How your payment architecture works: You use Stripe Connect with direct charges. Renter money flows directly into the facility owner's Stripe account — it never touches yours. You collect your fees separately and automatically. This means you are never holding anyone's money, never responsible for renter funds, and do not need a money transmitter license.
Money flow — where every dollar goes
Stripe Connect · Direct charges
When a renter pays $89/mo by card (owner passes fee through)
Renter pays
$89.00 rent
+ $3.67 card fee
= $92.67 total
→
Stripe processes
Validates card
Splits payment
per Connect rules
→
Owner receives
$89.00
Full rent amount
Card fee covered by renter
→
You receive
Your platform fee
Subscription + space fee ($0.25/space)
Collected separately
When a renter pays $89/mo by card (owner absorbs fee)
Renter pays
$89.00 flat
No fee added
= $89.00 total
→
Stripe processes
$3.67 fee
deducted from
owner's payout
→
Owner receives
$85.33
After $3.67 fee
deducted by Stripe
→
You receive
Your platform fee
Same either way
Unaffected
When a renter pays $89/mo by ACH (1.8% + $1.00)
Renter pays
$89.00 rent
+ $2.60 ACH fee
= $91.60 total
→
Stripe processes
ACH bank transfer
3–5 business days
to settle
→
Owner receives
$89.00
Full rent amount
ACH fee covered by renter
→
You receive
Your platform fee
Subscription + space fee ($0.25/space)
Collected separately
Cash / check / money order — no gateway involved
Renter pays
Cash / check / MO
to owner directly
$0 processing fee
→
Staff records it
Manual entry
Receipt generated
Ledger updated
→
Owner receives
100% of payment
No Stripe involved
No fee deducted
→
You receive
Your platform fee
Subscription only
No transaction fee
Why direct charges protect you legally
You are not a money transmitter
Money transmitter licenses are required in most US states if you hold, transfer, or control other people's funds. With direct charges, renter money goes directly to the facility owner's Stripe account. You never touch it. No license needed.
If a facility owner goes bankrupt or disappears, renter money is safe
Because funds are held in each owner's own Stripe account, any insolvency, dispute, or fraud affecting one owner has no impact on any other owner's funds — and never impacts your company's finances.
Your platform fees are collected separately and automatically
Stripe Connect lets you set an application fee on each charge. Your subscription fee, per-space fee, and any transaction fee spread you keep are transferred directly to your Stripe account — automatically, on every transaction, with no manual collection needed.
What to confirm with your attorney
Even with direct charges, confirm with your IP attorney and a payments-focused attorney that your Stripe Connect setup, your subscriber agreement, and your Terms of Service correctly describe the payment flow. This is a one-time review — not expensive.
Updated fees confirmed: Card 3% + $1.00 per transaction · ACH 1.8% + $1.00 per transaction (no cap) · Cash/check/money order $0 always. These are the rates you charge facility owners. Whether owners pass them to renters is a separate setting on the next tab.
Platform fee schedule — confirmed
Simple plan$19.00/mo per facility
Plus plan$29.00/mo per facility
Pro plan$39.00/mo per facility
Rental properties$12.99/mo per portfolio
Per active space$0.25/mo (vacant = $0)
Card processing3% + $1.00 per transaction
ACH / bank transfer1.8% + $1.00 per transaction
Cash / check / MO$0 — no processing fee
Live fee calculator
Fee reference table
Amount Card fee ACH fee Cash/check
Pass-through is optional per facility owner, per renter, and even per transaction. The default is set at the platform level, owners can override at the facility level, and staff can override per-renter or per-payment. Cash and check payments always show $0 fee regardless of this setting.
Platform default — applies to all new accounts
Pass card fee through to renter
When ON: renter invoice shows rent + card fee. When OFF: owner absorbs the fee from their payout.
Pass ACH fee through to renter
When ON: renter invoice shows rent + ACH fee (1.8% + $1.00). When OFF: owner absorbs from payout.
Allow facility owners to override this default
Owners can set their own pass-through preference in their facility settings, overriding your platform default.
Allow per-renter override
Staff can waive the fee for a specific renter (e.g. long-term tenants, commercial accounts) without changing the facility default.
Show fee breakdown on renter invoice
When fees are passed through, the renter invoice clearly itemizes "Rent: $X · Processing fee: $Y · Total: $Z" so there are no surprises.
Encourage cash/check to avoid fees
When a renter has fees passed through, their portal shows: "Pay by cash or check — no processing fee." Optional nudge.
Invoice preview — what the renter sees
Updates with your settings
Renter: Austin T. · Unit 12 · $89/mo
Owner-level override — Blue Ridge Storage
Mike R. has chosen to absorb card fees for his facility. His renters never see a processing fee on card payments. He accepts the lower net payout in exchange for a smoother renter experience.
Card fee — Blue Ridge Storage override
Owner absorbs · overrides platform default
ACH fee — Blue Ridge Storage override
Pass through · matches platform default
This override only affects this facility. Other facilities on the account use the platform default unless they set their own override.
Two types of disputes: (1) Failed payment disputes — a renter's ACH or card didn't go through and the owner believes it should have. (2) Chargeback disputes — a renter disputed a charge with their bank after it went through. Both are managed here and submitted through Stripe.
Open disputes
3
Across all facilities
Won this month
7
Evidence submitted
Lost this month
2
Pending review
4
Stripe reviewing
Open disputes
TK
Tom K. — Hangar B3
Failed ACH · 3 days ago
$349.00 open
MH
Maria H. — Site 12
Chargeback · 5 days ago
$300.00 review
BT
Beth T. — Unit A6
Failed ACH · 1 day ago
$147.00 pending
Recently resolved
JL
Janet L. — Slip 8
Evidence accepted — signed contract + payment history
$360.00 won
DR
Dave R. — Bay B3
Bank confirmed NSF — renter updated payment method
$897.00 won
GP
Gail P. — Unit C7
Renter claimed unauthorized — no signed contract on file
$280.00 lost
RC
Ron C. — Slip 4
Renter bank error — payment cleared on retry
$180.00 won
File a dispute — Tom K. · $349.00 ACH failed
Evidence available (auto-attached)
Signed lease agreement
Signed Apr 20, 2026 — HMAC verified
Payment history (18 months)
All prior payments confirmed received
Renter ID + onboarding record
Verified at move-in
Failed payment notification log
Bank return code R01 (NSF) on Apr 5, 2026
Stripe typically reviews within 5–10 business days. You'll be notified by email of the outcome.
Dispute timeline — Tom K. ACH $349
ACH payment submitted
Autopay triggered on Apr 1 — sent to Tom's bank
Apr 1, 2026 · Auto
ACH returned — NSF (R01)
Bank returned payment: insufficient funds. Stripe notified OpenSpace.
Apr 5, 2026 · Stripe
Renter notified
SMS + email: "Your payment didn't go through. Please update your payment method."
Apr 5, 2026 · Auto
Gate suspended
Gate access auto-suspended at 2 AM after 5-day overdue threshold
Apr 8, 2026 · Auto
Dispute filed by owner
Blue Ridge Storage filed dispute with signed lease + payment history attached
Apr 8, 2026 · Staff
Stripe review — pending
Expected outcome in 5–10 business days
Pending
Your platform earnings are collected automatically via Stripe Connect application fees. Every time a facility owner's renter pays, Stripe deducts your platform subscription fee (prorated daily) and per-space fee automatically before settling to the owner. You never have to chase anyone for money.
Your MRR
$2,480
31 founding subscribers
This month collected
$2,480
Auto-collected via Stripe
Space fees this mo.
$1,412
2,823 active spaces × $0.25
Your Stripe balance
$3,327
Available for payout
How your fees are collected
Platform subscription
Prorated daily via Stripe Connect application fee. If a subscriber signs up mid-month, you collect the exact number of days remaining at their plan rate. No invoicing needed — Stripe handles it automatically.
Per-space fee
Collected on the 1st of each month based on that month's active space count. Calculated from your database and charged as an application fee on the monthly billing cycle.
Transaction fee spread (optional)
If you choose to mark up the Stripe card rate slightly, the spread between what Stripe charges you and what you charge the owner is deposited to your account on each transaction. Discuss with your attorney before implementing.
Founding subscriber discount
Founding subscribers are billed at their locked rate ($14/$22/$29) automatically. Your Stripe pricing engine handles the discounted billing — no manual management needed.
Your earnings breakdown — this month
By subscriber plan
14 × Simple founding$14/mo$196
12 × Plus founding$22/mo$264
5 × Pro founding$29/mo$145
0 × Simple standard$19/mo$0
0 × Plus standard$29/mo$0
0 × Pro standard$39/mo$0
Subscription total$605
Space fees (2,823 spaces)$847
Rental portfolio subscriptions$0
Total collected this month$1,452
All amounts auto-collected by Stripe. No manual invoicing. Payouts to your bank on a rolling 2-day schedule.
Payout settings
Automatic payouts to bank
Rolling 2-day schedule — balance transfers to your bank account automatically
Email alert when payout is sent
Confirmation email with payout amount and estimated arrival date
Reserve balance (optional)
Keep a minimum balance in Stripe before payouts begin — useful buffer for refunds or disputes