A payment that happens by itself
The mandate is signed with the contract. Each month, the direct debit goes through without the tenant having to think about it, or the team having to remind them.
🔁 Arrears and direct debits
Storage unit arrears and SEPA direct debit
Storage unit arrears and SEPA direct debit
follow-up that runs by itself
To avoid arrears on storage units, SEPA direct debit is set up from the moment of booking, with the contract. After that, follow-up runs by itself: nobody at the centre has transfers to tick off or reminders to write. If a direct debit fails, the tenant receives a polite message asking them to settle up from their phone, and everything is restored as soon as they have paid. The manager stays in control for a goodwill gesture or a payment plan, and the accounts keep up without re-keying.
Updated 13 October 2026
Text + emailReminder sent automatically
On paymentEverything restored
€1excl. VAT per unit per month
On the 5th of the month,
nobody goes through a bank statement
In many self-storage centres, the start of the month is spent with a bank statement on one side and the list of tenants on the other. Who paid by transfer, who sent a cheque, who changed account. The job comes round every month, and it always falls just when the operator has units to check and the manager has other things on their mind.
Then comes the most unpleasant part: reminding those who forgot. A message to write, a call you keep putting off, a tenant you pass in the aisle and don’t dare mention it to. Most have simply forgotten or changed banks, and the conversation is awkward for everyone.
When direct debit is in place from the moment of booking, the start of the month needs nothing more. If a direct debit fails, the tenant receives a clear, polite message with a way to pay from their phone, and everything goes back to normal once that is done. The team only deals with the rare situations that call for a real conversation.
- The first month paid at booking, direct debit in place for the following months
- A polite reminder by text message and email when a direct debit fails
- Everything restored as soon as payment is made, with no action from the team
- The manager free to grant extra time or a payment plan
On the 5th of the month,
follow-up happens without you
Direct debits go through on schedule and are ticked off automatically. If one of them fails, the tenant receives a polite reminder, and their access comes back as soon as it is settled. Nobody has had to pick up the phone.
What becomes of
the start of the month
A reminder written with tact
When a direct debit fails, the tenant receives a polite text message and email, with the link to pay. Nobody has to pick up the phone.
Everything restored on payment
Late payment follows the rules in your contract. As soon as the tenant has paid, their access and their file go back to normal, on a Sunday just as on a Tuesday.
Accounts with no re-keying
Each payment is linked to the right tenant and the right unit, then goes through to your accounts. Invoicing is compatible with e-invoicing.
A direct debit that fails,
and what happens next
The direct debit goes through
As it does every month, on the date set in the contract. For most tenants, that is the end of the story.
One month, it fails
The tenant receives a polite text message and email telling them how to pay. Their record is discreetly flagged to the team.
The manager decides if necessary
For a long-standing tenant or a particular situation, they grant extra time or a payment plan. Otherwise, the contract rules apply on their own.
Everything restored
The tenant pays from their phone. Their access and their file go back to normal without anyone stepping in.
How do you avoid arrears on storage units?
Most storage unit arrears start with an oversight: a transfer not made, a cheque left lying around, a change of bank. SEPA direct debit, set up from the moment of booking with the contract, gets rid of a good share of these oversights. The first month is paid online, the following ones go through on the scheduled date, and the tenant no longer has to think about it.
For the remaining cases, follow-up happens by itself: a polite reminder, a link to pay, and a return to normal as soon as it is done. The rules that apply in the event of late payment are written in the contract the tenant signs online; they know them before they move in. The booking process that puts all this in place from day one is described on the page online storage unit booking.
SEPA direct debit for rent: what you need to know
SEPA direct debit takes money from the tenant’s account each month, on the scheduled date, under a mandate they have signed. At a self-storage centre, this mandate is signed at the same time as the contract, online. The tenant has no form to print or bank details to send, and nobody at the centre has an account number to copy out.
Three things to know
- The tenant must know the amount and date of the direct debit before it takes place. The contract signed online states them.
- A private individual can ask their bank for a refund of an authorised direct debit within eight weeks of the debit, without having to give a reason. The amount then becomes due again, and follow-up resumes as for a rejected direct debit.
- A direct debit may be rejected because the account has insufficient funds, has been closed, or because the mandate has been revoked.
The first month, for its part, is paid at the time of booking, before the tenant has even moved in.
A tactful reminder, without an awkward call
When a direct debit fails, the tenant receives a text message and an email. The tone is polite: the message simply states what remains to be paid and gives the link to pay it from their phone. Nobody has to write a message or make an unpleasant phone call, and the tenant is not called out in front of anyone.
The consequences of late payment are the ones your contract provides for: extra time, suspension of gate access until payment, a possible security deposit. The ready-to-sign standard contract is reviewed with you during setup, so that it says what you apply and nothing else. The tenant’s record is discreetly flagged, so that the on-site operator knows where things stand if the tenant turns up.
Everything restored as soon as payment is made
The tenant pays via the link they received. Their access and their file go back to normal without anyone stepping in, on a Sunday just as on a Tuesday. They don’t have to call the centre to be let back in, and the team doesn’t have to check the payment before doing so.
A tenant who simply forgot usually pays without delay, and that is the end of the matter. For the others, the manager has the list, with the relevant details for each one: what is still owed, the reminders sent, the latest passes through the gate. They decide what happens next on a case-by-case basis.
A goodwill gesture, extra time, a payment plan: the manager decides
Some late payments call for a human decision. A loyal tenant of six years going through a rough patch, a family between homes waiting for their house to sell, a tradesperson coming out of a difficult winter: you can grant extra time, spread what is owed over several months or restore access in the meantime.
This choice is made from your screen, with no separate spreadsheet. The on-site operator sees that the situation is being handled and does not have to raise the subject with the tenant. The day everything is settled, the file goes back to normal, like any other.
A tenant’s departure and the last month
When the tenant gives notice, the end date is entered on their contract. The direct debits stop at the same time, and their code stops working on the move-out date. The on-site operator sees the unit to check, then the unit becomes free again and is offered online from the next day. If you require a security deposit, its return follows the rules in your contract, and you keep a record of what was returned.
A tenant who leaves with a balance outstanding appears in the same list as the others. The manager knows where the file stands before closing the contract, without having to piece it together from bank statements.
Accounting and e-invoicing
Each payment is linked to a tenant and a unit, month by month, and goes through to your accounts: first months, direct debits, options, adjustments. Your accountant finds everything without the team having to re-enter anything.
Invoicing is compatible with e-invoicing. Since 1 September 2026, all businesses must be able to receive electronic invoices, and the obligation to issue them extends to SMEs and micro-businesses on 1 September 2027. Your business tenants receive their invoices through this channel.
What the team looks at at the start of the month
The manager opens a single view: direct debits that went through, those that failed, reminders sent, payments received since, extra time granted. For each tenant, their record shows their payment history. The on-site operator has nothing to track on this front, apart from a flagged record if they come across the tenant.
If you manage several sites, the same view exists site by site and for all sites together. The page self-storage centre management shows how the operator and the manager share the rest of the work. We can go through your own start of the month in a demo.
Payment tracking included
from €1 excl. VAT per unit per month
Allow €59 excl. VAT per month as a minimum, with sliding-scale pricing from 100 units. Direct debits, reminders, access, contracts and online booking are included. Setup is at a fixed price, turnkey, and a dedicated contact then supports you day to day.
No commission
Keep your existing equipment
Assisted setup, done remotely
E-invoicing compatible
* Prices shown exclude VAT.
Arrears and direct debits:
your questions
By setting up SEPA direct debit from the moment of booking, with the contract. Most oversights disappear, and for the rest, the tenant receives a polite reminder with the link to pay.
No. They sign the direct debit mandate online, with their contract. Nobody has bank details to re-enter.
Everything is restored automatically: their access and their file go back to normal, without the team stepping in, even on a Sunday.
Yes. The manager decides case by case from their screen, and can restore access while waiting for payment.
A private individual can ask their bank for a refund of an authorised direct debit within eight weeks. The amount becomes due again, and follow-up resumes as for a rejected direct debit.
Yes. Invoices for your business tenants follow the e-invoicing channel, and every payment goes through to your accounts.
How many reminders
are you writing by hand this month?
In a free 30-minute demo, we show you a month of payments as seen from your screen: what goes through by itself, the reminder sent, the return to normal, the extra time granted. You leave knowing what your start of the month would look like.