Understanding Charges
If you have ever looked at your Home tab in the owner/resident portal and wondered why a number is sitting there waiting for your attention, this article explains what a charge is, where you will see...
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If you have ever looked at your Home tab in the owner/resident portal and wondered why a number is sitting there waiting for your attention, this article explains what a charge is, where you will see it, and how it eventually gets paid.
What is a charge?
A charge is a single fee your property bills to your home. It is the smallest building block of what you owe, for example:
- A monthly maintenance fee
- A special assessment (a one-time fee for a specific project or repair)
- A late fee
- Any other fee your property adds to your account
Think of a charge as one line item. Later, one or more charges get grouped together into an invoice, which is the actual bill you pay. (See the companion article "Understanding Invoices" for how that grouping works.)
Where you see charges
Charges show up in two places in the portal:
- Home tab. This is where new and upcoming charges appear first, before or as they are billed. You will see two sections here when relevant:
- Needs Approval: charges that require your action before your property can bill them.
- Upcoming: charges that are scheduled or already approved and will be billed to you soon.
- Billing tab. Once a charge has been grouped into an invoice, you will find it listed on that invoice's detail page, alongside the other charges that make up the bill.
If a charge has already been paid or is now part of a paid invoice, it will no longer sit under Upcoming on the Home tab. It has moved into your billing history.
Upcoming charge vs. a charge that needs your approval
These are two different states, and it helps to know the difference:
Upcoming charge
- This charge is scheduled to be billed. No action from you is required for it to go through.
- If it is due soon and you would rather not wait, some upcoming charges let you pay early, before the property has invoiced it.
Needs your approval
- Some charges, most often special assessments or larger one-time fees, are set up so your property asks for your sign-off before billing you.
- You will see Approve and Reject options on the card.
- When you approve a charge, you can also choose to turn on auto-pay for it, so it is paid automatically once it is billed, rather than requiring a separate payment step from you.
- If you reject a charge, or approve it, the person at your property who created the charge is notified of your response, so it does not go unnoticed.
- Once you respond, the charge moves out of the Needs Approval list. You do not need to keep checking it.
Example
Say your property adds a $250.00 special assessment for a roof repair fund. It shows up under Needs Approval on your Home tab. You review it and tap Approve. You can optionally turn on auto-pay at the same time. Once your property bills it, it becomes part of an invoice in your Billing tab, using the payment method you approved (or waiting for you to pay it, if you did not choose auto-pay).
Compare that to a routine $150.00 monthly maintenance fee. It does not need your approval; it simply appears under Upcoming on the Home tab as a heads-up that it is coming, and later it is billed automatically as part of your regular invoice.
Recurring and automatic charges
Many charges, like a monthly maintenance fee, are recurring. Your property sets these up once, and the charge is generated automatically on a regular schedule (for example, every month) without anyone at the property having to re-enter it each time. You will see a "recurring" indicator on these charges in the portal so you know they will keep coming back on their normal schedule.
Recurring charges follow the same path as any other charge: they are generated, they may or may not require approval depending on how your property configured them, and they eventually get grouped into an invoice for you to pay.
What this means for you
- Check your Home tab regularly for anything under Needs Approval, since your property may be waiting on you before it can bill or complete a project.
- Upcoming charges are informational; you do not need to act on them unless you want to pay early.
- Approving a charge is a good moment to also turn on auto-pay if you would rather not think about it again.
- Recurring charges (like your monthly fee) will keep appearing on their own schedule. This is expected and does not need repeated approval unless your property has configured it that way.
FAQ
Q: I approved a charge. Why do I still see it on my Home tab? A: Once you approve or reject a charge, it should move out of the Needs Approval list. If a charge you already responded to is still showing up, contact hello@myurbi.co so we can take a look at your account.
Q: Can I reject a charge if I disagree with it? A: Yes. Tap Reject. The person who created the charge at your property will be notified of your response so they can follow up with you directly.
Q: What happens if I ignore a charge that needs approval? A: It stays on your Home tab under Needs Approval until you respond. Your property may follow up with you separately if it needs a decision from you.
Q: Does turning on auto-pay when I approve a charge apply to future charges too? A: Auto-pay you turn on from an approval applies to that charge going forward as it recurs. If you want to manage or review your auto-pay settings more broadly, check your Profile tab in the portal.
Q: Why does a charge disappear from Upcoming? A: Once a charge has been included in an invoice and that invoice has been paid, it is no longer "upcoming." You can still find it in your billing history under the relevant invoice.
Questions about a specific charge on your account? Contact hello@myurbi.co.