Why Tiner Changed the Way We Send Owner Funds
Why Tiner Changed the Way We Send Owner Funds
If you've been with Tiner Properties for a while, you may remember a time when owner distributions seemed to arrive in your bank account faster than they do today.
We remember that too.
So why did we change the way we send owner funds if the old method was faster?
The short answer is security and better control over the movement of your money and banking information.
The Old Way Was Fast - but More Manual
Our previous process used what's commonly called a NACHA file. NACHA is the organization that establishes the rules governing ACH payments in the United States, while a NACHA file is a specific type of electronic file used to instruct a bank where to send payments.
For property managers, this can be a very fast way to distribute owner funds. Once properly submitted to the bank, an ACH credit can move quickly.
But speed isn't the only consideration when you're responsible for other people's money.
A NACHA file can contain highly sensitive information, including owner names, bank routing numbers, account numbers, and payment amounts. The process also requires the property manager to generate the payment information and transmit it separately to the bank.
That creates an important responsibility: the property manager is directly handling the file containing the instructions for where all that money should go.
It also separates two important processes. Our property management software records the distribution, while our bank separately processes the payment file. If something goes wrong between those two steps, the accounting record and actual movement of money have to be reconciled.
Why We Changed
More than a year ago, Tiner transitioned away from that process and began using an integrated electronic payment process for owner distributions.
With our current system, we no longer need to routinely generate and upload a NACHA file containing our owners' banking information in order to distribute funds.
Instead, the electronic payment system manages the transfer through its payment-processing infrastructure.
For us, that's an important safeguard.
It reduces the manual handling of sensitive banking information, reduces opportunities for file-related mistakes or manipulation, and more closely connects the payment process with the transaction recorded in our property management system.
When you're responsible for distributing millions of dollars in client funds over time, those controls matter.
So Why Does My Deposit Take Longer?
This is the tradeoff owners are most likely to notice.
Electronic payments don't necessarily travel directly from our trust account into an owner's checking account the instant we initiate the distribution. Payment processors may require time to process and clear the transaction before completing the deposit to the receiving bank.
That can mean several business days between the time Tiner initiates an owner distribution and the time the funds become available in your bank account.
We understand why that can be frustrating—particularly for owners who remember receiving distributions more quickly under our previous process.
We don't consider the delay a benefit. We'd love for secure payments to arrive instantly.
But we also don't believe speed should be the only factor in deciding how we handle our clients' money.
Could Payments Become Faster in the Future?
We hope so.
The electronic payments industry continues to evolve, and faster ACH settlement options are becoming increasingly common. We will continue looking for opportunities to shorten the time between initiating an owner distribution and the funds reaching your account without giving up the safeguards that led us to change our process in the first place.
That's an important distinction.
Tiner didn't change payment methods because we wanted owner distributions to take longer. We changed because we believed moving away from manually handling payment files containing sensitive owner banking information was the more responsible long-term approach.
The slower delivery time is a tradeoff of our current process—not its purpose.
Protecting Your Funds Comes First
Property management involves a tremendous amount of trust. Owners entrust us not only with their properties, but also with rent collections, security deposits, operating funds, and ultimately the money we distribute back to them.
We take that responsibility seriously.
We know that when you receive an email saying your owner distribution has been processed, you'd prefer to see the money in your bank account immediately. We would too.
Until payment technology makes that possible without compromising the controls we believe are important, we'll continue to prioritize security, accountability, and responsible handling of owner funds alongside speed.
Sometimes the fastest way to move money isn't necessarily the way we believe it should be moved.












