Frequently Asked Partner Questions

Zenbase qualifies residents by verifying two key criteria once they link their bank account:

1. The resident must not have arrears greater than 10% of their monthly rent.
2. The resident must have a verified source of income.

These checks help ensure residents are financially positioned to use Zenbase responsibly and maintain consistent rent payments. We don’t do credit checks.

If a resident does not meet these requirements, they will not be approved to split their rent payments until their financial situation changes and they re-qualify.

If a resident misses their repayment to Zenbase, they will not be charged any fees or interest. However, they will become ineligible to use CustomRent for their next rent payment until the balance is cleared.

Zenbase manages all collections internally and works directly with residents to create personalized payment plans that help them repay what they owe. The goal is to support residents in improving their financial health rather than keeping them in debt.

As a partner, you don’t need to take any action if a resident falls behind, since Zenbase communicates with them directly and manages the repayment process.

Partners can update a resident’s rent through the Resident Charges tab in the partner portal. This section allows you to edit charges or payments for a resident if there is a change to their rent amount, such as a debit adjustment or credit on their account.

Once the rent amount is updated, Zenbase reflects the new total in the resident’s payment schedule automatically. This ensures the next split payment or rent withdrawal is based on the correct amount.

If you need assistance making these updates, our Partner Support team can help review or confirm that the changes synced correctly.

Note: This feature is currently in beta and available to select partners. We plan to make it available to all partners in the near future.

Zenbase is a financial health service designed to help renters improve their financial well-being. It is the first company in Canada to offer automated rent reporting and flexible rent payment options, with a mission to promote economic inclusion and financial empowerment for residents.

Zenbase supports residents in two main ways:

CreditBuilder: Automatically reports rent payments, regardless of the payment method, to both Equifax and TransUnion, helping residents build and strengthen their credit history.

CustomRent: Allows residents to split their monthly rent into smaller installments, giving them more flexibility in managing household finances.

Together, these tools reduce financial stress for residents while helping them build long-term financial stability.

Most residents set up Zenbase to make their rent payments through Zenbase on the first of the month. Zenbase processes those payments and sends the funds to partners on the same day. The resident may select to use Zenbase until the 5th business day of the month. The resident is notified that they may still receive a late notice from their landlord, depending on the property’s rent payment policy.

Once payments are sent, Zenbase automatically updates the resident’s ledger, sends a confirmation email to partner admins, and generates a payment report within the partner portal to keep all records current.

Zenbase can help residents build and strengthen their credit history in several ways:

CustomRent: When residents use CustomRent to split their rent payments, a line of credit trade line is automatically reported to Equifax.

CreditBuilder: This is a paid, opt-in service that reports rent payments to both Equifax and TransUnion, regardless of how the rent is paid. Residents can use CreditBuilder even if they are already using CustomRent.

Zenbase does not perform credit checks during sign-up. Instead, eligibility is determined by factors such as income, standing with their landlord, and other financial indicators.

Reporting rent payments through Zenbase helps residents build credit in three key ways:

Payment history: On-time rent payments help build a strong track record with credit bureaus, which is the single biggest factor influencing credit scores.

Credit mix: Reporting rent as an open tradeline diversifies the types of credit accounts on a report, demonstrating a resident’s ability to manage multiple credit responsibilities.

Credit history: For residents new to credit, CreditBuilder may be their first tradeline, helping establish a longer and healthier credit profile over time.

By maintaining consistent, on-time rent payments, residents can improve their access to financial products, lower interest costs, and demonstrate financial reliability.

Zenbase is designed to be an affordable way for residents to manage their rent and improve their financial health.

CustomRent:
Residents pay a flat monthly membership fee of $9.90 plus 0.75% of their rent amount. This membership covers access to flexible rent payments, account management, and automated updates to their ledger and payment reports.

If a resident pays their rent payment sheet with Zenbase in full on the 1st of the month, no membership fee is charged. Residents can also cancel their membership at any time without penalties.

CreditBuilder:
CreditBuilder is a paid, opt-in service that allows residents to report their rent payments to Equifax and TransUnion to help build or strengthen their credit profile. Pricing starts as $2.90 per month, and may vary by partner.

These fees help Zenbase provide flexible rent solutions that can save residents from costly overdraft or late charges and support their long-term financial stability.

Zenbase is proud to offer Canada’s first automated reporting service, helping residents build credit with both Equifax and TransUnion.

Residents can have their rent payments reported to both bureaus, regardless of how they pay their rent, whether through Zenbase using CustomRent or directly to their property. This ensures that on-time rent payments contribute to building and strengthening their credit history.

By reporting to both major credit bureaus, Zenbase helps residents gain recognition for their positive payment habits and improve their access to future financial opportunities.

Yes, residents can pay one-time charges through Zenbase. These charges are automatically added to their monthly rent total when they set up their account, and residents are notified by text message before the charge is applied. The total amount, including the one-time charge, is then split evenly between their two rent payments.

If a resident prefers to pay a one-time charge directly to their landlord, they can contact the Zenbase team, and we will adjust their account settings accordingly.

Yes, they can!

For new partners, please contact partners@myzenbase.com and we will help set up access and get your team started on the partner portal.

For existing partners, any partner admin can add new users directly in the portal by visiting the Admin tab. From there, you can assign user roles based on the level of access required:

Admin: Has full oversight of all properties and receives all partner portal email communications.
Specialist: Can be assigned to specific properties only and will receive emails related to those properties.

This structure ensures each team member has the right level of access and visibility for managing residents and rent activity effectively.

Note: if you’d like to disable partner portal email communications for a user, you can edit a user’s profile under the Admin tab and disable email notifications.

In the partner portal, you can access all payment information by navigating to the Payment Reports tab. This section contains a list of all payment reports available for your properties.

By clicking on a report, you can view key details, including:

• The number of residents covered in that payment
• Each resident’s name, T or S code, address, unit, and payment amount

These reports help partners quickly reconcile payments and maintain accurate records across properties.

In the partner portal, resident adoption insights can be found under the Financial Health tab. This section provides a clear overview of resident engagement across your portfolio, including:

• The number of total signups
• CreditBuilder users
• CustomRent users

You can filter the data by province, city, month, and property to view adoption metrics at different levels.

A time graph is also available, showing trends over the past 12 months from the month selected, helping you track growth and engagement over time.

Partners can contact the Zenbase team anytime by emailing partners@myzenbase.com for assistance with residents, account access, or any questions about the partner portal.

Our support team is available to help troubleshoot issues, review payment activity, or guide you through any Zenbase features that support your properties and residents.