Public Guide Property Management + M-Pesa Rent Automation

M-Pesa Rent Automation, from setup to reconciliation.

RentalDesk already runs the full rent collection lifecycle: paybill setup, tenant pay-account references, callback capture, invoice posting, and reconciliation controls in one workflow.

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Why this wins

Tenant data, invoicing, payment tracking, and reports live in one system.
M-Pesa collections and reconciliation are tied directly to leases.
Operations become system-critical, which raises switching cost.

Strategic position

RentalDesk operates as rent collection infrastructure for Kenya workflows.

Step-by-step workflow

How M-Pesa rent automation works in RentalDesk

Step 1

Configure paybill and Daraja credentials

Set short code, passkey, consumer key, consumer secret, and environment details. Register validation and confirmation endpoints so incoming C2B transactions are accepted by your account rules.

Step 2

Create property prefix and lease pay account

Each property uses a clear prefix, and each active lease gets a pay-account reference. This gives every tenant a stable account number for paybill payments and cleaner auto-matching.

Step 3

Issue invoices and payment instructions

Rent and deposit invoices are generated per lease. Tenants see exact payment instructions including paybill number and account reference to use when paying.

Step 4

Collect payments via STK push or paybill

Tenant portal supports guided collection flows. Transactions are tracked with checkout/request identifiers and M-Pesa references for traceability.

Step 5

Capture callback events in real time

Validation, confirmation, and STK callback endpoints register every event in the platform. Raw transaction metadata is preserved for audit and support investigation.

Step 6

Post payments against tenant ledgers

Confirmed receipts are linked to tenant, lease, invoice, and unit context. Posting rules reduce suspense balances and maintain clean arrears visibility.

Step 7

Run reconciliation controls

Reconciliation screens handle pending, unmatched, reconciled, and duplicate-reference cases. Duplicate checks and status controls help teams prevent double posting.

Step 8

Close month-end with reports

Finance and operations teams finalize arrears, allocation, and settlement reports with full audit trails from invoice to M-Pesa transaction.

Implementation checklist

Go-live requirements

Active M-Pesa paybill with approved C2B setup.
Accurate Daraja credentials in your RentalDesk settings.
Reachable callback URLs for validation, confirmation, and STK callbacks.
Property prefixes defined for all properties receiving M-Pesa rent.
Lease pay-account references generated for all active leases.
Invoice templates and billing schedules reviewed before month start.

Operational controls

What keeps reconciliation clean

Reference normalization and duplicate detection on import/reconciliation.
Protected M-Pesa transaction metadata to reduce accidental tampering.
Clear exception queues for unmatched or suspicious transactions.
Ledger-level visibility on allocation between rent and deposit balances.
Export-ready transaction and settlement records for finance review.
Audit logs on callback events, edits, and manual overrides.

FAQ

M-Pesa rent automation questions

Common questions for landlords and property managers.

Can each tenant have a unique pay account?

Yes. RentalDesk supports lease-level pay-account references generated from property prefixes.

Do callbacks post automatically?

Callbacks are captured instantly and routed into posting and reconciliation workflows with audit traceability.

How are duplicate M-Pesa references handled?

Duplicate checks and reconciliation statuses help finance teams isolate and resolve duplicate-reference scenarios safely.

Can we reconcile and report in one place?

Yes. The same workflow supports allocation, reconciliation, transaction exports, and reporting for month-end close.

Need help rolling out M-Pesa rent automation?

We can help you configure paybill setup, callback registration, and reconciliation controls for your portfolio.

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