Getting Started with Propra Autopay

With Propra Autopay, you can effortlessly streamline your monthly fee collection. All transactions are automatically recorded and reconciled, eliminating the hassle of manual payments and saving you valuable time. Propra Autopay simplifies your first of the month fee collection process and ensures everything is handled seamlessly. Get ready to experience the convenience and efficiency of Propra Autopay—let’s get started!

Quickly Navigate This Article

• How Does Autopay Work
• Activating Autopay
• Preparing Your Residents
• Navigating Autopay
  • Statements
  • Payees
    • Activated
    • Incomplete
    • Invited
    • NSF
    • Declined
    • Cancelled
    • Suspended
  • Properties
    • Adding Additional Properties
    • Removing Properties
    • Updating Bank Accounts for a Property
  • Settings
    • Linked Bank Accounts
    • Collection Types
    • NSF
    • Transaction Fees and Invoice Payment
• Turning on Autopay Notifications

How Does Autopay Work

Autopay connects directly to a tenant's or owner's bank account to withdraw funds, just like a pre-authorized debit.

With Autopay, Propra uses technology (Flinks) to allow users to securely set up pre-authorized debits directly from their chosen bank account. Only the necessary information (the same details that would be on a cheque) is provided back to Propra's system to enable the processing of the fee collection; no one sees this information and it is not displayed back to any property managers or landlords, which reduces the liability that comes with obtaining authorizations via email or paper.

Connecting directly to the payees bank account allows for:

• Verified information: Institution, transit and account information are provided directly by the financial institution, reducing the risk of fraud or human error in setting up pre-authorized debits.
• Control of information: Users can add, change, or remove banking information at anytime through the Resident Portal, making it convenient to keep financial information up to date.
• Fraud prevention check: The bank has confirmed that the user is who they say they are and are able to authorize withdrawals from the specified account.
• Enhanced security: Bank account information is securely stored, not sent though email and never written down on paper or displayed. User login details and passwords used for during the activation process with their banking institutions are never recorded or stored.

Activating Autopay

Activating Autopay is quick and easy. All you will need is the Books Admin role assigned to your user record in Propra and the login information to access your bank account online.

1. Click Autopay in the left-hand menu.

2. Click Activate Autopay to get started.

3. Read the activation steps carefully and provide the following information:

   • Select that to collect: indicate the type of fees you want collected with Autopay. Options include rent, condo fees, and commercial rent

   • Fee expense account: define the GL account to use for recording the transaction fees that will be charged to you

   • Create NSF charge for returned payments: determine if you would like an NSF charge automatically recorded, and if so, provide the amount

4. Review the Terms and Conditions and check the book next to I agree to the terms and conditions before clicking Next: Select Properties to continue.

5. Select the property or properties you want to invite to use Autopay. Once the activation is complete, an email will automatically be sent to the tenants of the selected address(es), inviting them to sign up for Autopay in the resident portal.

6. Finally, link your bank account and activate it.
   
   

Preparing Your Residents

Ahead of activating Autopay, it is recommended to provide a heads up to your residents, especially if they are not familiar with Propra and the Resident Portal. This way they have a better understanding of this new payment option and are more likely to sign up.

Here is a draft communication you can send using Announcements:

Subject line: Pay rent using Propra Autopay!

At [COMPANY NAME], we're committed to continuously improving your experience as a valued tenant. We are excited to announce that we now offer Propra Autopay for rent collection!

You may currently be using our pre-authorized debit (PAD) system, which has been a convenient way to automate your rent payments. However, we've decided to make the move to Propra Autopay, offering an even more streamlined and secure experience.

Why the switch to Propra Autopay?
- Simplicity: Propra Autopay offers a user-friendly and simplified process for managing your rent payments.
- >Peace of Mind: Propra Autopay provides added security with state-of-the-art encryption of payment information.

ransitioning to Propra Autopay is a breeze. Here's how to get started:

1. Click the link in the invitation you will receive to sign up for Autopay or log in to the Propra Resident Portal at propra.io. You will need to create an account if you haven’t yet done so. 
	2. Click on the "Billing" tab. 
	3. Select "Set Up Autopay”. Follow the on-screen instructions to sign up and confirm your banking information.



If you have any questions or require assistance during the transition process, please feel free to contact us or review the article linked here on how to sign up for the Propra Resident Portal. 

Thank you for being a valued part of our community!

Navigating Autopay

Once Autopay is active, you’ll notice a few more tabs become available in the top navigation.

Statements

When you click on Autopay in the left-side menu, you will always see the Statements tab first. Here is where you can see your invoices related to any transactions that have been processed with Autopay. Click the Download icon to view a copy of your statement.

Downloaded statements contain all the details related to the statement period including the payees, dates and amounts of the transactions, and Propra’s fees.

Payees

The Payees tab provides a view of the status of your invites to sign up and signed up payees that may require your attention.

The list of available statuses include:

• Activated
• Incomplete
• Invited
• NSF
• Declined
• Cancelled
• Suspended

Below is more information about what each status means and recommended actions to address potential issues.

Activated

These are payees who have successfully set up Autopay by connecting their bank information.

By default, the Payees Needing Attention table filters out these payees as these are payees who are signed up and in good standing. If you’d like to see who has activated Autopay, you can remove the filter that is automatically set on the Status column or opt to update the filter to only show Activated.

Incomplete

These are payees that don't have an email address and therefore, cannot be invited to participate in Autopay.

To fix these records, simply click on the 3 dot / kebab menu and select Fix and Invite to add their email address. Once that is complete, an invitation will be sent to them and their corresponding tenant or owner record will be updated with that email.

Invited

These are payees that have been invited to sign up for Autopay but have yet to take any action.

If you would like to resend their invitation, you can click on the 3 dot / kebab menu and select Resend invitation. If a tenant/owner does not want to participate in Autopay, you can update their status to Declined by selecting Update to Declined in the 3 dot / kebab menu.

NSF

Payees marked NSF did not have enough funds in order for recent transaction(s) to happen as expected. Depending on your settings, these payees may be charged an NSF fee.

Any payees that have a status of NSF will not be included in further Autopay processing until outstanding transactions have been cleared to avoid multiple NSF charges for the resident.

Declined

Any payee that is set to Declined did not wish to sign up for Autopay to start. This status is set by updating the payee's status in the 3 dot / kebab menu and selection Update to Declined.

Cancelled

Any payee that is set to Cancelled has decided to opt out of Autopay after having signed up. This status automatically updates when a user cancels Autopay when logged into the Resident Portal.

Suspended

This is a status that the Propra team sets when unusual or fraudulent activity is suspected. This suspends all activity for this payee and can only be removed by Propra.

If you ever suspect fraudulent activity, please contact us by email at fraud@propra.ca or by phone at 587-858-2572.

Properties

The Properties tab provides an overview of all properties that are active on Autopay.

Adding Additional Properties

To set up an additional property on Autopay:

1. Click Add.
2. Use the search bar to find the property that you would like to add.

3. Select the property or properties you would like to add.
4. Click Add and then Continue.

The tenants on the newly added property will receive their invite immediately.

Removing Properties

If you wish to remove any properties from Autopay,

1. Click Remove.
2. Use the search bar to find the property that you would like to remove.
3. Select the property or properties you wish to remove.
4. Click Remove and then Continue.

Updating Bank Accounts for a Property

If you wish to update the bank account related to that property:

1. Click on Bank Accounts for that property

2. Set the collection type of the selected bank account and the appropriate account.
3. Click Save.

Please note, the collection type corresponds to the property type, such as Condo, Rental, and Commercial Rental.

Settings

Autopay Settings allow you to manage your linked bank accounts, confirm collection types, and set how transaction fees and NSF charges should be recorded. These settings can be accessed by clicking on the Settings button in any of the tabs available in Autopay, or by selecting Account under Settings in the left-hand menu and selecting the Autopay tab in the upper navigation.

In Autopay Settings, you will see the following tabs:

• Linked Bank Accounts
• Collection Types
• NSF
• Transaction Fees and Invoice Payment

Linked Bank Accounts

See which bank accounts you have connected to Autopay and add or delete any accounts.

Collection Types

Provides the option to update the types of fees you would like to collect with Autopay

NSF

Update or disable the option for recording the NSF fee charge.

Transaction Fees and Invoice Payment

Indicate how you’d like transaction fees to be recorded and collected. You can either opt for fees to be deducted at the time of the settlement or to be withdrawn from a different account through pre-authorized debit.

If you choose Withdraw amount owing through a pre-authorized debit on the settlement date, you will then select the appropriate bank account and will be asked to agree to the withdrawal authorization.

Turning on Autopay Notifications

There are several notification options available that any user can turn on to help them stay on top of what is happening with their payees and Autopay.

To opt-in to notifications, users can:

1. Go to Account in the left-hand menu.
2. Select My Profile at the top.
3. Under My Notifications, there's the option to opt-in to all notifications for Autopay with email and/or SMS or you can select the notifications that you are most interested in.
   SMS will only be available if you have a phone number entered for your user under My Profile.

Changes are updated automatically. No need to click save.