“Please tell me that you accept online payments” she said, barely stepping into the lobby, keeping the door half open. “We’ve been to 4 places already today that won’t let you pay rent online.”

We’re finding out that renters aren’t as impressed with pools and fitness centers as they are the ease and ability to handle their monthly rent from anywhere, anytime.  And our 9-6 office hours aren’t as convenient as we’d  like to think.  Nowadays, it’s the convenience amenities that top the search list.  Everyone’s got a pool.  Everyone’s gated.  Everyone’s rattling off their lists, thinking the prospect is oh-so-impressed.  But do we bother to listen to what they need?

Let’s go back to leasing 101:  sell the lifestyle.   I may not use your gym.  I may never attend your wine and cheese event.  But I’ll smile when you tell me I don’t have to write a check and bring it in when it’s convenient for the leasing office.

Paying online isn’t a ‘thing of the future’.  It’s not even a thing of the ‘now’.  It’s a thing of the past, and our industry needs to catch up.  We seem to always be just a tad bit behind the times, don’t we?

Your residents pay most of their bills online: the car, the credit card, the utilities.  And somehow, the largest item they pay each month must be done with pen and paper, and hand delivered, no less.  And heaven forbid they are out of town when rent comes due.

With dropbox theft a rising trend, and hours (read: days) spent counting checks, stamping checks, logging checks and the daily run to the bank, you’d think we’d welcome a change.  Just how long do we think we can keep the pony express in business?

You’re going to hear it more and more.  In every market, at every price point:  ‘do you  allow online rent payments?’.   You should be able to smile and say ‘why yes, of course.”

You and your prospect will BOTH breathe a sigh of relief.

Michael Wise is co-presenting "The Paperless Office: The Journey from Theory to Reality" at the 2015 NAA Education Conference & Exposition.  You can register for the conference here, and add Michael's session to your schedule on Thursday, June 25th at 9:00am.