How EstateOS keeps your billing flexible — and still safe with rent money.
The answer is the payment architecture. A licensed third-party processor moves the money and auto-splits a thin application fee to us. EstateOS never touches the funds or raw card data — and the owner pays nothing.
Three steps, one clean split
Money flows tenant → licensed processor → owner. Our fee is auto-split out by the processor, so we never sit in the middle of the funds.
STEP 1
Tenant pays online
The resident or storage customer pays from the portal. On top of the rent, the tenant pays the EstateOS platform fee (1.5% under Model A, $0 under Model B) and the actual payment processing. Bank transfer is the default and cheapest — only a few dollars; cards cost more because card processing costs more.
STEP 2
Stripe moves & splits it
Stripe, a licensed processor, moves the funds and auto-splits our fee. Bank transfer costs only a few dollars; cards cost 2.9% + $0.30, which the tenant covers. EstateOS never moves the money itself.
STEP 3
Owner receives full rent, faster
Stripe settles the full rent to the owner on every payment — the tenant covers the processing, grossed up so the owner is never short a cent. Under Tenant-Paid, the owner's software cost is $0.
Tenant pays
$1,695
rent + fee + processing
Licensed processor
auto-split
moves & splits the fee
Owner receives
$1,695
full rent · every payment
The processor moves money — not EstateOS
This single architectural choice is what keeps the product trustworthy with rent money — the licensed processor moves funds, not EstateOS.
We never touch raw card data
Card details go straight to the processor's secure fields — never to our servers. That keeps EstateOS in the lowest PCI compliance tier (SAQ A), the safest place to be.
We never hold or move the funds
The licensed processor moves the money and settles it to the owner. Because we don't transmit funds ourselves, we avoid needing a money-transmitter license.
Our fee is an auto-split application fee
The processor's platform splits a thin application fee to EstateOS on each transaction. It's automatic, transparent, and entirely separate from the owner's settlement.
Bank transfer first, cards optional
We default every tenant to bank transfer — the cheapest option — and offer cards as an opt-in. It is the best outcome for everyone at once.
Cheaper for the tenant
Bank transfer processing is only a few dollars — far less than card's 2.9% + $0.30. The tenant covers processing on both rails.
Better margin for us
ACH costs pennies to move, so the platform fee is clean margin; card processing is higher and is passed through to the tenant at actual cost.
Cleaner legally
Bank-to-bank transfers keep us further from card-network rules and out of any funds-handling role.
Bank / ACH
A few $ processing
ACH costs only a few dollars (capped low), tenant-paid. Owner receives the full rent. The platform fee (1.5% under Model A, $0 under Model B) is separate.
Card
2.9% + $0.30 processing
Card processing is higher and tenant-paid, passed through at actual cost. Storage uses the same rules. Owner still receives the full rent.
Set up in a day
No migration project and no sales call required — you can be collecting rent online today.
STEP 1
Add your properties
Import units, leases, and tenants — or add them in minutes. Apartments and storage live side by side.
STEP 2
Verify with the processor
Connect your payout account through the licensed processor's onboarding. Standard identity verification, no money-transmitter setup on your end.
STEP 3
Invite tenants & go live
Tenants get a portal invite, enroll in autopay, and start paying online. Most owners are live the same day.
Lowest PCI tier
Card data never hits our servers
Licensed processor
Stripe Connect
No funds held by us
No money-transmitter license needed
Full rent to owners
Owner receives the full rent
Flexible billing. Safe with rent money. See it for yourself.
Walk through the owner side and the tenant payment flow with realistic data — no card required.