FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Uflex Pay
Yes, provided the resident has an active checking or savings account, Uflex Pay is open to any resident of a housing authority that has subscribed to Uflex Pay.
If the landlord for the tenant’s unit has subscribed to Uflex Pay, then those tenants are eligible to use Uflex Pay.
The resident registers and sets up an account at Uflex Pay. The resident authorizes Uflex Pay to debit its Checking/Savings Account for the amount of his/her monthly rent, plus a small administrative fee. Once the resident submits his/her payment, the housing authority’s account is credited, the housing authority is notified of the payment and a confirmation form is generated for the resident.
There are many benefits to a housing authority. First, the housing authority does not have to manually record rent receipts from residents that utilize Uflex Pay, saving many hours of work. Second, for housing authorities that use lock boxes, housing authorities have reduced or eliminated use, which again saves time and resources. Third, the housing authority does not have to make a trip to the bank to deposit rent received via Uflex Pay.
Residents are able to pay rent online, just as they do their other bills, saving time and resources, and avoiding the frustrations that can come with purchasing money orders, traveling to pay rent and having to wait in line to do so.
There is a minimal monthly administrative fee to use Uflex Pay. The fee is less than the costs associated with purchasing money orders and traveling to pay rent at the housing authority office.
It depends upon the situation and relationship with Uflex, but in many cases there will be no fee for housing authorities to subscribe to Uflex Pay.
Utility Allowance Management
Instead of issuing a monthly check and mailing it to residents who receive a utility allowance, Uflex will deliver a pre-paid debit card to the resident with the amount of funds designated by the housing authority. Moving forward, based upon the instruction of the housing authority, Uflex will load each card on a monthly basis with the designated amount for each resident.
Once a housing authority has subscribed to Uflex and provided the required resident information, the only monthly requirement is to inform Uflex of any residents who have been added or removed as Active Residents of the housing authority or of any changes to any resident’s monthly utility allowance.
There are many benefits to a housing authority. First, there are real and actual costs to issue and mail a physical check that are eliminated by using the Uflex program. Second, with fewer issued checks outstanding, housing authorities can actively reduce fraud risk, which is a consistent and growing concern for all housing authorities. Third, eliminating checks has real and identifiable environmental benefits, which not only benefits the housing authority but the overall community as well.
Residents benefit in many ways. First, residents will get use of funds faster because funds are available on their debit cards on the same day that Uflex processes the utility allowance. Second, residents can avoid the unreasonable costs of utilizing check cashers to access their funds, thereby increasing residents’ purchasing power. Over the course of a year, the monthly savings will add up to a meaningful amount. Third, residents can add funds from other sources to the Uflex card – such as a payroll check – which empowers and enables residents to be active participants in an increasingly digital economy.