Small Portfolio Desk

1–20 unit landlords

Late fees & autopay on DIY landlord software — who sets what

Search intent: set grace periods and automatic late fees that match your lease, and understand who actually controls autopay (you vs the tenant) on RentRedi, TurboTenant, and Avail. Updated: Sep 2026 from vendor help centers and pricing pages — re-check before you turn automation on.

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For a 1–20 unit DIY landlord, “automated rent” is two separate switches: late-fee rules you configure, and autopay the tenant must opt into. All three tools automate late fees on free tiers. The real split is landlord visibility and control of autopay — RentRedi lets you invite and see enrollment status; TurboTenant and Avail keep autopay tenant-only (and TurboTenant landlords cannot even see whether a tenant enrolled).

What this page is (and is not)

Feature snapshot (verify on vendor pages)

Capability RentRedi TurboTenant Avail
Auto late fees Yes — Late Fee Rules (portfolio-wide or per property/unit) Yes — on monthly rent charges only Yes — Payment Settings late-fee automation
Fee shapes Flat $ or %; first fee + optional recurring (day / week / month); optional max; tiered / stacked rules One-time flat or %; optional daily fee; optional cap (days, $ max, or % of rent) Fee amount + grace period; marketing lists one-time or recurring — confirm recurrence options in your account
When applied Each morning once rent is late (not the instant a payment bounces) By days past due (e.g. due 1st + 5-day setting → fee on the 6th) After the grace period you set in Payment Settings
Bundle with rent? Yes — “Add to existing” vs separate charge; can require oldest charges first Late fees generate as charges; prioritization of past-due available Configured with payment settings (verify live UI for how fees appear on the tenant bill)
Autopay who enrolls Tenant only; landlord can invite and see status (green / red $ icon) Tenant only; landlord cannot enable, edit, or view enrollment status Tenant only; landlord cannot enable, modify, or manage autopay
Autopay timing notes Tenant picks day on/before due date; rent-only; clear outstanding rent first; multiple schedules on web portal Schedule up to 12 days before due date (not on the due date); default often 3 days early; full charge only; no auto-retry on fail Tenant sets days-before-due; ACH may need ~3 business days to clear unless FastPay / next-day on Plus
Free vs paid gap Late fees + autopay on flat subscription (~$144/yr annual shape historically); ACH ~$1 still applies unless you cover it Late fees + autopay on free; Premium / paid tiers waive ACH (~$2) and add faster payouts — not required for the automation itself Late fees + autopay on Unlimited (free); Plus (~$9/unit/mo) waives ACH (~$2.50) + FastPay — automation not Plus-gated

Sources (Sep 2026): RentRedi help — Late Fee Rules, Auto-Pay, Invite Tenant to Set Up AutoPay; TurboTenant help — Setting Up Automatic Late Fees, Autopay for landlords / renters, Rent Payments FAQs; Avail support — Manage Payment Settings, Schedule Automatic Rent Payments With Autopay; Avail pricing (Unlimited vs Unlimited Plus feature lists). Re-verify before you publish a policy to tenants.

Worked policy: $50 after 5 days on $1,500 rent

Same lease clause on all three tools — what you configure, not what the software invents:

Setting RentRedi TurboTenant Avail
Grace Days rent is late = 5 (or week/month if lease says so) One-time fee applies 5 days after due Grace period = 5 days in Payment Settings
Fee $50 flat (or ~3.33% of $1,500 if you prefer %) $50 flat one-time (or %) $50 fee amount
Optional daily Recurring $ / day / week / month + max cap Daily $ after the one-time fires + optional limit Confirm “recurring” option in live UI (pricing page lists it)
Compliance check Match lease language and local caps (example: Colorado late-fee limits are statutory — do not copy $50 blindly). Software will apply whatever you type.

Autopay control is the real product difference

If your operating habit is “I need to know who is on autopay this month,” RentRedi’s status icons are the practical edge. If you are fine texting tenants to confirm, TurboTenant and Avail are not blocked — they just make enrollment opaque from the landlord side.

Free vs paid: what you are actually buying

None of the three hide automatic late fees or tenant autopay behind the paid plan in published docs. Paid tiers buy payment economics and speed, which make autopay stickier:

Stack with tenant payment fees and per-unit vs flat-rate break-even: subscription → ACH/card fees → then late-fee / autopay policy.

Setup checklist (30 minutes)

  1. Copy the late-fee clause from your signed lease (amount, grace days, flat vs %, daily or not, max).
  2. Check state / city caps and notice rules — software does not enforce local law for you.
  3. Enter the same numbers in Late Fee Rules / monthly charge / Payment Settings; screenshot the preview.
  4. Decide bundle vs separate charge (RentRedi’s “Add to existing” is the clearest published toggle).
  5. Turn on rent reminders before the due date; keep late-fee automation aligned with the grace period (not the day rent is due).
  6. Invite or message tenants to enroll autopay; on TurboTenant / Avail, ask them to reply with a screenshot of Autopay = On.
  7. On RentRedi, scan the $ icons once a month; on TT / Avail, sample-check by asking, not by dashboard.
  8. Document what happens on failed autopay (manual pay required on TurboTenant; ACH clearing time on Avail).

Fit notes for 1–20 units

Related

Educational product research only — not legal, tax, or fair-housing advice. Late-fee caps, grace periods, and electronic-pay rules are jurisdiction-specific. Verify every setting against your lease and local law before automation runs.