If your landlord has requested that you pay rent via Stessa Rent Collection, follow the steps below to set up your account, make secure payments, and manage your banking details.
How to Join: Email Invitation Required
Stessa Rent Collection is available by invitation only. You cannot sign up directly without receiving an invitation email from your landlord.
What to Expect
Your landlord initiates the invitation process.
The invitation arrives via email with the subject line:
“[Landlord Name] has invited you to pay rent with Stessa”
If You Don’t See the Email
Check your Spam, Promotions, or Other folders.
Confirm with your landlord that they used your correct email address.
Move the message to your Inbox and mark as trusted/safe to avoid delivery issues.
Visit the Resident Portal at resident.stessa.com/pay to attempt manual setup or confirm your access.
Next Step
Click the “Get Started” button in the email to begin setting up your account in the Resident Portal. Once your account is created, you will see your current balance owed , previous payments along with options to make a payment and enable autopay.
Making Your First Rent Payment
Stessa uses Stripe, a secure service, to collect rent payments. Payments can be made by ACH, Credit Card or Debit Card.
Log in at resident.stessa.com/pay.
Click “Make Payment.”
Choose your payment method.
For Card, you will simply enter the card information.
For US bank account, you will need to follow the steps to connect your bank account.
Confirm the payment amount and Authorize
Note: The convenience fee amount will depend on the selected payment method.
Having Trouble Connecting Your Bank?
Click the blue support circle in the lower-right corner of your Stessa dashboard to chat with support.
Payment Methods & Fees
The total fee amount for your transaction will be clearly displayed when making a payment.
Payment Method | Supported? | Notes |
ACH (bank transfer) | Yes | Free in some instances. May include small fee up to $2 per transaction |
Credit Card | Yes | 3% fee per transaction |
Debit Card | Yes | $8 fee per transaction |
Paying Rent Monthly (or Setting Up Autopay)
You’ll receive an email reminder about 10 days before rent is due.
You can pay manually each month, or set up autopay. To set up auto pay, simply click Enable Auto Pay next to the Make Payment button.
Important:
Autopay deducts rent from your payment method on your due date.
Payments cannot be made more than 10 days before the due date.
You’ll need to re-authorize payments if:
Your rent amount changes
Your lease is renewed
Your landlord updates rent collection settings
Updating or Reconnecting Your Bank Account
Banks sometimes require you to refresh or reconnect due to security updates.
Go to resident.stessa.com/pay.
Follow prompts to refresh your account, remove an outdated account, or add a new account.
How Long Do Payments Take?
ACH payments usually take up to 5 business days to reach your landlord.
Card Payments can happen instantly but may take up to 2 business days depending on the merchant.
Keep sufficient funds in your account until the payment clears.
Recommendation: Submit your payment early to avoid late fees or delays.
Declined or Missing Payments
Payments may fail due to:
Insufficient funds
Account not funded in time
Closed or invalid account
Bank holidays or weekends delaying processing
Rent amount changes not updated in your account
Required re-authorization not completed
If a Payment Fails
You’ll receive an email notification.
Stessa will not retry automatically.
Steps to resolve:
Verify your balance and replenish funds.
Retry the payment once resolved.
If needed, unlink and relink your bank account.
Update payment settings if your rent has changed.
Complete any required re-authorization steps.
Disputing the Balance Shown
If the balance in the Resident Portal looks incorrect:
Contact your landlord directly.
Once they update the ledger, your balance in the Resident Portal will adjust automatically.