Online rent payment is usually presented as a choice between apps and is really a choice between payment rails, because the rail decides the cost, the speed, the failure behaviour and what you can prove afterwards. This page is the rail questions, which survive whichever app is fashionable, for a landlord moving off cheques or cash.
Who bears the fee, and can they
Card payments carry a percentage that is material on a monthly rent; bank transfers are cheaper and slower. Passing a fee to the tenant is regulated in some places and resented in most, and absorbing it is a real cost per tenancy per month. Work the annual figure before choosing, because the difference between rails over a year is often larger than the app's subscription.
What happens when a payment fails
A returned bank debit, a declined card, an expired mandate. Each produces a different message to the tenant, a different delay and sometimes a fee. The important question is whether you find out promptly and whether the tenant does, because a failed payment nobody noticed becomes arrears that surprise both sides a month later.
Recurring debits have their own rules
Where a tenant authorises a recurring electronic debit from a consumer account, federal rules on authorisation, notice of varying amounts and the ability to stop payment apply. That is a reason to use a service that handles the mechanics properly rather than an informal standing arrangement, and a reason to keep the authorisation with the tenancy.
What the record must show afterwards
Which tenancy, which period, gross amount, any fee, the net received and the date. A payments app that shows a feed of transfers and cannot say which period each cleared leaves the application of payments to you, which is the part the ledger needs. Test the export before you migrate, not after.
Questions people ask about online rent payment
Is a card or a bank transfer better for rent?
Bank transfer is cheaper and slower; card is instant and costs a percentage. For a monthly rent the percentage usually decides it.
Can I require online payment?
Often yes as a lease term, and several places require an alternative to be available. Check locally before making it the only option.
Does the payment app replace the ledger?
No. It records that money moved; the ledger records what it settled. Those are different facts and only the second answers an arrears question.