How do I handle a partial rent payment?

Log it for the amount you actually received, not the amount that was due. ProperLease compares what the period invoiced against everything paid into it, so a short payment simply leaves a balance: the month stays open, the card reads paid so far against still owed, and the reminders keep running on the shortfall.

When the rest arrives, log it as a second payment. The amount field is prefilled with the outstanding balance.

How the balance is worked out

The period's invoiced total is the rent the lease sets, plus any utility or other charges for that period. Paid is every non-deposit payment dated inside the period, pooled across the tenants on the lease, so on a joint tenancy it does not matter who sends which half. Outstanding is the difference, and the month counts as settled only when it reaches zero.

Deposits are excluded on purpose. A deposit is money you owe back, not rent, so it never quietly settles a month.

Do not round it away

It is tempting to log the full rent and call the difference a rounding problem. Do not. The ledger is what you will rely on if the arrears ever have to be proven period by period, which is exactly how a non-payment filing is assessed. An accurate short record is worth more than a tidy wrong one.

What to do in ProperLease

1. Open Payments and add a payment for the amount received.
2. Leave the type as Rent. Use the note field to record what the tenant said about the rest.
3. Check the outstanding card: it will now read what has been paid and what is still owed for the month.
4. When the balance arrives, log a second payment. The amount is prefilled with what is left.
5. If the shortfall runs on, the overdue reminders continue on the remaining balance until the period is settled.