this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2025

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A Boring Dystopia

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523

My landlord partnered with a financing company - I can pay $15/month for the luxury of making weekly payments on my rent (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 week ago by andros_rex@lemmy.world to c/aboringdystopia@lemmy.world

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[–] flamiera@kbin.melroy.org 1 points 2 days ago

Yeah my apartment landlord posted papers on the building doors about these guys. I looked into it myself, signed up but made no commitment to the system. I've read a few reviews from people who tried it, all were nightmares for them. I had actually thought this business was where you can pay some of the rent now and payback later, preferably on a payday.

However, the logic doesn't add up since landlords typically want everything by the first day of the month when its due. So, Flex didn't align with my thoughts which honestly would've alleviated some pressure financially, but they cram everything to be due by within the month. It is like, why the fuck bother?

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 79 points 1 week ago (3 children)

$15 plus 1% of rent plus card processing fees.

If your rent is $1200 and there's a 3.5% processing fee, you're looking at $70/month in extra fees.

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[–] SlartyBartFast@sh.itjust.works 28 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Why would anyone do this

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone 59 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Short answer: late stage capitalism

Long answer: Because they don't have enough money to make rent on time and the associated fees are less than the late fees. Being poor is expensive.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago (14 children)

I just moved from a shithole place that used and promoted Flex. The alternative was $300 late fees.

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[–] BanMe@lemmy.world 16 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Same reason people finance their groceries over 4 weekly payments now.

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 19 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Rocket Mortgage has had this commercial for a couple years where some schlub is trudging back into his house lamenting the fact that six bags of groceries has become two (thanks to inflation). Suddenly his house starts talking to him and reminding him that he could get a Rocket Mortgage loan backed by his small amount of equity and use the money to buy groceries. Dude lights up with joy and dances into this house. It's just beyond fucked that this is obviously one of their most successful commercials. It's amazing that they can turn borrowing money for food into a positive.

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[–] VitoRobles@lemmy.today 7 points 6 days ago

I just got a postcard of this in the mail!

It wasn't from the landlord though and it didn't have any identifying information.

What a garbage company.

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[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 28 points 6 days ago (1 children)

14.99 plus payment fee of 1% of rent amount. So if your rent is 2k that's another $20 per payment.

For what? Please tell me this is not the only payment option.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 14 points 6 days ago (4 children)

My apartment complex tried outsourcing their payment portal, attaching a fee to it, and making it the only way to pay.

I ended up going down to the office to write a check in front of them once a month, making sure to complain loud enough to be overheard when they had other people inquiring about apartments.

Apartments these days will nickle and dime you to death. Late in my tenancy, they wanted me to sign up to have my pets put into a database. They were also going to charge $25 per pet per month to have them in the database. You bet your ass I was in their office the next day with my pet addendum to discuss their breach of contract. My rabbits were not the dogs that kept getting loose and shitting all over the place.

[–] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Had an apartment a while back, they changed owners and didn't really tell anyone until I got a note on my door saying next months rent, due in a week, can't be done online, needed to be cash check or money order or eviction process would start. What if I was out of the country or working remotely and didn't get the note? No email, no call, just note on the door.

I threw a fucking fit, this was the last straw after a parking lot flooded with gravel, moldy laundry rooms, flooded apartment. Then threaten me with eviction because of their bullshit?

I wrote up my refusal to renew then, like 2 months into a new lease. Made them reimburse me for having to get a money order (don't have checks), then began looking to buy. When renewal came up, they said I needed to renew and raised the prices. I referred them to my email and printout and told them to fuck themselves.

They tried to bill me for cleaning after I moved out, just never replied.

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[–] Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net 12 points 6 days ago (1 children)

All landlords are leeches. Every single one of them.

[–] Atropos@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago (11 children)

Many are. But I'll stick my neck out here for when I rented in socal.

My landlord Randy was a retired dentist. He had built an ADU on his property in order to care for his very elderly mother. She had since passed away, leaving him with an empty mobile home in his backyard.

It sat empty for a few years, as his now-adult children and friends didn't need it. He couldn't sell it because of minimum plot size, setbacks, and utility issues.

I ended up renting from him for two years, and it was an excellent situation with reasonable rent and a great relationship.

I think a great many landlords are garbage, and I don't think it's possible to be a corporate landlord without being garbage. But there are some situations where a landlord is just a person who finds themselves in a situation where renting a space out makes the most sense. Open to other perspectives on this.

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[–] perry@lemy.lol 19 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Which country is this? Do most landlords do this? /gen

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 40 points 6 days ago (8 children)

When I lived in NYC, one of my apartments had a tipping option on the website

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 30 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Hollow tip are best, they spall inside the landlord and are less likely to exit out the back and damage anything of value.

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[–] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

Wow. Either someone was too lazy to turn of the default settings, or figured it was appropriate to ask. Either way, that's some shocking lack-of-awareness going on.

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[–] titanicx@lemmy.zip 13 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I'm sure this is the US. And this is the first time I've heard of it in 35 years of renting.

[–] beejboytyson@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It's in canada also. My gf had to pay a rental payment fee for the system they use. Same with enwin utilities in ontario. They just installed a new tax for no reason.

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[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

This could actually be interesting if it was the opposite...

You can get a small discount, and pre pay the next month in advance. You can miss any of those payments up until the end of the month when the remaining balance is due.

The discount is based off how much you paid early.

Landlord gets a reduced risk as every early payment is money that is in his hands and available up to a month before.

[–] WallsToTheBalls@lemmynsfw.com 17 points 6 days ago

Yeah my place has this too, it’s an option if you want to split your rent into two payments… ie you don’t have enough to make the whole payment.

Sign of the times for sure

[–] Fmstrat@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

Ours emails us this crap to. It's going to be in my review when I move out. Ever since the Texas megacorp bought this place it has gone downhill.

[–] No1@aussie.zone 17 points 6 days ago (9 children)

What does your lease say about payment and methods of payment?

I would suggest physically handing a nice big bag with a mix of nickels, dimes and quarters to a designated recipient.

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