Batch Vendor Payments for Property Managers
Process 50+ payments in 15 minutes. Stop paying $1+ per transaction. The complete workflow from property management software to bank upload.
The per-transaction fee problem
Property management means lots of payments:
- Maintenance contractors and repair vendors
- Utility companies (if paying on behalf of owners)
- Landscaping, snow removal, cleaning services
- Insurance, property taxes, HOA fees
- Owner distributions (rental income payouts)
A typical portfolio of 50-100 units generates 40-80 vendor payments per month. Add owner distributions and you're easily at 100+ payments monthly.
What per-transaction fees actually cost
| Monthly payments | @ $1.50/transaction | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| 50 payments | $75/month | $900/year |
| 100 payments | $150/month | $1,800/year |
| 200 payments | $300/month | $3,600/year |
Platforms like Plooto, Rotessa, and built-in PM software payment features all charge per-transaction.
The alternative: Generate a CPA-005 file and upload directly to your bank. Your bank charges pennies per transaction (or nothing, depending on your account). One flat-rate tool replaces ongoing per-transaction fees.
The 15-minute batch payment workflow
Here's how to process all your monthly payments in one batch:
Pull the payment run as Excel/CSV. Yardi, AppFolio, Buildium, Rent Manager—all have export options.
Match your export columns to payment fields. Save the mapping for future runs.
Check for errors before generating the file. Fix any issues on screen.
Click export. Get a bank-ready file.
Log into business banking, upload the file, authorize the payment.
First time: ~20 minutes (includes column mapping setup).
Every time after: ~10-15 minutes (mapping is saved).
Exporting from your PM software
Most property management software can export payment runs. Here's where to find it:
Yardi
Accounts Payable → Payment Processing → Select invoices → Export to Excel/CSV. Include vendor name, amount, and bank details columns.
AppFolio
Accounting → Bills → Select bills to pay → Export. AppFolio's export includes vendor bank info if you've stored it.
Buildium
Accounting → Pay Bills → Create payment batch → Export. May need to add bank details from vendor records.
Rent Manager
Accounts Payable → Payment Run → Export payment list. Ensure bank routing info is included in vendor setup.
Other software / spreadsheets
Any Excel or CSV with vendor name, amount, and bank details works. Many smaller PMs just use Excel—that works perfectly.
Key columns needed: Payee name, amount, bank institution number (3 digits), transit number (5 digits), account number. Optional: invoice reference, payment date.
Converting to CPA-005
Your PM software export won't be in CPA-005 format—Canadian banks require a very specific file structure. That's where conversion tools come in.
What conversion looks like
| Your Export | → | CPA-005 File |
|---|---|---|
| Excel with vendor names, amounts | → | Fixed-width text file with header/detail/trailer records |
| Human-readable columns | → | Bank-readable format with validation |
| Possibly missing fields | → | All required fields filled, validated |
The first time you import, you'll map your columns to the required fields (e.g., "Vendor Name" → "Payee Name", "Payment Amount" → "Amount"). After that, the mapping is saved—future imports take seconds.
Validation catches errors before upload: Wrong institution codes, invalid account numbers, amount formatting issues—all flagged before you generate the file. No more bank rejections and resubmissions.
Uploading to your bank
Once you have the CPA-005 file, upload it through your business banking portal:
RBC Express, TD Business Direct, BMO Business Banking, etc.
Usually under Payments → File Upload or EFT → Import File.
Upload the .txt file generated by your conversion tool.
Bank shows payment count and total. Verify and authorize.
Payments typically post to vendor accounts in 1-2 business days. Submit by Wednesday for Friday vendor payments.
Owner distributions via EFT
The same workflow handles owner distributions. Export the distribution run from your PM software and process it as a separate batch (or combine with vendor payments—your choice).
Owner distribution workflow
- Run your month-end distribution calculation in PM software
- Export the distribution list (owner names, amounts, bank details)
- Import into your conversion tool
- Generate CPA-005 file
- Upload to bank on the same schedule as vendor payments
Tip: Many PMs run vendor payments mid-month and owner distributions at month-end. Two uploads per month, a few minutes each.
ROI: What you actually save
Compare flat-rate file generation vs per-transaction platforms:
| Per-Transaction Platform | Flat-Rate File Generation | |
|---|---|---|
| 100 payments/month | $150/month ($1,800/year) | ~$95/month flat |
| 200 payments/month | $300/month ($3,600/year) | ~$95/month flat |
| Annual savings (100 payments) | — | $660/year |
| Annual savings (200 payments) | — | $2,460/year |
Time savings
Manual bank portal entry: 1-2 minutes per payment × 100 payments = 2-3 hours
Batch file upload: 15 minutes total
That's 2+ hours back every payment run. At $50/hour staff cost, that's another $100+ saved monthly.
Summary
- Property managers with 50+ monthly payments lose $900+/year to per-transaction fees
- Batch EFT via CPA-005 file upload eliminates per-transaction costs
- Export from Yardi/AppFolio/Buildium → Convert to CPA-005 → Upload to bank
- First run: 20 minutes. Every run after: 10-15 minutes.
- Same workflow handles vendor payments and owner distributions
- Savings: $660-2,460/year depending on volume, plus 2+ hours per payment run
Ready to cut payment costs?
EFT Flow converts your property management exports into bank-ready CPA-005 files. Flat monthly rate. No per-transaction fees. Works with any PM software that exports to Excel.