Multi-Housing News is an online news magazine for the multi-family industry providing current and complete news, information and analysis to industry leaders.  Each year they hold the MHN Technology Choice Awards to recognize the industry’s best technology companies providing payments modules, screening systems, property management software, security products and more.

To select the winners, Multi-Housing News holds an online vote and asks Property Managers, management companies and industry associates to decide which firms stand apart and should be recognized as outstanding technology providers.

This year, RentPayment has been nominated in the category of Resident Payment Systems.  Winning payment systems are to be chosen based on the following criteria: features/functionality, pricing/ROI, Ease of Use, Appeal to Residents, Contract/Licensing Terms, and Customer Support & Training.

RentPayment would greatly appreciate your support, and thanks to all of our clients and industry colleagues for your votes and support.

To vote, visit: http://www.multihousingnews.com/2011-technology-choice-awards/.

This year’s nominees include only the biggest and best multi-family Vendors.  In addition to Resident Payment Systems, the following categories are also awarded:

• Property Management Software
• Resident Screening Systems
• Internet Listing Services
• Telecommunications Providers
• Security
• Utility Management
• Lead Management
• Resident Portals
• Marketing Websites
• Mobile Apps
• Most Innovative Multi-Housing Technology

Win $500 just for converting residents to electronic payments!

Ultimately RentPayment is here to help Property Manager’s jobs easier. Electronic rent payment can help managers collect more on time payments and also means having to deal with less paperwork and manual record keeping for all incoming rental payments. We know that the managers who realize these benefits already work very hard to promote electronic payments at their communities and we’d like to reward them for their efforts.

The Community Incentive Contest is exclusive to RentPayment Property Managers and/or Community Representatives, offering a $500 prize to the representative who can collect the most points in April and May 2011! The contest begins April 1st and entrants have until May 31st to earn points and be eligible to win.  Points are earned based on the percentage of residents who use RentPayment’s online rent payment services during the promotional timeline.  Managers can also earn extra points for doing certain activities to promote online payment, including:   ordering/displaying marketing materials, posting on their Facebook or Twitter page, and making a short video about RentPayment at their community..

For more information on the promotion and how to earn points>>>

Breaking news in YapStone world!  RentPayment‘s sister company, VacationRentPayment has recently partnered with HomeAway,  the world’s largest vacation rental reservation website.  HomeAway makes it easy for customers to book vacation rental home and offers more than 540,000 paid vacation rental home listings across 120 countries.    This technology partnership is designed to change the way travelers book vacation rentals, allowing all reservations to be payed for electronically using VacationRentPayment‘s payment processing technology.   In sync with the company’s slogan, “Why hotel when you can HomeAway?”,  HomeAway’s goal in partnering with VacationRentPayment is to make booking a vacation home just as easy as booking a hotel online.

Learn more about the partnership and read the Press Release below:

YapStone to Provide Online Payment Processing to Homeowners Listing on HomeAway.com and VRBO.com  SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 9, 2011)

YapStone, Inc. the largest electronic payments-as-a-service (ePaaS) provider focused in property management – today announced a technology partnership with HomeAway®, Inc. – the world’s leading network of online vacation rentals. This agreement enables Yapstone’s VacationRentPayment™ to deliver credit/debit card acceptance, electronic check processing and integrated payment reporting to U.S. homeowners listing on HomeAway.com and VRBO.com.

Yapstone was founded in 1999 to create a payment-processing platform for property managers to easily accept credit cards and e-Checks for rent payments. YapStone, through its VacationRentPayment™ division will offer HomeAway.com and VRBO.com homeowners and property managers low-cost payment solutions fully integrated into an online reservation management dashboard.

“As the vacation rental industry evolves from personal checks to online payments, we knew our product would be a perfect fit with HomeAway,” says CEO of YapStone, Matt Golis. “We are thrilled to be a payment technology partner to HomeAway and we look forward to accelerating homeowner and traveler adoption for our electronic payment services.”

“By partnering with Yapstone, we will advance our strategy to create the best traveler experience, offering a seamless process for our travelers and our owners to pay and collect payments online”, says Brian Sharples, chief executive officer of HomeAway. “This is a major step to make booking vacation homes as easy as booking a hotel online.”

About YapStone
YapStone, Inc. is the largest electronic payments-as-a-service (ePaaS) provider focused in property management and several other bill payment industries. YapStone’s payment service processes billions of dollars annually, with an on-demand platform that offers Web-based and mobile technology to its clients. YapStone’s technology includes a unified, real-time reporting platform for check conversion, credit/debit card processing, and electronic check processing.

About HomeAway, Inc:
HomeAway, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is the worldwide leader in online vacation rentals, with sites representing more than 540,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout more than 120 countries.  HomeAway offers an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations. The company also makes it easy for vacation rental owners and property managers to advertise their properties and manage bookings online. The HomeAway portfolio of websites includes HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com in the United States; HomeAway.co.uk and OwnersDirect.co.uk in the United Kingdom; HomeAway.de in Germany; Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com in France; HomeAway.es in Spain; and AlugueTemporada.com.br in Brazil.

In addition, HomeAway operates BedandBreakfast.com, the most comprehensive global site for finding bed-and-breakfast properties, providing travelers with another source for unique lodging alternatives to chain hotels. For more information about HomeAway, please visit www.HomeAway.com.

Contacts:
Kiara Kempski
PR Manager
kkempski@yapstone.com

To celebrate Valentine’s Day – YapStone (RentPayment‘s parent company) held an inter-office fundraiser encouraging employees to donate to this year’s choice charity,  Save a Child’s Heart.   YapStone generously offered to match all donations contributed from it’s employees and in the one week donation timeline, the company was able to raise over $4,000!

All employees that contributed were featured on the Wall of Hearts, displayed in the YapStone San Francisco headquarters, pictured above.  Thanks to all employees who contributed!

Learn more about Save a Child’s Heart

Hope everyone enjoyed Fat Tuesday, I sure did!  I’ll be napping all day!

-Brody

A high paw to Anthony Jimenez!   Anthony was named as YapStone‘s Employee of the Quarter for Q4 2010.    He is currently the highest producing Account Executive for VacationRentPayment (RentPayment‘s sister company, processing vacation rental payments).  With a demonstrated track record, Anthony has had great success when selling VacationRentPayment’s business solutions to small and large size vacation rental management companies.

A certified California Real Estate Agent, Anthony also has experience in real estate, development and multifamily property experience as well.  He has also been a member of  the Vacation Rentals Manager Association since joining the vacation industry and prides himself on the contributions, ideas and leadership experience he has brought to the organization and looks forward to continuing.  He was a star football player and graduate of Columbia University in the City of New York, and is proud member of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend Indiana.

As a middle school teacher for 10 years, I would incorporate technology into my lessons, but more often than not, I would go by the book, both literally and figuratively. I knew that there was a huge opportunity to work in a tech related field, but I was happy as a teacher, and I didn’t have a broad background working with technology. After having taught for many years in the South Bay, I wanted to venture out and do something different, challenge myself and explore what this technology industry was all about. I was fortunate to find out about an opening at RentPayment for an Account Manager. I knew my attention to detail, teaching skills, and dedication to service would make me the perfect Account Manager.

While I didn’t know exactly what the job would entail, after working at RentPayment for four months, I’m extremely that happy I made the switch. I enjoy the client care aspect of RentPayment as well as training clients on how to use our services. We are rapidly progressing as a company and are introducing more ways to pay rent, such as with the iPhone app- RentPayment Mobile. The switch from teaching children to teaching adults has been fantastic! It amazes me on a daily basis how we are able to use technology to improve industries and the way people interact with money. The thought of paying rent online, by phone, text message, and more is incredibly convenient and easy for renters. But the real benefit is how much it improves the operations of a property management team. I enjoy being able to show Accountants, Property Managers, and Leasing Agents all the great ways RentPayment can benefit them. From in person credit card acceptance for Leasing Agents, to transaction summary reports with excel exports for Accountants we have a suit of resources to help their day to day operations. The switch from teaching education to teaching technology isn’t very different.   I’ve come to learn, that they are both all about educating the future.

If I were to grade Yapstone as a company both to work for and what it is capable of doing for residents and property managers, I’d give them an A+!

Written by:
Tony Maskell, Client Account Manager for RentPayment

Here at RentPayment we have an amazing team of Account Managers, Developers, and Client Care Representatives that help us serve our customers and clients 7 days a week. One of our amazing team members is Petrita Red, a Client Care Representative, that is making some pretty inspiring news. In the March 2011 issue of Health Magazine Petrita’s incredible 112lb weight loss story is profiled. Not only is Petrita the pack leader in phone support for RentPayment but she is also an inspiration to the team for her dedication to health and her amazing accomplishment.

A high paw to Petrita, for inspiring me to get my tail in gear. –Brody, Yap Mascot

For many of us (Generation X and older) the personal check as a payment method is something we grew up in managing our finances (“balancing our checkbook”). Despite the convenience of managing our finances online between bill payment (direct biller websites and online bank bill pay services) and personal finance tools (like Mint.com) checks are still necessary for most charitable contributions or paying for maintenance work at our primary residence (mowing, snow shoveling, pest control). In addition, there are those few renters that still haven’t signed up for RentPayment that may be living in the dark ages of paying their rent with a check as well.

In contrast, Generation Y who represents the greatest influx of new renters (particularly when unemployment goes down and they FINALLY move out of their parents’ house) has probably never owned, let alone carried a checkbook. That means that minus a special trip to 7 Eleven or the post office for a money order, the fastest-growing demographic of renters will not have a way to pay rent unless properties embrace electronic payments. The necessity of offering renters the ability to pay by mobile technology (RentByText, iPhone app, mobile-optimized version of payment screens) is driven by the way they communicate in their day-to-day lives. In addition, renters who have paid with a credit card or E-check in the past are shifting to using mobile devices and away from a desktop computer connected to the Internet.

Electronic payment acceptance is no longer a differentiating amenity for property management firms. Mobile payment options for rent and communicating with renters by text and email received on smartphones is the future for properties to efficiently collect rent and minimize delinquencies.
-Matt Golis – CEO and Founder, RentPayment (a YapStone company)

Meet Beverly, she was so excited to win $10,000. Watch her amazing surprise reaction and what she has to say about RentPayment!

It’s also interesting because she pays rent online for her daughter who is a college student and living at a student housing community.   More student housing communities should communicate directly with parents about rent payment options.  Having parents pay the rent online (rather then sending the money to their child and relying on them to bring in a paper check) is a great way to collect more on-time payments.

Enjoy!