1–20 unit landlords
Eviction & collections handoff on DIY landlord software — pay-or-quit docs, Stop Payments, counsel packs
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For a 1–20 unit DIY landlord, the useful job of software before counsel takes over is control + evidence: freeze e-pay so a surprise ACH does not reset your case, keep a clean ledger and notice trail, and hand an attorney a pack they can actually use. Among the three DIY tools, RentRedi wins the tenant ledger + payment-block lane: published Block All Payments / block-partials controls for eviction holds, plus Tenant Ledger PDF/CSV from Charges → More. TurboTenant wins the named Disable Payments + partner handoff lane: per-tenant Disable Payments (stops online pay and scheduled/autopay; tenants are not auto-notified), a published Notice to Pay Rent or Quit in the Ultimate Landlord Forms Pack (one-time fee or Premium — confirm live), chat export, and Toolbox EZ Evict USA as an external partner (TT does not file evictions in-app). Avail wins the free Stop Payments + Past-Due PDF lane on Unlimited: Payment Settings Stop Payments blocks new ACH/card scheduling for that lease (pending/AutoPay may still need Customer Care), plus free Past-Due Rent Notice education/forms — but support’s partials article says there is no partials-only block while still allowing full e-pay. None of these replace counsel, statutory service, or a court filing portal.
What this page is (and is not)
- Is: a side-by-side of published past-due / demand documentation aids, e-pay freeze controls (Stop / Block / Disable), ledger and message/export paths that matter for a counsel pack, free vs paid gates, and a worked SFH handoff example for RentRedi, TurboTenant, and Avail.
- Is not: a how-to-evict guide; legal advice on whether accepting a partial voids an eviction; a state-by-state pay-or-quit calendar; a claim that portal delivery equals certified mail or posting; a review of full legal-notice suites or guaranteed partner outcomes.
- Sequel note: Read with partial payments & credits, late fees & autopay, and tenant notices & communication logs — those cover short pays, fee automation, and operational message trails. This page is the handoff layer when you stop collecting and start documenting for counsel.
- Uncertainty rule: Avail support.avail.com shells are often JS-heavy — we cite education “Stop Payments,” indexed support titles (“Handle Partial Rent Payments,” “Generate Received Payment Reports”), and the free forms library; confirm toggles live. RR help steps show Block All Payments; blog/product also discuss blocking partials — map exact dropdown labels in your build. TT Forms Pack price ($199 one-time vs Premium) and EZ Evict USA partner terms change — confirm in Toolbox / Docs & E-Sign before you budget. Re-verify with counsel before you refuse money or serve process.
Definitions (read this first)
- Past-due reminder / late-rent notice: Operational or template letter (“you’re X days late, amount due, late fee”). Useful paper trail. Often not the same as a statutory pay-or-quit.
- Pay-or-quit / demand for rent: Jurisdiction-specific notice that starts (or is a required step before) an eviction clock — wording, days to cure, and how you must serve it are state- and sometimes city-specific. Software may host a PDF template; service is still your (or counsel’s) job.
- Filing / unlawful detainer: Court process. DIY landlord tools generally do not file for you. TT’s EZ Evict USA is an external partner path, not “evict inside TurboTenant.”
- Stop Payments / Block / Disable e-pay: Product controls that stop the tenant from scheduling or completing portal ACH/card payments (labels differ: Avail Stop Payments; RR Block All / block partials; TT Disable Payments). Offline cash/check/Zelle can still happen — refuse and document per counsel.
- Counsel pack / collections handoff: The folder you give an attorney or collections shop: signed lease PDF, ledger (charges, payments, late fees, credits), notice copies + proof of service you obtained, message/chat exports, condition/move-out docs, screening summary if relevant, and a one-page timeline.
- Collections vs eviction: Collections pursues money (often after move-out or judgment). Eviction pursues possession through court. Software ledgers help both; neither is completed inside these three DIY apps.
Feature snapshot (verify on vendor pages)
| Capability | RentRedi | TurboTenant | Avail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past-due / demand templates | Operational: Automatic Rent Reminders + Send Notification (custom title/body). No dedicated statutory “pay-or-quit wizard” found in public help — use counsel-approved forms + portal copy for ops trail | Notice to Pay Rent or Quit in Ultimate Landlord Forms Pack (Word/PDF/Google; help Jul 2025). Pack is paid ($199 one-time or Premium — confirm live). Free education/late-rent templates also exist outside the pack | Free Past-Due Rent Notice PDF/education (avail.com/forms + education article). Distinguishes late-rent notice vs 3-day pay-or-quit in education — templates still require lawful service |
| Portal delivery logging | Chats Inbox + Send Notification delivery status (e.g. Not Sent / Try Again). Operational record — not automatic proof of statutory service | Messages + published export a chat; rent reminder emails when schedules set. Portal ≠ certified mail | Avail Messages threads + auto late/past-due email companions when payment settings fire. Education notes email often is not valid service — confirm local rules |
| Freeze / block e-pay (legal hold) | Block All Payments (help Jun 2026: Renters → tenant → Edit Details → Payments dropdown). Help title/body also reference blocking partials during eviction; blog: Allow Payments dropdown → Block Payments. Confirm live labels for partials-only vs all | Disable Payments per tenant (help Apr 2026: Tenants or Lease Profile → ⋮ → Disable Payments). Blocks paying new and existing charges online; stops scheduled/autopay; no tenant auto-notify — you must tell them. Other roommates unaffected until disabled individually | Stop Payments in unit Payment Settings (education): prevents new ACH/card scheduling. Does not cancel already-scheduled/AutoPay — contact Customer Care. Support partials article (indexed): no direct “full pay only” switch — Stop Payments = all e-pay for that lease |
| Partials during dispute | Product: pause/block partials for policy/legal holds; or Block All. Accepting any money can affect eviction — counsel first | Lease Settings partials toggle (default on). For eviction holds, Disable Payments is the hard stop; education warns against accepting partials after filing | Partials allowed by default; Stop Payments is the published hard brake. Education warns accepting payment can void proceedings in many states |
| Ledger / payment export for counsel | Tenant Ledger PDF + CSV (Charges → More: Export Ledger / Download Tenant Ledger PDF); date filters; all charges vs rent-only. Also Payments → Export Charges (spreadsheet / QuickBooks paths) | Payments → Charges / Deposits CSV export (Deposits CSV includes method, notes, charges paid — help Feb 2026). Paid Accounting reports if you use them. Notes: Charge-tab export may omit payment notes — prefer Deposits or lease-level docs | Indexed support: Received Payment Reports / income-expense CSV email paths. Confirm live Reports menus. No published one-click “attorney pack ZIP” |
| Lease / notice / condition docs | Documents Hub + unit/tenant folders; download/export individual files. Pair with condition checklist / Signature Request PDFs if you used them | Lease profile Documents; Condition Reports PDFs (Free); Forms Pack notices can save to lease. Export chat for message history | Lease-centric attachments + free Move-In/Out / Past-Due PDFs. Screenshot Messages if no file export |
| In-app eviction filing | Not found — documentation + payment controls only | No in-app eviction. Help: partners with EZ Evict USA via Toolbox (draft/deliver notices, court docs, etc. — third-party; confirm fees/coverage). TT does not report eviction data itself | Not found — Stop Payments + education/forms only |
| Free vs paid gates (handoff ops) | Block Payments + Tenant Ledger exports sit on the paid flat product path in help — no separate “eviction add-on” found | Disable Payments documented on landlord payment path (confirm Free vs Premium live). Notice to Pay Rent or Quit is in Forms Pack ($199 or Premium). EZ Evict USA = partner pricing outside TT subscription | Unlimited (free): Stop Payments + Past-Due form + Messages + Report CSVs per published paths. Plus not sold as “unlock Stop Payments” |
| What usually needs screenshots / manual PDF | Chat threads if no bulk export; proof of statutory service (certified mail / posting); offline Zelle/cash refusals | Any notice you served outside the pack; roommate-specific disable timestamps (profile shows disabled date); partner correspondence | Message threads; Stop Payments confirmation screen; Customer Care tickets about canceled pending pays; certified-mail receipts |
Sources (Oct 2026): RentRedi help — How to Block Payments for a Tenant (Jun 2026: Block All Payments; title references block partials during eviction); How to Download a Tenant Ledger (Export Ledger CSV / Tenant Ledger PDF); How to Export Payments / Export Charges; Automatic Rent Reminders; Send Notification. RentRedi blog — Accept or Block Partial Rent Payments (Allow Payments → Block Payments). RentRedi product — /l/partial-payments (pause/block partials for legal holds). TurboTenant help — When and How to Disable Tenant Payments (Apr 2026); How Partial Payments Work for Your Lease; How Do I Export My Rent Payments (Feb 2026); How can TurboTenant assist landlords with eviction processes (Sep 2025: no in-app eviction; EZ Evict USA Toolbox); Ultimate Landlord Forms Pack contents (Jul 2025: Notice to Pay Rent or Quit; $199 or Premium). TurboTenant education — partial rent / do not accept after filing. Avail education — How to Stop Accepting Payments for a Lease (Stop Payments steps; pending → Customer Care); Past-Due Rent Notice free template (updated Apr 2026; late notice vs pay-or-quit; delivery methods); avail.com/forms. Avail support (indexed / JS-shell risk) — Handle Partial Rent Payments (no partials-only block; Stop Payments workaround); Generate Received Payment Reports. Cross-cutting: partial payments, notices, document vault. Not found / do not invent: RR/Avail in-app court filing; Avail dedicated “Create Pay-or-Quit with proof of service”; TT free statutory notice wizard outside Forms Pack/Premium; software that auto-waives eviction risk when you accept a partial.
Workflow: past-due → freeze e-pay → counsel pack
- 1. Operational past-due (still collecting): Use late-fee/reminder automation you already trust — see late fees & autopay. Log portal nudges; do not confuse them with statutory demand.
- 2. Formal demand / pay-or-quit: Use counsel-approved wording and service method for your jurisdiction. TT Forms Pack and Avail Past-Due PDFs are starting points, not compliance certificates. Keep copies in the vault — see document vault.
- 3. Freeze portal money when counsel says so: RR Block All (and/or block partials); TT Disable Payments on every liable roommate; Avail Stop Payments + call Care for in-flight AutoPay. Also shut offline rails (Zelle QR, drop-box checks) per counsel.
- 4. Assemble the pack the same day: Lease PDF, ledger export, late-fee charges, notice PDFs + your proof of service, chat/message exports or screenshots, condition/move-out docs, screening summary, one-page chronology (dates of due → reminder → demand → freeze → referral).
- 5. Hand off: Attorney or partner (e.g. TT EZ Evict USA if you choose) — software stays the system of record for balances; counsel owns filings and hearings.
Deeper notes by tool
- RentRedi: For holds, prefer the help-center path (Renters → Edit Details → Block All Payments) and verify whether your dropdown also exposes a partials-only block as blog/product describe. Download Tenant Ledger PDF and CSV so counsel gets a readable statement plus spreadsheet math. Export portfolio Charges if they want all fee lines. Notifications/Chats are your ops trail — screenshot delivery failures.
- TurboTenant: Disable Payments is powerful and quiet — help stresses tenants are not notified and offline pay may still be possible. Disable each adult on the lease. Export Deposits CSV for method/notes richness; export chat from message Details; pull lease Documents + Condition Report PDFs. Forms Pack Notice to Pay Rent or Quit is a template — still serve per statute. EZ Evict USA is optional third-party; TT help is clear the app does not evict for you.
- Avail: Treat Stop Payments as “no new e-pay schedules,” not “instant cancel everything in flight.” Education warns accepting rent can restart proceedings — align with counsel before Record Offline anything. Use free Past-Due template + Messages timestamps; email Received Payment / transaction CSVs. Marketing copy on some education pages mentions “block partial payments”; support’s partials article says the hard control is Stop Payments for all electronic payments — believe the support constraint until a live partials-only toggle appears in your account.
Worked example: SFH — past-due → stop e-pay → counsel pack
Single-family rental. Rent $1,850 due the 1st. On the 8th, still unpaid after your grace/late-fee rules. You send an operational past-due on the 9th. Counsel (or your local procedure) says serve a statutory demand on the 12th. On the 15th, counsel says freeze electronic acceptance. You assemble a pack the same afternoon. Illustrative timeline only — not a notice calendar for any state.
| Step | RentRedi | TurboTenant | Avail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Past-due ops (day 9) | Automatic Rent Reminder may already fire; also Send Notification with amount + deadline. Save copy / screenshot status | Rent reminder / late notification if schedules set; optional education late-rent template. Keep Messages thread | Past-due email companion if Payment Settings fire; download free Past-Due Rent Notice PDF, fill, serve per law (not email-only if statute forbids) |
| 2. Statutory demand (day 12) | Serve counsel-approved pay-or-quit outside or in addition to portal; upload PDF to Documents Hub; optional Chat/Notification copy for ops trail only | If you own Forms Pack/Premium: use Notice to Pay Rent or Quit template → save to lease Documents; still serve per statute. Or counsel drafts | Education distinguishes past-due vs pay-or-quit — use the correct statutory form for your state (may be outside Avail). Attach PDF to lease; keep certified-mail receipt |
| 3. Freeze e-pay (day 15) | Renters → tenant → Edit Details → Block All Payments (confirm partials-only option if you still want a different policy — usually all-block for eviction). Refuse offline money per counsel | Tenants or Lease Profile → ⋮ → Disable Payments for each adult. Manually notify tenants (platform will not). Confirm Payments status shows Disabled + date | Payments → unit → Settings → Stop Payments On. If AutoPay/pending exists, contact Avail Customer Care immediately. Do not Record Offline a “partial goodwill” without counsel |
| 4. Export pack (same day) | Tenant Ledger PDF + CSV; Export Charges for fee lines; lease + notice PDFs from Documents; Chat/Notification screenshots; condition docs if any | Deposits + Charges CSVs; lease Documents (lease, notices); Condition Report PDF; export chat; optional Accounting reports; note Disable Payments date on profile | Received Payment / transaction CSVs; lease attachments; Past-Due PDF + proof of service you created; Messages screenshots; Stop Payments setting screenshot |
| 5. Hand off | Zip/folder to counsel: timeline + ledger + notices + freeze confirmation | Same pack; optionally engage EZ Evict USA from Toolbox if you choose a partner — still your counsel relationship | Same pack; Avail remains ledger host until vacancy — do not re-enable Stop Payments off without counsel |
At one SFH door, RentRedi wins if counsel wants a polished Tenant Ledger PDF/CSV plus granular payment-block labels. TurboTenant wins if you want a named Disable Payments control, chat export, Forms Pack demand template (paid), and an optional eviction partner in Toolbox. Avail Unlimited wins if free Stop Payments + Past-Due PDF + CSV reports are enough and you accept Customer Care for in-flight payments plus manual message screenshots.
Free vs paid: who should upgrade for handoff docs
- TurboTenant: Stay on Free if Disable Payments + payment CSVs + chat export + your own counsel forms cover you. Budget Forms Pack ($199) or Premium only if you want the in-product Notice to Pay Rent or Quit / editable form set — confirm live pricing. EZ Evict USA fees are separate partner costs.
- RentRedi: Block Payments + Tenant Ledger are core paid-product collection ops — no separate “eviction SKU” found. You are not buying a filing portal.
- Avail: Stay on Unlimited for Stop Payments + free Past-Due form + Messages + report CSVs. Plus is not the unlock for freezing e-pay.
- None: Certified mail, process servers, court costs, and attorney retainers live outside the subscription. Software exports do not replace statutory service.
Cutover / switch notes (if you change tools mid-dispute)
- Do not dual-collect: Freeze e-pay in the old tool before inviting the tenant to a new portal — see partial payments cutover notes and switch checklist.
- Export before you lose login: Ledgers, notice PDFs, chat exports, Disable/Stop/Block screenshots. Status badges alone are weak in court files.
- Rebuild open balances carefully: Credits, Other payments, and reduced Amount due do not migrate as portable objects — spreadsheet the truth for counsel and the new PMS.
- Tell counsel which system was live when: “Demand served while on Avail; ledger exported; migrated to X on date Y with e-pay still frozen.”
Fit notes for 1–20 units
- Want Tenant Ledger PDF/CSV + Block All: RentRedi.
- Want per-tenant Disable Payments + chat export + optional Forms Pack / EZ Evict partner: TurboTenant.
- Want free Stop Payments + Past-Due PDF without a forms-pack fee: Avail Unlimited.
- Roommates: Freeze each paying adult (TT Disable is per tenant; RR/Avail controls are tenant/lease scoped — verify who can still pay).
- Hate surprise ACH mid-case: Freeze early, kill AutoPay/pending with vendor support if needed, and shut Zelle/check paths in writing.
- Hate thin counsel packs: Same-day export ritual beats “I’ll download it before the hearing.”
Honest uncertainty callouts
- Avail support pages often render as JS shells — confirm Stop Payments, Report email CSVs, and whether any partials-only control ever appears in your Payment Settings.
- Avail education sometimes markets “block partial payments”; support’s Handle Partial Rent Payments article describes Stop Payments as blocking all electronic scheduling — we treat that as the stricter, verifiable rule.
- RR Block All vs block-partials dropdown wording differs slightly across help (Jun 2026) vs older blog — map the live Allow Payments / Payments control in your account.
- TT Forms Pack price, Premium bundling, and EZ Evict USA coverage/fees are commercial terms — re-check before you promise a “built-in eviction” workflow (there isn’t one in-app).
- We do not invent court e-filing, AI “eviction risk scores,” or automatic “accept without prejudice” toggles.
Related
- Holdover & month-to-month conversion — unwanted holdovers: why accepting post-term rent can matter
- NSF & returned payment fees — ACH bounce, processor return fees vs lease NSF, clawbacks
- Bank reconciliation & deposit matching — clean ledger-to-bank matching before counsel packs
- Partial payments, credits & balance adjustments — short pays, credits, and why accepting money mid-case is dangerous
- Section 8 / HAP payments — record HAP offline while tenant share disputes; ledger labels for counsel packs
- Late fees & autopay — grace, auto fees, and who controls Autopay before you freeze
- Tenant notices & communication logs — reminders vs formal notices; portal ≠ certified mail
- Security deposits & move-out — deposit ledgers after possession cases
- Document vault & lease files — where leases, notices, and move-out docs live
- Inspection & condition reports — condition PDFs for the pack
- Switch checklist — export before you migrate mid-dispute
- Accounting & Schedule E — bad debt / write-off reporting after collections
- Rent roll & occupancy — who is vacant vs occupied during turnover
- Tenant payment fees — processor fees on dollars that did clear
- RentRedi vs TurboTenant vs Avail — full criteria table
- Best PMS for 1–5 units — shortlist
- Per-unit vs flat-rate break-even — subscription math
- Co-signers & guarantors: guaranty, screening authorization, and notices counsel will ask for
- Early termination & lease-break fees: buyout, mutual release, or abandonment before (or instead of) a collections handoff
- When a tenant dies: possession without an eviction after a death (Colorado)
- Abandoned units & left-behind belongings: when the tenant is gone before you file
- Small Portfolio Desk home
Educational product research only — not legal, collections, eviction, tax, or accounting advice. Accepting a partial or full payment can affect eviction timelines in many jurisdictions. Portal notices and chat exports are operational records, not automatic proof of statutory service. Confirm current menus, plan gates, partner terms, required notice methods, and whether you must still accept tender in your jurisdiction with counsel before you freeze e-pay, refuse money, or file.