How to Make a Profit from Your Rental Application Fees
💡 Quick Tip: To edit your Application Fees. Go to Settings -> Application Fees (under the "Rental Application)
|| || |Setting Toggle|What it does| |1. Require payment for the application|Does the applicant have to pay the application fee?| |2. Property manager pays processing fees|Who covers the tiny credit card fee (Stripe fee)? The PM or the Applicant?|
|| || |Your Goal|Set "PM pays processing fees" to| |Keep the application cost flat for the applicant (no surprise fees).|ON| |Keep your net profit maximized (applicant pays the extra fee).|OFF|
💵 Understanding the Transaction Fee Toggle
This second toggle is the most important for your profit. It determines if the applicant sees an extra charge on top of your set fee.
(Example assumes your set Application Fee is $\$55$, and the screening cost is $\$30$.)
|| || |If you set "PM pays processing fees" to...|Applicant Pays...|PM's Net Profit is...|Best For...| |ON|Exactly $$55.00 (Your advertised price)|Lower ($\$23.10$) because the PM covers the transaction fee (approx. $\$1.90$).|Keeping the fee simple and low for the applicant. (Applicant-Friendly)| |OFF|$$56.95 (Fee + Transaction Fee)|Higher ($\$25.00$) because the applicant covers the transaction fee (approx. $\$1.95$).|Maximizing your revenue by passing the fee to the applicant. (PM-Profit-Focused)|
Posted Dec 3, 2025, 1:48 AM UTC