A thread on Reddit’s r/mildlyinfuriating forum has gone viral this week for addressing one maddening problem: Paying extra fees for the privilege of paying your rent.
Landlords and property management companies that allow tenants to pay their rent on a website or mobile app often charge a fee for paying electronically. “My apartment is now charging a convenience fee to pay my rent,” said Redditor u/mangum95, who started the thread and included a screenshot that showed an almost $40 “convenience fee.” They explained that the landlord “just updated the system. The previous system allowed ACH payment but the new system does not. So infuriating. I think I can pay by check but now I have to get a checkbook or get cashiers checks which also have a fee.”
It’s an experience that many commenters share: “My apartment used to do this until (I’m guessing) they started getting 100+ handwritten checks and didn’t want to deal with cashing/logging them manually.” How diabolically wonderful.
Many also pointed out the irony of the name. “Convenience to them,” said one Redditor, “not to us.”
How to Have Your Bank Pay Bills For You
Among all of the (justified) complaining, many Redditors offered a solution that’s both free and easy: using your checking account bank’s bill pay system.
“Most banks (like 99%) will send a check on your behalf for free if you set up ‘Bill Pay’ or ‘Auto Pay’ through the bank’s app or website, no checkbook required,” explained one Redditor in the top comment. “I would give that a shot, it’s not too hard to set up and even saves you a stamp (plus it’s more secure since the checks are printed instead of handwritten).”
Honestly, it never occurred to us that a bank could pay our bills for us, but it sounds almost magical. It’s like automatic bill pay but without any of the annoying fees that usually go along with it.
If you want to set up bill pay through your bank for rent (or any other bills), log in to your account on your bank’s website. You should find a “Bill Pay” or similar option, but if you don’t, search for it in the help section. Then you fill in all the required information, like the amount to send and where to send it.
One purported bank employee explained the process. “Banks that offer bill payment attempt to set up ACH [payment], but if the payee doesn’t accept it, they mail a physical check. Source: worked in banking as both bill payment customer service and IT at 3 different institutions.”
Another commenter who has used their bank’s bill pay had a great tip. “As someone who also had to avoid convenience fees, set up the auto pay at least 3 days before it’s actually due,” they said. “[That] will account for delays in mail transfer and you won’t ever have to argue when the check was postmarked.”
Other Ways to Avoid Landlord ‘Convenience’ Fees
There are some other ways to avoid paying a fee while paying your rent, Redditors pointed out. The obvious is to pay them directly with a personal check or cashier’s check, something that all landlords and property management companies should still accept.
Lots of commenters in the thread say that’s what they do to avoid the fee. “My complex has been doing this since I moved in in 2016,” said one Redditor, referring to the convenience fee. “I pay by check and the office is just across the street so I walk over and hand it in. I don’t even pay the $.50 it costs to mail it.”
The other free solution is great if you’re feeling a little annoyed with your landlord, like maybe they aren’t keeping up on maintenance. “Pay them in cash. It’ll be way more inconvenient for them.” We love that amount of petty.
