Should Landlords Use Automated Rent Collection?

A lot of things have gone electronic over themiles as well as improve your credit score by
years as the internet has become more securemaking payments on time.
and safe. More than 80% of car loans andAnother benefit for tenants is the fact that it can
mortgages are paid electronically and a great dealhelp reduce simple errors. Everyone has had a
of people shop online using their credit card.payment slip their mind from time to time. By not
Surprisingly, most landlords continue to collecthaving to remember to pay because the rent is
tenant checks as less than 5% of rents areautomatically withdrawn from your account, you
collected electronically.never run the risk of paying late.
As with most things in life, there are pros andThe primary con to be aware of when using
cons to using automated rent collection as aautomated rent collection instead of collecting a
landlord. First, it will help reduce late payments bytenant check is that the tenant may not have
as much as 75%. While it varies from oneenough in their account. Sometimes people live
complex to the next, on average there is acheck to check and when they receive their
2%-3% delinquency on non-electronic payments.paycheck on the first, it takes a day to process
By placing tenants on automatic recurringinto their account. As a result, they do not have
payments, it will also eliminate possible delays withenough money to afford rent by the first.
mail delivery.However, with the four or five day grace period
Another advantage for landlords is that it willthey can get rent in.
lower administrative overhead by up to 10%. ByNot only is this a negative for the landlord, but it
eliminating the need to collect and deposit checkscan put the pressure on the tenant as well. If
to the bank, it will free up your schedule andthey are late on rent month after month, this will
eliminate the waiting time to get the money.lower their credit score over time and can lead to
Believe it or not, this can actually reduce the needmany more problems in the future.
for more personnel in regards to rent processing.Collecting tenant checks seems to be the
There are advantages for the tenant as well byconsistent route most landlords take today, but
eliminating tenant checks. With the use of a creditgoing automatic certainly has its upsides. And with
card, the tenant can take advantage of creditterrific sites like and available to choose from, it
card rewards. It can translate into frequent flyercan help smooth over the process.