A lot of landlords consider using PayPal to help streamline the rent payment process. On the front it looks like a good web-based option, however if you look beneath the sheets, it isn't that great. First off, it takes 3-4 business days to add funds to a PayPal account. Once the funds are in the PayPal account, rent can be paid from one PayPal account to another instantaneously. However, once the landlord receives this payment, it will take another 3-4 business days to withdraw the money to the landlord bank account. Credit card funding is an option, but higher fees make the transaction too expensive. Lastly, PayPal has no way of organizing or reconciling payments by rental units or by roommates, so additional rent roll work will be required.
PayPal is an amazing payment platform for ebay purchases, fantasy football pools, and even to pay contractors, but it doesn't really do the job when it comes to rent payments.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
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