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If you’ve ever managed a property or have known someone who has, then you know that property managers have their hands full when the first of the month rolls around. This is because they have to sort through tons of paperwork and figure out which tenants have paid their rent and which ones have yet to pay. Then they also have to compare the payments made to the numbers on the paperwork to make sure that the tenants are paying the correct amount. On top of this managers have to put up late notices and eviction notices if tenants haven’t paid on time. This task can be very tedious for managers and there are several mistakes that can be made during it because of the amount of time required to do it. Luckily there is online software that managers can use to make the beginning of the month a lot less hectic.

There’s an automated withdrawal system that some managers use. This system is very simple and effective. It’s similar to setting up a monthly payment for anything else. The system will take the rent out of the tenant’s bank account automatically on the first of every month. The tenants have to give their bank account information to the manager for this to work. Usually both the routing number and checking account number are required for the process to work. This is convenient for tenants as they don’t have to worry about getting money orders to pay their rent and the rent comes out on the same day every month for the same amount. For tenants that forget to pay their rent this system is very helpful. However there is one downside to it. The system doesn’t allow for you to change the amount that comes out every month. Thus you’ll have to charge your tenants for water and trash separately. In some cases the system is a downside for management as some tenants may not have sufficient funds which can potentially cause fees for the management.

Another easy payment method is by using a payment system that allows for credit card or debit card payments. This method can be slightly risky for management. This is because if a payment has insufficient funds the management might get stuck with a fee that is between 2 and 3 percent. The benefit of this system is that your tenants won’t have to run around to try to get money orders and they can do it quickly and effectively from their home. As a property manager you can benefit from this because all of the payments will be organized and you will have an easy to read record as to who paid their rent and on what day they paid it.

Finally there’s another form of online payment that tenants can do as well. Rather than setting up a monthly automated payment they can use their bank accounts to pay their rent at their disclosure. This may be more convenient for both parties. Managers won’t have to worry about the fees associated with credit cards and automated payments. Also the payments will be neatly organized for managers. Tenants won’t have to worry about forgetting that they have an automated payment setup and they don’t need a credit or debit card.

Both types of online payment systems can be very handy for managers as they automatically record when a tenant paid, how much they paid, and several other pieces of information if setup correctly. Using an online payment system can save landlords a lot of time and effort as well as make it easier on the tenants to pay their rent.

Layla Vanderbilt is the content coordinator for a leading property management software review website which connects people with the leading property management tools.