When a customer doesn't always have the funds ready on debit day, every declined attempt can cost you a fee. You can turn off automatic payment on a single rental: the customer's payment method stays on file, and you decide when each invoice gets charged.

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This is for the owner and managers with access to billing. The customer can't do it themselves, and they won't be able to undo it from their portal.

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The contact must have an email address: that's how their invoices will be sent.

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No pre-authorized debit may be settling on an open invoice. A debit already in flight can't be recalled: wait for it to clear, 1 to 5 business days.

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Step 1.
Open the rental page from the Rentals list.

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Step 2.
In the Billing panel on the right, find the Payment method line and click the edit icon at the end of the line.

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Step 3.
The Payment method window recaps what will change: the payment method kept on file, the open invoices whose retries will stop, and any whose debit is already processing.

The confirmation window: the payment method stays on file, and you choose how the customer will pay you.

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Step 4.
You can enter a reason. It's optional and stays visible in the rental's timeline.

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Step 5.
Under Payment method (optional), choose how this customer will pay you: Cash, Cheque, Interac / Debit, Bank Transfer, Card (outside Stortech) or Other. Leave it alone and it stays Manual (unspecified).

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This choice is first of all for your own follow-ups: a tenant who pays by cheque and one who pays cash are not chased the same way. It also feeds your reports: it shows up in Scheduled move-outs and it splits Security deposits by method, both under Analytics > Reports. It changes nothing about the amount, the cycle, or how you collect.

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Step 6.
Click Turn off.

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The Payment method line then shows Manual followed by the method you chose (Manual · Cash, Manual · Cheque, and so on), or just Manual if you left it unspecified. It also carries the note Automatic payment disabled by the owner. Hover that note to see the date and the reason you entered.

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On a rental that's already on manual billing, the payment method can be corrected at any time, without going through a conversion.

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Step 1.
Open the rental page.

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Step 2.
On the Payment method line, click the edit icon, the same one as above.

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Step 3.
Under Off-platform payment method, choose the right method from the six. The field shows Not specified until something is recorded.

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Step 4.
Click Save. The button stays disabled until your selection differs from what's already on file.

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The window stays open: the conversion offer below it is a separate operation. The Billing panel's line shows the new method, and the rental's timeline notes Off-platform payment method recorded, or changed if a method was already there.

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A warning, repeated from the window: this method feeds your reports, including for periods already past. No amount is charged and billing stays manual.

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Every new invoice is now emailed to the customer with its payment link. When the customer confirms the funds are available:

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Step 1.
Open the invoice you want to collect.

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Step 2.
Click Charge customer, then confirm in the window.

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For a card, the result is immediate. For a pre-authorized debit, Stortech confirms Debit initiated and settlement takes 1 to 5 business days. Don't run the charge again during that window.

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A customer asks to pay later in the month, on the 12th rather than at the start. There is no button to move an invoice's debit date. Instead, you switch the rental to manual billing, then charge on the agreed date.

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Step 1.
Turn off automatic payment on that rental, as described above.

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Step 2.
On the agreed date, open the invoice and click Charge customer. The customer can also pay on their own with the link they received by email, with nothing for you to do.

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Step 3.
Once the payment is in, turn automatic payment back on so the following months resume as normal.

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Two things to know before you confirm a date with the customer: the invoice's due date and your late fees don't move. If the agreed date falls after the due date, the invoice counts as late and the fees set by your policy apply, along with late-payment follow-up and gate access restriction. Check your late-fee policy before committing to a date.

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The payment method stays on file. The customer's card or pre-authorized debit is neither removed nor replaced, and its mandate stays active.

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Automatic retries stop on open invoices. A debit already processing runs its course through to settlement.

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Late fees keep applying under your policy, on the same dates as before the change. Turning off automatic debits doesn't make a payment on time.

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Overdue tracking and gate access restrictions keep working normally.

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No special email goes out to the customer when you make the change. They receive their monthly invoice as usual, with its payment link.

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The customer's portal says so. It tells them automatic payment is managed by the facility for this rental, and to contact the office to re-enable it.

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On the Payment method line, reopen the window with the same icon, then click Convert to auto-billing. That also lifts the lock: the customer can manage their automatic payment from their portal again. The payment method you recorded is cleared, since it no longer applies.

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That conversion is covered in Convert a rental to automatic payment.

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I can't find how to switch to manual billing.

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What to check: is the rental already on manual billing, or is it cancelled?

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What to do: the control is the edit icon at the end of the Payment method line, in the Billing panel. If the rental is already manual, the same window offers the opposite, Convert to auto-billing.

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On a rental that's already manual, the edit icon is now always there: there is always a method to correct, even with no Stripe subscription or schedule to convert.

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The window shows a warning and refuses the conversion.

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What to check: is a pre-authorized debit still settling on an open invoice? Is a payment method setup in progress on this rental?

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What to do: wait for the debit to clear (1 to 5 business days) or for the setup to finish, then try again. Nothing was changed in the meantime.

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The contact has no email.

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What to do: add an email address on the customer's page before turning off automatic payment. Without one, the invoice can't be sent to them.

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The Charge customer button collects nothing.

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What to check: does the customer still have a saved payment method?

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What to do: if there's none left, the customer pays themselves using their invoice link, or you can add a payment method on their page.

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Is the customer's payment method deleted? No. The card or pre-authorized debit stays on file and is used as soon as you click Charge customer.

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Does the amount or the billing date change? No. Only the way you collect changes; the cycle and the amounts stay the same.

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Can the customer turn automatic payment back on themselves? No. While the lock is in place, their portal tells them to contact the office. Only a conversion done on your side lifts it.

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Do late fees still apply? Yes, on the same dates as before. You may be able to get a returned-payment fee waived by your institution, but a late payment is still late.

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Can I do this for several rentals at once? No. You turn it off one rental at a time, from its page.

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What if I turn it off while a debit is processing? The conversion is refused and nothing changes. Wait for the debit to settle, then try again.

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Can I change the payment method on a rental that is already on manual billing? Yes, from the same window, with no conversion. The change is immediate and charges nothing.