Room rental & HMO deposits — collected without full property management software
Renting out individual rooms means individual deposits — one per lodger, one per room, each with its own move-in and move-out date. You don't need a full property management platform to keep that organised. A payment link per room gives you per-tenant tracking, holds, and refunds, without a monthly subscription.
One property, several tenants, one bank account
With a single-let property, one deposit in, one deposit out — easy to track in your head. In an HMO or shared house, you might have three, five, or eight lodgers, each on their own timeline. Deposits land in the same account, move-out dates don't line up, and by the time someone leaves, it's hard to remember exactly how much was theirs.
- Mixing deposits in one account makes it easy to accidentally refund the wrong amount, or to one lodger.
- Full property management software solves this — but it's built for portfolios of units, with pricing and complexity to match.
- Spreadsheets work until a lodger disputes a deduction and you can't produce a paper trail for their specific payment.
- Cash deposits leave no record at all, which is the worst position to be in if a dispute ever escalates.
One deposit link per room, tracked separately
PayRequest lets you create a payment request for each room's deposit, sent directly to that lodger. Every payment is its own record — with its own amount, notes, and refund history — so settling one room never risks touching another.
One payment link per room
Create a separate deposit request for each room or bed space — each lodger pays their own link, so deposits never get mixed up in one shared account.
Track every lodger's deposit individually
Your dashboard shows who paid what, for which room, and when. No spreadsheet to keep in sync as tenants move in and out.
Pre-authorize or capture, your choice
Use a pre-authorization hold for short stays (release automatically if nothing's deducted), or capture the deposit upfront for longer lets.
Refund or deduct room-by-room
When one lodger moves out, settle their deposit — full refund, partial deduction, or full retention — without touching anyone else's.
Managing room deposits, step by step
List your rooms and set a deposit per room
Bigger rooms or en-suites often justify a higher deposit. Decide the amount per room once — you'll reuse it for every new lodger in that room.
Send a payment link before move-in
Email or text the link to the incoming lodger. They pay by card or digital wallet — no need to share your bank details for every new arrival.
Tag the payment with the room and tenant name
Add a short note or reference (e.g. 'Room 3 — J. Smith') so the deposit is easy to find again at checkout time, even months later.
Use the hold period for inspections
If you used a pre-authorization, the hold stays in place without charging the lodger — giving you a window to do a move-in inspection before deciding.
Settle the deposit when the lodger leaves
Refund in full, deduct for damages with a note explaining the deduction, or release the remaining balance — each handled independently per room.
Collecting room deposits: your options
| Approach | Per-room tracking | Setup time | Monthly cost | Refunds & deductions | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet + bank transfer | Manual, error-prone | None | €0 | Manual transfer, no record | 1–2 rooms, very low volume |
| Full property management software | Built-in, automated | Days to weeks | €30–150+/mo | Automated, but locked into platform | 10+ units, full PM needs |
| Cash on move-in | None | None | €0 | Cash, no paper trail | Informal arrangements (risky) |
| PayRequest payment linksBest | Per-room, per link | Minutes | 0% + 2% capped at €25/txn | One click, fully tracked | 1–20 rooms, no PMS needed |
From one spare room to a full shared house
Resident landlords with HMOs
Renting out 3-6 rooms in a shared house? Collect each lodger's deposit separately without a property management contract.
Student & shared accommodation
Term-by-term tenants mean frequent move-ins and move-outs — a payment link per room keeps deposits from blending together.
Co-living operators
Standardise the deposit amount per room type (single, double, en-suite) and reuse the same link template for every new member.
Short-term sublets & room shares
Taking in a lodger for a few weeks or months? A pre-authorization hold protects you without locking up cash you'll need to return quickly.
Why per-room links beat one shared deposit pot
The moment two or more deposits sit in the same place, you're relying on memory (or a spreadsheet) to know whose money is whose. Separate payment records remove that risk entirely — and give you something concrete to point to if a lodger ever questions a deduction.
- Each room's deposit is its own payment record — settling one lodger's deposit never touches another's.
- No monthly software subscription: you only pay PayRequest's 2% fee (capped at €25) when a deposit is actually collected.
- Pre-authorization holds mean funds are reserved but not charged — ideal for short stays where most deposits are released in full.
- Notes and references on each payment make it easy to explain a deduction later, if a lodger disputes it.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as an HMO?+
Do lodger deposits need to go into a tenancy deposit protection scheme?+
How much can I charge for a room deposit in an HMO?+
Can different rooms in the same HMO have different deposit amounts?+
Do I need property management software to run a small HMO?+
How do I handle a deposit deduction for one room without affecting the others?+
Keep every room's deposit straight — without new software
Send a deposit payment link per room, track each one separately, and refund or deduct without touching the rest of the house.