Skip to content
Habitia Help

Connecting Stripe so tenants can pay by card or ACH

Habitia uses Stripe Connect to handle online rent payments. You connect your bank account directly with Stripe — Habitia never sees or stores your bank details, account numbers, or routing numbers. Funds go straight from the tenant’s payment method into your bank.

Stripe handles the legal identity check (KYC), bank verification, and payouts. You just point and click.

1. Open Settings → Payments

In the left sidebar, click Settings, then switch to the Payments tab. (The Subscription tab is a different thing — that’s your billing with Habitia, not the one you want here.)

You’ll see the Rent Payments (Stripe Connect) card. Status will read Not connected if this is your first time.

Screenshot: Payments tab with Stripe Connect status "Not connected"

Note: Only an organization owner can manage payment settings. Other roles see a lock icon and a message that owners-only can connect Stripe.

2. Click Connect bank account

Habitia generates a secure Stripe onboarding link and sends you to Stripe’s hosted onboarding page. You’ll be off Habitia’s site for the rest of this flow.

3. Fill in your details with Stripe

Stripe asks for:

  • Business type — Sole proprietor, LLC, etc.
  • Legal name and address of the business or your name if you’re a sole proprietor.
  • Date of birth and the last four of your SSN (or full SSN if Stripe needs to verify identity).
  • Bank account — routing and account number for where payouts should land.
  • A photo of your ID in some cases.

Stripe may ask for additional documents depending on your business setup. Provide what they ask for — Habitia can’t fast-track these requests.

Tip: Have your bank’s routing number, your account number, and a government ID handy before you start. If you stop mid-flow you can come back later — Habitia will show a Finish Stripe onboarding button.

4. Stripe sends you back to Habitia

When you’re done (or if you pause), Stripe redirects you to the Habitia Payments tab. The page automatically refreshes your status.

Three things have to be green for online payments to actually work:

  • Details submitted — you finished the onboarding form.
  • Charges enabled — Stripe accepts payments on your behalf.
  • Payouts enabled — Stripe will deposit money in your bank.

When all three are checked, the status badge changes to Active.

5. Tenants can now pay online

As soon as the status is Active, the Pay rent button in every tenant’s portal becomes functional. Tenants can pay by:

  • Card (Visa, MC, Amex, Discover)
  • ACH (US bank transfer)

Online payments land in the ledger automatically — you don’t have to record them.

Opening your Stripe dashboard

Once connected, the Payments tab shows an Open Stripe dashboard button. Use it to see deposits, manage payout schedules, and download statements directly in Stripe.

If Stripe flags your account

Stripe occasionally requires extra documentation (e.g., a utility bill, an updated ID). When that happens the Payments tab shows a red banner with the reason. Click Open Stripe dashboard to upload what they need — there’s nothing Habitia can do to bypass this.

Note: Tenants pay a small Stripe processing fee on each payment. By default the tenant pays the fee. You can change this in Settings → Payments → Fee policy (separate article).

What’s next

  • Setting your fee policy — choose whether you or the tenant pays the Stripe fee.
  • Reviewing payment receipts — what tenants see after they pay online.