Back to Learn

Landlord Tutorials

How I Collect Rent Online (No More Chasing Checks)

A walkthrough of collecting rent online — ACH and card payments through the tenant portal, paid out fast and logged to the lease, so you never chase a check again.

Read the full guideWhat Is the Best Way to Collect Rent From Tenants? A 30-Year Landlord's Answer

What this video covers

How to stop chasing checks and collect rent online, start to finish:

  • The tenant pays in a tap — ACH or card, from their portal
  • You're notified the moment it's paid — no wondering who's paid
  • Payouts land fast — in a couple of days, straight to your account
  • Everything's logged to the lease — no manual data entry, clean books

No mailed checks, no "I sent it" with no record, and no reconciling Zelle payments against a spreadsheet — rent just shows up, tracked.

Go deeper

For the full playbook — every method ranked, who pays the fees, and how to stay on top of late payers — see the companion guide below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to collect rent online?

Collect it through a tenant portal that takes ACH or card, tied to the lease. The tenant pays in a tap, you get notified the moment it's paid, and the payout lands in your account within a couple of days — already logged against the lease ledger, so there's no manual data entry. That beats Zelle, Venmo, or checks, which move money but leave you doing all the tracking.

How fast do online rent payments pay out to the landlord?

With a good setup, bank (ACH) and card payments typically pay out to the landlord within a couple of business days — much faster than waiting on a mailed check to arrive and clear. The key is choosing a system where payouts aren't held for a week.

Who pays the online rent payment fees?

It depends on the setup. A common, reasonable approach is for the tenant to absorb the card processing fee, while ACH carries a small flat fee. The landlord has holding costs and often a mortgage riding on that rent, so passing the card fee to the tenant is standard practice.

Ready to manage your rentals yourself?

See How PacRent Works