Apartment.com rent payment reversal?

General Landlording & Rental Properties
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Apartment.com rent payment reversal?

Aye Otubu
Member since 2023 · 3 posts · 0 votes

Has anyone had issues with apartment.com reversing rent payment for the reason of tenant dispute? I have used  the site for my tenant rent payments for the last 3years without issue. However,  in March they reversed a rent payment of a tenant. About a week after it was deposited into my account, they withdrew the rent amount and said the tenant disputed the charge. They did this without first checking with me and when I called them the representative told me there was nothing they could do  because the tenant made the dispute with her bank and there was concern for fraud so they had to return the money. My bank also said they allowed it because it was reported to them as fraud. I reached out to the tenant and she responded that she was confused and that it must have been an issue with her bank and said she would follow up on it. ( side note, this has been a trouble tenant who has lied quite a bit since she moved in last July but her payments were always on time and without issue until March) After about a week I followed up with her and she apologized and said it was an issue with her bank  and she sent me zelle for the rent payment. 
In April she failed to pay rent and then stopped responding to my texts and emails. She also failed to pay rent in May. At the end of May I took her to rent court and she reached out to me the night before the court date and made payment for April and May on the morning of the court case and before the case was called. She then promised she would move out within In 3 wks (that is next week at this point). Then yesterday I got a phone call and email message from apartment.com saying that the tenant had disputed all of her rent payments and that they had returned all of her payments because her bank disputed it and they had no say in the matter. Now they are asking me to pay them back the money they supposedly returned to her. I’m so confused about why they would return 10months worth of rent payments including the security deposit paid, without any investigation to verify the fraud claim. Has anyone else experienced this?

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Wesley W.
Rental Property Investor · The Vampire State · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
1y

This is why I do not use third party vendors for rent collection.  My system is as follows.

Each multifamily building I have has its own bank account. It's written into the lease that tenants must deposit their rents into that particular account (either by online bank transfer or by walking in a check/cash); I do not collect rents directly, nor would I if anyone asked. Systems don't work if there are any exceptions. Each tenant living in a building has their own unique rent amount, so even if they do not leave a notation with the rent payment, I know whom paid the rent based on the amount alone. I get an email alert each time a deposit is made.

I prefer not to use any third-party vendors (Zelle, etc.) because firstly, that creates another link in the chain that can break down between the tenant's deposit and my bank account. There is an occasional thread on BP where the vendor has a system crash of technical glitch and transfers are delayed. In a perfect situation, the payment will still be delayed (even if by hours) using this additional system.

And secondly, many of these vendors have "clawback" provisions where, in their terms of service, you give them permission to go back into your account - even weeks after the fact - and reverse a deposit that was made by your tenant.

My system is simple, allows for tenants to pay through multiple means, and does not cost me anything extra.

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  • Wesley W.
    Rental Property Investor · The Vampire State · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    1y

    This is why I do not use third party vendors for rent collection.  My system is as follows.

    Each multifamily building I have has its own bank account. It's written into the lease that tenants must deposit their rents into that particular account (either by online bank transfer or by walking in a check/cash); I do not collect rents directly, nor would I if anyone asked. Systems don't work if there are any exceptions. Each tenant living in a building has their own unique rent amount, so even if they do not leave a notation with the rent payment, I know whom paid the rent based on the amount alone. I get an email alert each time a deposit is made.

    I prefer not to use any third-party vendors (Zelle, etc.) because firstly, that creates another link in the chain that can break down between the tenant's deposit and my bank account. There is an occasional thread on BP where the vendor has a system crash of technical glitch and transfers are delayed. In a perfect situation, the payment will still be delayed (even if by hours) using this additional system.

    And secondly, many of these vendors have "clawback" provisions where, in their terms of service, you give them permission to go back into your account - even weeks after the fact - and reverse a deposit that was made by your tenant.

    My system is simple, allows for tenants to pay through multiple means, and does not cost me anything extra.

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    • Aye Otubu
      OP
      Member since 2023 · 3 posts · 0 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Wesley W.:

      This is why I do not use third party vendors for rent collection.  My system is as follows.

      Each multifamily building I have has its own bank account. It's written into the lease that tenants must deposit their rents into that particular account (either by online bank transfer or by walking in a check/cash); I do not collect rents directly, nor would I if anyone asked. Systems don't work if there are any exceptions. Each tenant living in a building has their own unique rent amount, so even if they do not leave a notation with the rent payment, I know whom paid the rent based on the amount alone. I get an email alert each time a deposit is made.

      I prefer not to use any third-party vendors (Zelle, etc.) because firstly, that creates another link in the chain that can break down between the tenant's deposit and my bank account. There is an occasional thread on BP where the vendor has a system crash of technical glitch and transfers are delayed. In a perfect situation, the payment will still be delayed (even if by hours) using this additional system.

      And secondly, many of these vendors have "clawback" provisions where, in their terms of service, you give them permission to go back into your account - even weeks after the fact - and reverse a deposit that was made by your tenant.

      My system is simple, allows for tenants to pay through multiple means, and does not cost me anything extra.

      Thanks for this information. I like the bank accounts system!

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  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    1y

    @Aye Otubu I think you have to file a police report claiming fraud too. It is like she passed 12 bad checks.  At the same time take her to court for eviction, all rent and get a judgement. This isn't going to go away. 

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    • Aye Otubu
      OP
      Member since 2023 · 3 posts · 0 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Colleen F.:

      @Aye Otubu I think you have to file a police report claiming fraud too. It is like she passed 12 bad checks.  At the same time take her to court for eviction, all rent and get a judgement. This isn't going to go away. 

      I didn’t even think about filling a police report, but that makes sense. Thanks!
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  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    1y

    @Aye Otubu you also probably need to open a fraud case with your bank but this is one I would probably tear into because it should cause her criminal issues. 

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