“Paying rent online is the financially smarter choice for tenants and landlords,” says a recent report from Rentec Direct, a property management software maker. This represents “the new norm.”
But does it?
The report, which used data from 1.2 million renters, found that online rent payments increased from four percent in 2014 to 51 percent in 2025.
A pivotal year for the growth of online payments was 2017, likely due to better technology and the entry of tech-savvy millennials into the rental market, the report said. Young renters who may not even have a checkbook may be surprised to learn that nearly half of renters still pay by check.
At FirstService Residential, one of the country’s largest property management firms, “we actively promote online rent payment,” said Calynne Oyolokor, senior vice president in charge of leasing.
Still, “We have always allowed checks because the number of rental apartments is so large,” she said. “I have people who put a piece of paper on their check.”
Property managers note that older and less affluent renters prefer to stick with checks and have little trust in online methods, although horror stories have been heard about rent checks being stolen from outdoor collection boxes. A tenant who mails a check also risks a late fee and should bake in the extension, said David Von Hollweg, vice president of Rudd Management, which manages about 45 buildings in Manhattan.
According to Mr. von Hollweg, some residents use a simple, low-tech workaround and avoid these dangers. You skip the mailbox and walk to the company’s office in Midtown East, check in hand.
“They are over 85,” he said.