Rent and service charges in Ireland can be collected through a business bank account with invoicing, a payment provider such as Stripe or GoCardless, the reminders in Xero or QuickBooks, or a payment and credit control tool such as Adfin. SEPA direct debit suits regular amounts like monthly rent and annual service charges, and payment links cover tenants and owners who'd rather pay by card. Whichever tool you use, owners' management companies must follow the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011 when they set service charges, landlords must follow the Residential Tenancies Board's process for rent arrears, and late fees or interest shouldn't be added to amounts owed by tenants or homeowners.
In this article
The short version
- Owners' management companies set service charges under the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011.
- The sinking fund contribution is €200 per unit a year unless members agree otherwise.
- Landlords must follow the RTB's process when rent falls into arrears.
- Don't add late fees or interest to amounts owed by tenants or homeowners.
- SEPA direct debit suits regular rent and service charge collections.
The collection rules in one line each
These rules apply whichever tool you pick, and a tool that makes any of them harder to follow probably isn't the right fit for property collections.
- An owners' management company can't levy a service charge until a general meeting of the members concerned has considered it, along with an estimate of expenditure.
- Service charges have to be calculated on a transparent basis and apportioned equitably between unit owners.
- Every unit owner is obliged to pay the service charges levied.
- The building investment fund contribution is €200 per unit a year unless a members' meeting agrees another amount.
- Rent arrears from a residential tenant have to be handled through the Residential Tenancies Board's process.
- Don't add late fees or interest to rent or service charges owed by tenants or homeowners.
- Send SEPA direct debit pre-notification at least 14 calendar days before each collection, unless you've agreed a different timeline.
Service charges and the sinking fund
Under section 18 of the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011, an owners' management company must set up a scheme of annual service charges. A charge can't be levied unless a general meeting of the members concerned has considered it, together with an estimate of expenditure, and the charges have to be calculated transparently and equitably apportioned between unit owners. Each unit owner is under an obligation to pay all service charges levied under that section.
Section 19 requires the company to set up a building investment fund, often called a sinking fund, for refurbishment, improvement, non-recurring maintenance and related advice. The default contribution is €200 per unit a year, or another amount agreed at a meeting of the members, and the fund can't be spent on anything else.
For collection, that has three practical consequences. The amount each owner pays comes from a decision of the members, so your collection tool needs to handle different amounts per unit. The sinking fund contribution is restricted money, so record it separately from the general service charge, whether on the same demand or a separate one. And because owners are obliged to pay, a clear demand with a due date, followed by reminders and a statement of what's outstanding, gives you a record, as director or managing agent, if arrears build up.
Rent from residential tenants
Rent collection from residential tenants runs alongside tenancy law. If a tenant falls into arrears, you must follow the Residential Tenancies Board's process for rent arrears, and getting a step wrong can make a notice invalid. Check the RTB's current guidance before you act, since the process can change.
What a collection tool can do is make paying on time straightforward and make arrears visible early. That means a regular collection or a payment request before each due date, reminders when a payment is missed, and a clear statement of what's owed. Reminders and statements are fine to send to tenants, but late fees and interest aren't something to add, because the statutory late payment rules cover sales between businesses rather than consumers. Make sure any collection tool you use is set up so it can't charge them on rent.
Keep reminders factual and keep a record of each one. If arrears do end up in the RTB process, a record of what you asked for and when is useful to have.
SEPA direct debit for rent and service charges
SEPA direct debit fits amounts that recur on known dates, such as monthly rent or an annual service charge. The tenant or owner signs a SEPA mandate once, and you collect each amount on its due date.
A few scheme rules apply to every collection:
- Each collection needs a valid mandate, and a payer can claim back an unauthorised collection for up to 13 months.
- Pre-notification must reach the payer at least 14 calendar days before the collection, unless you've agreed a different timeline with them, and it can go on the invoice or demand.
- A payer can ask their bank for a refund of any SEPA direct debit within eight weeks, with no questions asked.
- A mandate that hasn't been used for 36 months has to be cancelled, which can catch out a payer who stopped paying by direct debit years ago.
- Collections can be returned for reasons such as insufficient funds or a closed account, so check each collection run and follow up any that come back.
If you want to collect under your own creditor identifier, your bank issues it, and it's a 13-character reference such as IE97ZZZ123456. Some payment providers collect under their own creditor identifier by default, Stripe among them, so ask each one how mandates are set up and what appears on payers' statements.
The kinds of collection tool on offer
There are four kinds of tool to consider, and you may end up using two together.
A business bank account with invoicing is the lightest setup. Revolut Business, with plans from €10, €35 and €125 a month, can send invoices that remind the customer automatically 7 days before, on, and 3 days after the due date. Without an active Merchant account, those invoices can only be paid by bank transfer.
A payment provider takes the payment but leaves demands and chasing to you. Stripe charges 1.5% + €0.25 for standard European Economic Area cards, lists €3.50 for a failed SEPA direct debit and €15 for a SEPA dispute, and makes SEPA funds available six business days after the charge. GoCardless collects by direct debit but doesn't take card payments, and it doesn't send reminders or chase unpaid amounts. Its fees come out of payouts, and showing your own name on payers' bank statements is a €50 a month add-on.
Accounting software can send reminders on the invoices or demands you raise in it. Xero Ireland sends automatic reminders before or after the due date and offers payment through Stripe and GoCardless, while QuickBooks Online Ireland sends up to three automatic reminders on unpaid invoices.
A payment and credit control tool combines collection and chasing. Adfin collects by SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or bank transfer, sends payment links by email, SMS or WhatsApp, and works alongside the property software you already use, with two-way sync to Xero or QuickBooks.
| Option | What it publishes for Ireland |
|---|---|
| Revolut Business | Plans from €10, €35 and €125 a month; invoice reminders 7 days before, on and 3 days after the due date; bank transfer only without an active Merchant account |
| Stripe | Standard EEA cards 1.5% + €0.25; €3.50 per failed SEPA payment; €15 per SEPA dispute; SEPA funds available after six business days |
| GoCardless | Direct debit, no card payments; no reminders or chasing; fees taken out of payouts; own name on statements €50 a month |
| Xero | Automatic reminders before or after the due date; payments through Stripe and GoCardless |
| QuickBooks Online | Up to three automatic reminders |
| Adfin | SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer; 20c + 1% per successful payment, with the 1% part capped at €2 on direct debit and bank transfer but not cards; free Essential credit control; certified Xero and QuickBooks app |
What to check before you choose
Put each option through these questions before you move any tenants or owners onto it.
- Can it collect a different amount from each unit or tenant, and change it when the members or the lease change it?
- Does it take SEPA direct debit for regular amounts and cards for payers who prefer them?
- What does each payment cost by method, and is there a cap on larger amounts such as an annual service charge?
- Is there a monthly fee, setup fee or minimum contract?
- Does it send reminders and statements, and can you switch off anything that would add a late fee or interest for consumers?
- Can you record the sinking fund contribution separately from the general service charge?
- Does it mark payments paid in your accounting software, so arrears reports are accurate?
- Can you pause reminders for one tenant or owner while a query or an RTB process is under way?
Which option fits which collector
If you're a small landlord with a handful of tenants paying by bank transfer, a business account that sends invoices with automatic reminders may be all you need. If tenants want to pay by card, check whether that account needs a separate merchant setup.
If you're a managing agent or an owners' management company collecting from dozens of units, SEPA direct debit for the annual or periodic charge, with payment links for owners who won't sign a mandate, means each collection happens on its date without anyone having to ask for it. On Adfin's pricing, a €1,800 annual service charge collected by SEPA direct debit costs €2.20, because the 1% part is capped at €2 on direct debit and bank transfer. Card payments aren't capped. A €1,600 monthly rent collected by direct debit also costs €2.20.
Adfin's free Essential credit control covers unlimited reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp, statements and an aged debtors view, where each overdue tenant or owner can be given an owner on your side and a next step. Essential doesn't include late fees or interest, so nothing is added to what tenants or homeowners owe.
Common questions
Can I charge interest on late rent in Ireland? Statutory late payment interest covers sales between businesses, not consumers, so don't add it to rent owed by a residential tenant. For arrears, follow the Residential Tenancies Board's process.
How are service charges set for an apartment development? Under the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011, the owners' management company sets a scheme of annual service charges, which a general meeting of the members must consider before they're levied. Charges must be transparent and equitably apportioned between unit owners.
How much is the sinking fund contribution per unit? The default building investment fund contribution is €200 per unit a year, unless a meeting of the members agrees a different amount.
Can I collect rent by SEPA direct debit? Yes, with a signed SEPA mandate from the tenant. You must send pre-notification at least 14 calendar days before each collection unless you agree otherwise, and the tenant can claim a refund within eight weeks.
Can I add a card surcharge when a tenant pays rent by card? No, surcharging a payment made with a consumer debit or credit card is banned in Ireland. Commercial cards are outside the ban, but any charge can't exceed your direct cost.
Do owners have to pay service charges if they disagree with them? Each unit owner is obliged to pay the service charges levied under the Act. An owner who disputes the amount can raise it with the owners' management company or take legal advice.
Sources
- Law Reform Commission - Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011, section 18, revised (accurate as of November 2026) https://revisedacts.lawreform.ie/eli/2011/act/2/section/18/revised/en/html
- Law Reform Commission - Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011, section 19, revised (accurate as of November 2026) https://revisedacts.lawreform.ie/eli/2011/act/2/section/19/revised/en/html
- Residential Tenancies Board - Guide on ending a tenancy for breach of tenant obligations (accurate as of November 2026) https://rtb.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/01.1-Guide-on-ending-a-tenancy-for-breach-of-tenant-obligations-1.pdf
- European Payments Council - 2025 SEPA Direct Debit Core Rulebook, version 1.0 (accurate as of November 2026) https://europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/sites/default/files/kb/file/2024-11/EPC016-06%202025%20SDD%20Core%20Rulebook%20version%201.0.pdf
- Revolut - Business invoices, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.revolut.com/en-IE/business/invoices/
- GoCardless - Pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://gocardless.com/en-ie/pricing
