Tenants that push back against online payments
Category: General Advice
6 replies
Original post
I have an elderly couple that live in one of my rentals. Two of the nicest people you could ever meet. The man is real old school, though, and is pushing back against moving to online payments. I've been trying to move all my tenants over. I've tried to explain that this will make things easier for him as well, but it's not working so far. He always pays on time, so I understand it's not the most straightforward ask. I just want to make my life easier as well because cashing his checks isn't my favorite thing to spend time on haha. Any suggestions?Reply by Daniel M.
@[cmrxt2g0v0011z50j7m48mew1](Jaxon Patterson) I can understand not wanting to change something that's been working for them, especially if they always pay on time. Maybe offer to walk them through it once and show them exactly how it works, rather than making it feel like a requirement. Sometimes having someone sit with them through the first payment makes the change less intimidating.
Reply by Christina Calderon
Are they reliable tenants? Will they likely continue to rent from you for a while longer?Generally I've found that senior tenants DO appreciate the automation of online payments…once they've switched over. But if it's just this one tenant and they're not budging, it's likely not worth the fight.
If you've given it a good faith effort and taken the time to explain the benefits, and he still won't budge, my advice is just to continue to allow him to write you a check. It's what he knows and trusts, and he pays reliably. You should be able to deposit it virtually at most banks anyway. For future senior tenants, get them set up with online payments right off the bat, so they know it's a part of onboarding.
Reply by Eli Morrow
Sometimes it just isn't worth trying to teach an old dog new tricks. While it is generally easier for everyone involved to pay online, this instance might not be worth the fight. If they pay on time and in full, then I'd just let them keep doing it that.As others have suggested, any new tenants should have to pay online, but I'd let these old tenants continue doing their own thing.