GoCardless: how-to

Step-by-step instructions for GoCardless in COHO, in the order you’ll usually need them. For what each option means, see GoCardless; for problems, see GoCardless: troubleshooting.

Find your task

If you’re here because…	Go to
You’re starting with GoCardless	Turn on Rent Collection, then Connect your GoCardless account
Rent Collection offers Off, Manual and Automatic “Coming soon”, and you don’t know which to pick	Turn on Rent Collection
A tenant moves in within days and you want to be paid through GoCardless	Collect a first payment quickly
Your tenants already pay you through GoCardless	Match tenants who already pay you
You want tenants on Direct Debit	Ask tenants to set up a Direct Debit
You want a tenant collected on a set day, not the due date	Set a tenancy’s charge day
It’s time to collect this month’s rent	Collect rent with an export
An applicant needs to pay a holding deposit or move-in monies	Take a holding deposit or move-in monies
One payment is missed or urgent	Send a one-off payment link
A tenant asks to be charged later	Change a payment’s charge date
A payment failed	Retry a failed payment
You need to stop a payment, or a link has expired	Cancel a payment or payment link
A tenant didn’t get the email	Resend or copy a payment link
You get an Action to delete a GoCardless payment	Remove a payment that was reversed
A GoCardless payment isn’t showing in COHO	Bring in missing GoCardless payments
You want to stop using GoCardless	Switch off or disconnect an account

Turn on Rent Collection for the property

Do this when the property’s Rent Collection is Off, or you’re not sure which mode to choose.

Before you start: you need edit permission for Rent Collection.

1. Open the property and scroll to Services.
2. If Rent Collection is under Inactive services, click Read more.
3. Choose Manual. Accept the terms if asked, and click Save.

What happens next: the Rent Collection panels appear on the property and its rooms, and GoCardless can collect against the rent there.

Note

Manual is full Rent Collection: rent schedules, payments, reminders and GoCardless all work on it. Automatic is marked Coming soon and can’t be chosen; you don’t need it for GoCardless. See Property services.

Connect your GoCardless account

Do this when you’re setting up GoCardless for the first time, or adding another GoCardless account.

Before you start: you need Integrations (write) permission. Have your GoCardless login ready, or the details to create a GoCardless account (company details and the bank account payouts should go to).

1. From your dashboard, click Menu > Rent Collection.
2. Click the settings cog on the panel. Rent Collection Settings opens.
3. Open GoCardless Settings.
4. Click Connect an account (or Connect another account). GoCardless opens in a new window.
5. Sign in to GoCardless, or create an account, and allow COHO access.
6. Wait for “GoCardless is successfully connected to COHO”. The window closes by itself, or you can close it.
7. Back in COHO, click the refresh button beside Connect an account. Your account appears, named for example “GC Account #1”.
8. Optional: click Edit account name, type a name you’ll recognise, and click Save.

What happens next: the account is switched on, and a GoCardless section appears on the Rent Collection panel. If GoCardless hasn’t finished verifying a new account, COHO can’t create payments yet and shows “GoCardless account’s creditor is not verified yet…” with a link to finish verification. GoCardless decides how long that takes.

Tip

Connect and get verified before you need the money. If a tenant moves in before verification is done, take their first payments by bank transfer.

Collect a first payment quickly

Do this when a tenant moves in within a few days and you want their first payment through GoCardless.

Before you start: Rent Collection is Manual on the property, your GoCardless account is connected and verified, and the tenancy’s rent is tracked in COHO.

1. Use a one-off bank payment for the first money, not Direct Debit. A new Direct Debit mandate takes a few working days to become active, and the first collection then takes a few more. A bank payment through a GoCardless link is usually much quicker.
   • Onboarding the tenant? Set the move-in monies with Collect With GoCardless? set to Yes. When the applicant clicks Pay, they pay the move-in monies and set up their Direct Debit in one go. See Take a holding deposit or move-in monies.
   • Tenancy already set up? Open the first rent record and click Request Instant Payment. See Send a one-off payment link.
2. Set up Direct Debit for later rent. On the room’s Rent Collection panel, click Request Mandate (or use Mandate Requests), so the mandate is active before the next rent is due.
3. Collect the following months with a monthly export.

What happens next: COHO records the first payment once GoCardless confirms it. If GoCardless isn’t ready in time (for example your account is still being verified), take the payment by bank transfer and log it in Rent Collection.

Note

Exact GoCardless timings depend on GoCardless and the tenant’s bank, and can’t be checked from COHO.

Match tenants who already pay you through GoCardless

Do this when tenants already have mandates or subscriptions in your GoCardless account from before you connected COHO.

Before you start: you need Rent collection (write) permission.

1. On the organisation Rent Collection panel, open the GoCardless section.
2. Scroll to Match Existing Mandates. COHO lists tenancies without a GoCardless customer, and loads your unmatched GoCardless customers (click Get 50 more if needed).
3. For each tenancy, choose the customer, then the mandate, and any subscription. Row colours show how strong the match is.
4. Click Save matches.

What happens next: each matched tenancy shows its customer and mandate on the room’s Rent Collection panel. To match one tenancy instead, open its room’s Rent Collection panel and click Add (or Edit) in the GoCardless details.

Caution

A tenancy matched to a GoCardless subscription keeps being collected by that subscription. Don’t also export its rent, or the tenant will be charged twice. Payments from subscriptions come into Transactions to be matched, rather than straight onto the rent. To have COHO create the payments instead, cancel the subscription with Cancel Subscription and use exports.

Ask tenants to set up a Direct Debit

Do this when you want tenants to set up a mandate before you collect, without charging them yet.

Before you start: you need Rent collection (write) permission. Mandate requests are for active and future tenancies.

For several tenants:

1. On the organisation Rent Collection panel, open the GoCardless section and click Mandate Requests.
2. Filter by property, status or search, and tick the tenants. To pick everyone, tick the page, then Select all [n] matching your filters.
3. If you have more than one GoCardless account, choose the GoCardless Account.
4. Click Generate [n] mandate requests.

For one tenant: on the room’s Rent Collection panel, click Request Mandate in the GoCardless details, then Request. If you don’t see it, click Add, choose the account, and Save first.

What happens next: each lead tenant gets an email, “GoCardless Direct Debit Payment Request”, with a Set up mandate link. When they finish, COHO links the mandate to the tenancy. “This will not trigger any payment.”

Set a tenancy’s charge day

Do this when a tenant should be collected on a set day, for example a few days before rent is due.

1. Open the room’s Rent Collection panel and click Edit in the GoCardless details.
2. Enter Preferred charge day of month (1–31).
3. Choose Charge month relative to rent due, for example 1 month before.
4. Click Save.

What happens next: future exports use this date as the default charge date. The rent due date doesn’t change. Payments already created keep their date; use Change Charge Date for those.

Collect rent with an export

Do this each month (or each rent period) to collect rent through GoCardless.

Before you start: you need Rent collection (write) permission. Match any existing GoCardless mandates first.

1. On the organisation Rent Collection panel, open the GoCardless section and click New export.
2. Choose From and To dates, for example the rent due next month, and click Next.
3. Filter by property, status or search if you want, and tick the rent to collect.
4. Check the Charge date on each line. Click a date to change it, or edit all selected to set one date for all.
5. If you have more than one account and some tenancies aren’t linked to one yet, choose the GoCardless Account.
6. Read the summary: how many new customers, how many mandate links, and how many charges through existing mandates.
7. Click Generate export.

What happens next: COHO works through the list and shows “GoCardless export complete, [n] records created.”, with any errors listed by tenant. Tenants with a mandate are charged on the charge date. Tenants without one are emailed a link to set one up and pay. The export appears in Your exports; click View to follow each payment’s status.

Tip

Export a few working days before rent is due, so a charge date before the due date is still possible. If a charge date is too soon for a tenant’s mandate, COHO sends them a one-off payment link instead.

Take a holding deposit or move-in monies through GoCardless

Do this when an applicant should pay through GoCardless during onboarding.

Before you start: a GoCardless account is connected and switched on, and the tenancy’s rent is tracked in COHO.

Holding deposit:

1. When you set the holding deposit (starting the onboarding, or later on its page), set Collect With GoCardless? to Yes.
2. If you have more than one account, choose the GoCardless Account.
3. Save.

The applicant clicks Pay and pays by bank payment through GoCardless.

Move-in monies:

1. At the move-in monies step, set the amounts as usual. Make sure at least one rent record is included.
2. Set Collect With GoCardless? to Yes, choose the account if asked, and save.

The applicant clicks Pay, pays, and sets up a Direct Debit for future rent at the same time.

What happens next: when GoCardless confirms the payment, COHO records it and the onboarding moves on. Confirm receipt stays unavailable until then: “Since the payment is collected with GoCardless, we only allow to confirm the receipt once the payment is confirmed.” See Onboarding.

Send a one-off payment link

Do this when one payment is missed, urgent, or the tenant has no mandate.

Before you start: you need Rent collection (write) permission.

1. Open the tenancy’s Rent Collection panel and click View on the rent record.
2. In its GoCardless section, click Request Instant Payment, then Create.

What happens next: the lead tenant gets “GoCardless Instant Payment Request” with a Pay link for what’s still owed. Any payment for this record still waiting to be submitted is cancelled. COHO records the payment when GoCardless confirms it.

Change a payment’s charge date

Do this when a tenant asks to be charged later, or a charge date is wrong.

Before you start: the payment must still be Pending Submission.

1. Open the rent record and click Change Charge Date.
2. Pick the new Charge date. The form shows the mandate’s next possible charge date.
3. Click Update Charge Date.

What happens next: COHO cancels the old payment and creates a new one on the new date. If the date is before the mandate’s next possible charge date, COHO sends an instant payment request instead.

Retry a failed payment

Do this when a payment shows Failed.

1. Open the rent record and click Retry payment (or Retry ASAP in the export’s records).
2. Tick Retry as soon as possible, or untick it and choose Retry On. Non-working days roll forward to the next working day.
3. Click Retry.

What happens next: GoCardless tries again. “Payments can be retried up to 3 times.” After that, send a one-off payment link or record a payment made another way.

Cancel a payment or payment link

Do this when a payment shouldn’t go ahead, or a payment link has expired.

1. Open the rent record (or the export’s records) and click Cancel.

• A Direct Debit payment can be cancelled while it’s Pending Submission.
• A payment link can be cancelled until the tenant has paid.

What happens next: the payment shows Cancelled, and the rent can be requested again: in an export, or with Request Instant Payment. For a holding deposit, use Cancel GoCardless on the onboarding instead, and enter your payment details.

Resend or copy a payment link

Do this when a tenant didn’t get, or lost, their email.

1. On the GoCardless section, open Your exports and click View on the export.
2. In the tenant’s row, under Mandate Link, click Resend to email it again, or Copy to paste it into a message yourself.

What happens next: the tenant gets the same link. If it’s more than 7 days old, cancel it and send a new one instead.

Remove a payment that GoCardless reversed

Do this when you get the Action “GoCardless Rent Payment [id] to delete”.

1. Open the Action. It names the payment, the amount and the tenant.
2. Open the tenancy’s Rent Collection panel and find that payment (its note is “GoCardless Payment [id]”).
3. Delete the payment, so the rent shows as owed again.
4. Complete the Action.

What happens next: the rent is unpaid again. Collect it another way, or with a new payment link.

Bring in missing GoCardless payments

Do this when a payment shows collected in GoCardless but isn’t in COHO.

1. Open the Transactions panel.
2. Click Import latest GoCardless payments.
3. Match any new GoCardless transactions under Reconcile transactions, as for bank payments.

What happens next: COHO fetches GoCardless payments paid out in the last 30 days that it doesn’t already have. See Transactions.

Switch off or disconnect an account

Do this when you want to stop using a GoCardless account.

To pause it: in GoCardless Settings, turn off GoCardless Integration on the account. You need Rent collection (write) and Integrations (write).

To disconnect it: you need Integrations (write).

1. Before you disconnect, cancel any payments you don’t want collected.
2. In GoCardless Settings, click Disconnect on the account, then Disconnect to confirm.

What happens next: “Existing tenancy links and payment records will be preserved, but no new payments can be collected until reconnected.” Payments already on their way in GoCardless may still be collected without COHO recording them, so check GoCardless and log any you need. To reconnect, connect the same GoCardless account again.