Online Payment Processing | Overview and FAQ
Online Payment Processing is available using merchant accounts through our integrated partnership with csgForte Merchant Processing Services.
✨ Continue reading this article to learn more details about online payment options or Jump to Application Process
We recommend that you apply for this service if:
- You process more than 5 transactions a month
- You are wanting funds to deposit quickly
- You want to offer tenants online payment options
- You want to receive application fees online
- You want to pay vendors and contractors electronically by ACH
- You want to pay owner disbursements or allow owner contributions via ACH
- You want the flexibility to charge your own convenience fees for ACH and credit/debit card payments.
✨ Frequently Asked Questions about Online Payment Processing in Rentec Direct
✨If you came to this page because you would like to eliminate in-house payment processing of Cash and Money Orders, Rentec Direct's Electronic Rent Collection for Cash Paying Tenants is the solution for you.
This video gives a brief overview of types of transactions, enrolling, and setting your preferences.
How Quickly Funds Are Deposited
- Larger national banks typically show the funds the same day as they are transmitted as "pending", and fully cleared the following day.
- Smaller banks do not have the same connections to the federal reserve and therefore can take anywhere from 1-3 business days (excluding holidays/weekends) to post the transaction to your account.
Tenant Payments
You will be able to accept tenant payments made via ACH from both checking and savings accounts as well as the option of all major credit/debit cards.
- Tenant payments are made through the Tenant Portal. To allow tenants to access their portal:
- Enable Tenant Portals, when creating a password, check the box to send a welcome email that includes instructions for:
- Downloading the Resident Connect mobile app available for both iOS and Android
- Logging into the portal
- Making payments
- Enable Tenant Portals, when creating a password, check the box to send a welcome email that includes instructions for:
- Tenants can make instant payments or schedule one time or recurring payments through their Tenant Portal or you can schedule payments for them. See more about Scheduling Online Payment Transactions For Tenants
- Tenant payments made via ACH do not incur a fee for you or the tenant
- You are charged the following processing fees for debit/credit card transactions:
- Visa/Disc/MC 2.95% of total tenant payment (rent plus any fees)
- AMEX 3.5% of total tenant payment (rent plus any fees)
- When setting up your Payment Processing Settings | Preferences in step 2 of the application process, you can choose to:
- Allow all or selected methods of payments between
- ACH, Visa, Mastercard, Discovery, and/or American Express
- Only allow Credit/Debit card transactions for online application fees
- Charge the tenants a fee to reimburse yourself for processing fees
- Allow all or selected methods of payments between
Receive Online Application Fees
Rentec Direct software includes an easy to use Online Application. With an active merchant account you can require an application fee to cover costs such as tenant screening reports.
Online Application fees can be paid with debit/credit cards.
Learn more about Setting Up Your Online Rental Application Form
Pay Vendors, Contractors, and Management Fees
With an active merchant account, and their account and routing number to their profile and you can quickly pay vendors, contractors, and management fees via ACH.
Learn more about How to Send a Payment by ACH to a Vendor
Pay Owner Disbursements and Allow Owner Contributions
Your merchant account provides the capability of sending and receiving ACH transactions to pay out owner distribution (owner payments) and receive owner contributions.
- Add account and routing numbers to the Owners profile
- Follow the steps for Paying Owners
Online Payment Fees
Fees associated with this type of account are:
- $0.00 one-time setup fee
- $0.00 a month
- ACH Transactions: $0.00 per transaction received (rent payments) and $0.50 per transaction paid out (owner disbursements and vendor payments)
- Credit/Debit card Transactions: (VISA/MC/DISC) 2.95%, (AMEX) 3.5%
Having your own merchant account gives you the flexibility to set the convenience fee for card transactions as well as the ACH processing fee your tenants pay allowing you the option of recouping your credit/debit card transaction fees.
Getting Started with Online Payment Processing
You can begin using online payment processing in two quick steps:
- Complete the two part Payment Processing Setup | Enrollment process through your Rentec Direct account which includes:
- An agreement with Rentec Direct
- A quick application with csgForte
- Set your Payment Processing Settings | Preferences
Frequently Asked Questions
Q) What do I need to have in order to apply for a merchant account?
A) There are just a couple of requirements to apply. When applications are received by csgForte, they may require additional information
- A business checking account
- A website - Rentec Direct includes a customizable website ready to showcase your business and list your available properties at no additional cost. Learn more about how to Build Your Own Enhanced Website
Q) How can tenants identify payments they've made in their bank statement?
A) Payments issued from a tenant's bank account will show up on their statement with your company name
Q) What are the Terms of Use?
A) User Agreement and Terms of Use other Important Information Regarding Debit/Credit Card Processing and PCI Compliance
Q) Can I have more than one deposit account?
A) Yes. Having multiple deposit accounts allows funds to be deposited into the correct account with less paperwork for you.
- Rentec Direct accounts allow up to 5 merchant accounts at no additional cost to current Pro and PM subscriptions that manage 200+ properties.
- Accounts managing less than 200 properties, there is no fee for the first merchant account and additional accounts may be added at $15/each per month
Learn more about how multiple merchant accounts may help save time and ensure accounting accuracy Multiple Deposit Accounts for ACH and Credit/Debit Card Payments
Q) Why was I asked to verify my ID?
A) For security purposes, new clients will be prompted for ID verification the first time they apply for or use online payments, tenant screening, or syndication. Once ID is validated once, all three services can be applied for or accessed without additional verification from Rentec Direct.
Q) How can I cancel my merchant account?
A) You may close your merchant account at any time by sending an email request to success@rentecdirect.com. The email request must be sent from the Primary Account Holders email and include:
- Your contact information
- Daytime phone number that you can be reached on
- The last four numbers of the bank account associated with the merchant account to be closed
- Upon account closure, all unpaid fees must be immediately paid in full and any pending payments will be canceled.
The email will not be deemed delivered until you have received confirmation from us that it was received.
Alternatively, you can close your account by sending a letter via first class mail to Rentec Direct, 231 SW I St, Grants Pass, OR 97526-2814.