We know that the first of each month can be tough on your wallet. Having rent taken from your bank account in a big lump on the first of the month can be stressful, especially when it’s a considerable chunk of your income. If you ever come up short, late fees can compound all of your financial issues and make the whole process worse. 

Lots of companies are creating flexible rent payment plans that make paying rent a little easier on the renter. In order to save you a little time, we’ve made a list of the best-reviewed companies.

All of these services are only available at their partner properties right now, so not everyone can use them. As more and more properties start to allow for flexible rent payments, however, this could be something to add to your wishlist for your next rental if it’s not available where you are.

Flexible Rent Options

JettyRent

Jetty is a company that offers several ways to make renting more affordable, from security deposit alternatives to renters insurance. Jetty’s flexible rent payment plan, JettyRent, is one of these. Jetty automatically pays your rent when it’s due, and you pay Jetty back over the course of the month. Essentially, you’re getting a loan from Jetty and paying it back.

You’ll have to pay Jetty in full by the 24th of each month, and it’s up to you whether you do that in several installments or in a lump sum. There’s also a membership fee depending on your income and your credit, ranging from $15-25.

At this time, Jetty is only available at its partner properties, which are across the country. If you use JettyRent in conjunction with JettyCredit, your successful rent payments will be reported to the major credit bureaus, which helps build your credit score.

Till

Till lets you pay a portion of your rent every time you’re paid, as opposed to paying it all in a lump sum on the first of the month. First, you give Till information about how much you’re paid and when you get paid. Then, Till creates a customized rent payment schedule so that your installments line up with your pay cycle. Till’s schedule will ensure that your rent is paid off by the end of the month.

Unlike JettyRent, Till isn’t a loan you pay back––it’s just a flexible rent payment schedule. This means that your landlord is receiving your rent in installments as you pay it, not in a lump sum on the first. However, Till does offer rent protection if you come up short: they’ll make sure that you can make your rent, and then you pay them back over your next few pay cycles.

Till costs up to $20 a month, with the first month free.

This product is only available at its partner properties right now. Till also reports your successful rent payments to the major credit bureaus to help your credit score, although you can opt out of this and still use their flexible rent program.

Flex

This option is similar to Jetty as Flex is also a loan, but it’s for half your rent, rather than all of it. Flex pays your rent in total on the first of each month, and you pay half right away. You pay the other half back to Flex later on, when you’re ready. You have until six days before the end of the month to pay off the balance.

There’s a $15 membership fee and a rent processing fee to use Flex. Like the others, it only works with eligible properties. 

Also like the other companies, Flex reports your payments to the credit bureaus, but Flex reports your payments whether they’re successful or not. This means that using Flex could negatively impact your credit score if you don’t pay up on time. The other companies we’ve mentioned don’t report your late payments, so this makes Flex different.

Circa

Circa allows you to pay your rent in installments throughout the month. You get to choose whether you pay in 1, 2, or 4 installments. You can pay through credit/debit, your bank account, with cash in-person, or CashApp.

To use Circa’s flexible rent payment plan, you’ll pay a small fee on every transaction. Circa reports your successful rent payments to the credit bureaus, but it doesn’t report late payments, so it will only help your credit score.

Circa is only available at its partner properties.

Flexible Rent Conclusion

If you are experiencing financial hardships and don’t want to make matters worse with late fees, flexible rent payment may be a good option for you. This option can help you protect your money and maintain secure housing even through difficult times.