How to set up autopay for rent
Autopay means rent gets paid on its due date every month without anyone remembering to do it — fewer late payments for you, one less thing to track for your residents. Here's how to set it up and how to bring residents along, whether they pay by card or bank transfer.
Before you start
- Online rent collection turned on (in Arbor Lane, that's payments running through Stripe).
- Each resident's rent amount and due date set on their lease.
- A way to invite residents to the resident app or portal.
The steps
- Turn on online payments. Before autopay, residents need a way to pay online. In Arbor Lane, payments run on Stripe and are on by default once you've connected your account.
- Invite your residents. Autopay is something each resident sets for themselves, so they need access. Send invites to the resident app or portal.
- Have residents enroll in autopay. From their account, a resident chooses a payment method (card or bank transfer) and turns on autopay. After that, rent runs on the due date every month.
- Confirm the first run. Watch the first autopay cycle to make sure each enrolled resident's payment goes through, and follow up with anyone whose card or bank details need fixing.
Common snags
- Low enrollment. Autopay only helps if residents turn it on. Make the ask when you invite them and again at lease renewal, and explain it saves them from late fees.
- A failed first payment. A card expires or a bank detail is off. The resident gets a notice to fix it; a quick nudge from you usually closes the loop.
- Mid-month rent changes. If rent changes, update the lease so the next autopay run charges the right amount.
How Arbor Lane helps
Arbor Lane collects rent through Stripe, lets each resident enroll in autopay themselves, and runs the charge on the due date every period — with a heads-up to the resident before it does. Payments reconcile to the right door on their own, so you're not matching deposits by hand.
Set it once, let it run.
Autopay is fewer late payments for you and one less thing to track for your residents, and Arbor Lane runs it on the rail rent already collects on. Start the trial yourself, today.
Rather talk it through first? See rental software · There's a human on the other end
Less time on the busywork. More on the people.