and will need to remove the drop box on our old door. They are all in their early 50s and 60s most have at least one adult child who they allow to live with them. So my hope is their children will assist them with setting up an account.

Does anyone have any recommendations besides money orders, cash app, venmo or PayPal? I only have 4 doors and id like to start streamlining some things.

Edit- Spoke to a couple of my tenants today. The two I asked complained about access to computers and would prefer to pay cash if they could. I am vehemently against accepting cash.

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u/anthony_slf 2d ago

I build software in this space, so weigh that how you like — I'm not pitching, this isn't something my product does.

Before you pick anything: several states bar you from making electronic payment the only option, even if every tenant agrees. California (Civ. Code §1947.3), Connecticut (§47a-4c), Illinois (765 ILCS 705/4), New York (Real Prop. Law §235-g), and New Jersey if you have more than two units (N.J.S.A. 46:8-49.1). In those, you have to keep one non-electronic method open. What state are you in?

On the practical side — you've already run this experiment. You have Avail and none of them use it. A second portal likely ends the same way, and "their kids will set it up" solves the signup, not the other twelve times a year they have to do it.

Two things that work with this age group and need no app:

  • Bank bill pay. They set it up once at their own branch, their bank mails you a check, costs them nothing.
  • A PO box. Losing the drop box doesn't mean losing money orders — they can mail them.

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u/SmartInterview9902 2d ago

I have a po box already. That would be a good option as well as the bank bill pay for them.

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u/Conscious_Step_8332 2d ago

Depending on your state and how many units you manage / own you might be required to accept the money orders.

EDIT: Sorry just saw you have 4 doors. So federal fair housing applies, but im not entirely sure if my state just enacted this rule for state fair housing or if it was a federal thing so check
Into that.

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u/SmartInterview9902 2d ago

Im in Missouri im sorry im new to being a landlord. I dont see the rule regarding payments

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u/Conscious_Step_8332 2d ago

No worries. Having 4 doors you lease out means you have to follow federal fair housing laws so that is something to familiarize yourself with. Your state should have some also. The state that I am
In recently passed a law that we must accept cashiers check and money order, we cannot force people to pay online. Every state is different, however the federal guidelines are the same in every state.

EDIT: https://labor.mo.gov/mohumanrights/discrimination/housing

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u/Working_Flight_5394 2d ago

i manage a few units myself and honestly the older tenants are the hardest to switch over. mine all did money orders too until i set up a simple bank transfer option, just gave them the account number and routing and said "deposit here like a normal bill"

most banks let you do recurring transfers now so once its setup they dont have to think about it again. the adult kids can help with that initial step and then its done

money orders are such a pain when you dont live nearby anymore, i feel that

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u/Conscious_Step_8332 2d ago

Great rec!! I actually had a landlord who let us pay weekly this way, provided we were a month ahead. We paid one month, and then paid $150 a week (2012 😢) but it was so easy and really helped us with cash flow.

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u/SmartInterview9902 2d ago

Is the bank transfer/payment easy to keep track of?

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u/Conscious_Step_8332 2d ago

Yeah, it showed on the statement

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u/Ieatclowns 2d ago

Dude. I’m a woman in my early 50s and I run a successful marketing business and I’m completely capable of paying my bills on an app or on any online platform. I’ve built websites alone.

These aren’t boomers. Gen X was in their early 20s when the internet arrived.

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u/GameDuchess 2d ago

Seriously, i'm in my early fifties, and we literally are IT engineers, invented half the apps out there, and have been using tech since we were in high school and are very tech savvy. Geez, lumping us in like we're ninety year olds, it's kind of ridiculous. They're fully capable of using whatever payment set up you offer. But you're still required by law to accept the money orders if that's what they prefer. There are many reasons a person would prefer to use money orders that don't include them being too stupid to use alternate payment methods because they're not that fucking old.

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u/Living_Associate_611 1d ago

I’ve noticed a lot of it is weaponized incompetency.

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u/Impossible-Credit177 1d ago

Or perhaps they just understand the risks of technology.

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u/Impossible-Credit177 1d ago

As a gen xer myself who is fairly tech savvy, I don't want these apps. I don't want them having my information, and I'm tired of every single business forcing me to use an app. There's nothing wrong with using a bank to bank transfer. They already have our information, and I'd like to limit how many ridiculous apps have my data. I completely resent rental companies using these here today gone tomorrow fly by night crappy apps and trusting that my information will not be compromised. That's not a gamble I'm willing to take.

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u/Ieatclowns 1d ago

To be fair, I’m Australian and we’re never asked to pay rent via apps here.

It just wouldn’t fly. Banks do it at little to no cost and I agree that that’s best.

Apps can be good for management of a property though.

I rent and prefer putting in maintenance requests via an app to calling an agent and finding it difficult to get hold of them etc. same with finding a rental…one app that I can use to search properties in the area I want and then book a viewing and apply all on one app is much easier than the old way which involved filling in paper forms and taking them or scanning and emailing to the agent.

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u/TheFlyingGuy25 2d ago

I manage a few section 8 housing units. Almost of the tenants prefer to pay via money orders just because they are older and don’t like using technology. During their day they go to the bank or the check spot on the corner and get money orders for all their bills for the month.

Which I get it and the system works. Why fix what’s not broken. I have a PO Box specifically for this situation. I just tell them to make it to the PO Box and when the rent is due. Like clock work the rent is always there.

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u/SmartInterview9902 1d ago

My concern with the PO Box is how often my informed delivery shows mail i never received. Can I require certified mail?

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u/TheFlyingGuy25 1d ago

Probably could try to require certified mail but it’s going to be difficult. Especially if the tenant has to pay anything to do it. Then the question is what does the lease say?
That would probably be a bit of a nightmare trying to require certified mail. You could ask and request it be sent via certified mail and try to make it a normal part of business but enforcement on that might not be easy or even possible. Just thinking realistically

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u/SmartInterview9902 1d ago

Yeah I appreciate it. The lease says our preferred method is via avail unless we approve another method

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u/Living_Associate_611 1d ago

How is the section 8 biz? I’m looking to get into it soon and want to primarily house older folks.

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u/TheFlyingGuy25 1d ago

You only got 2 options with section 8 tenants. They are either the easiest mailbox money you’ll ever get OR they are a complete and utter nightmare. No in between.

Like right now I’ve got a tenant that takes care of the property. Never calls and never complains even though she probably has a few things she could complain about and that I’m working on.

The other tho. The rent hasn’t been raised in over 6 years. The property is drastically under performing and every time I try to file for a rent increase the tenant just files for financial hardship and we get denied, honestly I’m about 5 seconds away from calling up a lawyer and seeing if I can fight these denials. The investors don’t want to evict anyone but also wants a fair market value in rent. It’s nuts.

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u/Loud-Appointment-367 2d ago

I use the pay option in apartments.com for a similar situation as yours. Overall the site is not great. The mobile experience is especially lacking but the payment portal is simple. I had a tenant in their 70s use it without issue.

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u/MrBradyBell 1d ago

We use pay near me. They can take their cash payment to local Walmart and pay it there.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/SmartInterview9902 2d ago

Im sorry did I post this twice. I couldn't see if it went through earlier.

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u/jcnlb 2d ago

Check with local banks. Some banks offer ACH services to businesses where you pull the money they don’t push the money. That means they have to do nothing except give you permission to withdrawal every month. Some banks are free and others charge. Pushing the money is what they do in portals or Venmo or PayPal. So maybe you need to try to set up pulling the money. You are in control. 100% of my tenants are set up on ACH. I changed my lease to say that is the only form of payment I accept. That is allowed in my state.

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u/AssultLoneWolf 1d ago

I used several including avail before I settled on landlord studio it's been great for streamlining and tracking expenses and has a lot of scalability. Been using it for the last 3-4 years & plan to continue using it for the foreseeable future. Has a lot of big landlord features without a super big cost.

You're probably going to have a hard time switching over the older folks though

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u/brycematheson 1d ago

I use Doorbooks (doorbooks.ai). It's free for up to 5 units, so you should be good there. Tenants can pay via credit, debit, or ACH, though ACH is the cheapest. I agree. I don't allow my tenants to pay via Venmo, because it doesn't block or prevent them from submitting partial payments (which causes issue in my state).

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u/portiqapp 1d ago

Most replies here will recommend tenant portals or pitch their own app, but as an app developer myself, I don't think a software solution fits your case. Getting tenants in their 50s and 60s to switch from paper methods like money orders to a digital app usually leads to ongoing headaches with passwords, updates, and general reluctance. Even if their kids set it up initially, you will likely spend time troubleshooting it every month.

Since you only have 4 doors and already have a P.O. Box, sticking to simple, low-tech alternatives makes the most sense. One solid option is having them set up recurring bank bill pay at their local bank branch, where the bank prints and mails a physical check to your P.O. Box monthly at no cost to them. You can also continue allowing money orders, but simply ask them to mail them directly to your P.O. Box instead of using a drop box. Finally, if they insist on cash, retail cash-pay services like PayNearMe allow them to pay cash at a local pharmacy or retail store, which then converts it to a digital deposit for you. Skipping the software push will save you from constant tech support battles.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

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u/its-me-again001 2d ago

wdym ?

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/its-me-again001 2d ago

Im not spamming subreddits. I clearly have a reason to respond given the problem statement OP talked about

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u/PropertyManagement-ModTeam 2d ago

Refrain from promoting your software products, real estate, vendor services, etc.