Everyone knows being a property manager is far from easy, but certain changes can be adopted to facilitate one of a property manager’s most stressful duties—RENT COLLECTION.  The first change is simple:  get your community signed up and ready to accept online payments with RentPayment!  However, as many of our clients may know the next step proves itself a much more daunting task—how do you get residents to utilize online payment solutions and throw out those checkbooks?!

As some communities glide through this transition period and begin reaping the benefits of safe, efficient and easy online payments, others find it to be a bit more difficult to stimulate usage.  We want to help you reap the benefits, and in order to help you do so RentPayment has gathered a list of tools and practices that can boost usage in your community:

  • Advertise! The first step to getting your residents to use RentPayment is to tell them about it.  Whether you mention RentPayment in your community newsletter or take advantage of our free marketing materials, it’s crucial to inform your residents about RentPayment’s availability and the benefits it can provide.
  • Educate your team! It is extremely important that all staff members know about online payment options available including fees and channel options.  Residents will feel more comfortable transitioning away from paper check payments if they have a friendly and well informed staff guiding this transition by answering any questions or concerns they may have.
  • Remove the Drop Box! If residents need to make after hour payments, post a sign (where the drop box used to be) letting them know they can pay securely online with RentPayment.  Moreover, the rent drop box is not safe. There has even been recent stories in the news about drop box theft (read here), don’t let this happen to you!
  • Maximize your Online Presence! Add a link to your community website to take residents directly to your community’s RentPayment page.  Not only will this help residents make their way to RentPayment, but it also lets residents know their payment is safe and supported by your community.
  • Use Social Media! It’s free, easy and effective.  It’s safe to say the majority of your community’s residents have accounts on facebook, twitter, or foursquare, thus social media serves as a great channel for communication.  Start a page for your community and post links directing your residents to RentPayment, or post about the benefits of online payments and the available payment channels.
  • Rent21!  With Rent21, the Property Management Company absorbs the processing fee, so residents are able to use both offline and online payment options free of charge.  What better motivation is there for residents to transition to online payments than making it completely free of charge?

Using these simple steps to increase online payment participation will not only make collecting rent each month easier for you, but it will add a level of service your residents will remember and appreciate.  RentPayment is here to make everyone’s life easier, why not take advantage of it?