How to request, split, and collect tenant-responsible charges
Alcove’s Reimbursement Request Portal allows you to request payment from tenants for eligible, tenant responsible expenses, such as utility overages or damages. Fully integrated with the Alcove Manager Portal, Ledger, and Ticket System, it enables you to:
-
Create reimbursement requests for eligible expenses
-
Upload bills, invoices, or receipts to support each request
-
Split charges evenly, automatically prorated by tenant lease terms and occupancy, or apply custom splits
-
Optionally request tenant feedback before invoicing to gather clarification or context, with the ability to override feedback if needed
-
Automatically generate invoices and send reminders once requests are finalized
Step 1: Creating a Reimbursement request
From your dashboard, click navigate to Reimbursement Requests and click Create reimbursement request.
 |
 |
Types of Reimbursement
Monthly Utility Overage
Use this option for utility overages (electric, water, gas, etc). This enables automatic splitting or prorating by tenant occupancy and month.
If you’re submitting a utility overage, you must select this option to ensure charges are calculated correctly.
For more information, see: Utility Overage Policy & Reimbursements
Other Reimbursement
Use this option for non-utility charges, such as repairs, services, or other tenant-responsible expenses.
Create Reimbursement Request Page
Step 2: Adding Expenses and Upload Documents
Next, you will be able to add the expenses you’re requesting reimbursement for. You can click Save & Come Back Later if you’re still gathering information.
 |
 |
Add Expenses & Add Billing Document Page
How to Add Expenses
-
Enter the total expense amount you are charging to tenants (not per tenant)
-
Add a clear description (e.g., “November electricity bill”)
-
Upload supporting documents such as utility bills or invoices
On the document upload page, the 'Bill amount' entered should match the amount shown on your uploaded documentation. Note this may be different to the amount you are billing to your tenants.
For example, your bill may show a $1,000 charge for a variety of services, while you may only be billing $500 to your tenants.
Important Notes for Utility Reimbursements
- List all utility expenses for the same month in a single reimbursement request
-
Click the Add another expense button to include multiple utilities bills
-
Uploading documentation helps reduce tenant questions and disputes
-
-
As you enter each expense and amount, the page will automatically calculate the total cost and the reimbursable amount. The reimbursable amount is calculated based on the number of bedrooms in your property and the utility overage policy.
Utility Expense Page
Billing Date Ranges and Proration
Some utility providers issue bills that cover date ranges that do not align exactly with a calendar month (for example, August 14 - September 13).
In these cases, the billing period on the uploaded bill must overlap with the utility overage month you are requesting reimbursement for. When submitting reimbursement requests, please ensure you are consistent in how bills are applied so that tenants are not charged twice for the same billing period.
Each bill should be used only once and should not be reused across multiple reimbursement months.
Step 3: Choose How Charges Are Split
In the next step, you’ll choose how charges are split among tenants. In the reimbursement request portal, you can split charges evenly among current housemates, apply a custom split, or split evenly by occupancy (available only for utility reimbursements). See below for how each option works:
1. Split Evenly Among Current Housemates
This is the default split option. The total amount is divided equally among all housemates who are actively leased and living in the property at the time of the charge. Future tenants who have not yet moved in are excluded.
Request Payment Page: Split Evenly Among Current Housemates
2. Split Even by Occupancy (Utilities Request only)
This option prorates charges based on how many days each tenant lived in the home during the selected month.
-
This is the recommended option for utility reimbursements
- Alcove automatically calculates the roommate breakdown using lease start and end dates
Request Payment Page: Split Evenly by Occupancy
3. Custom Split
You may choose a custom split if you have a specific reason to do so - for example, if one tenant should pay a different amount or if you need to include past tenants.
With this option, you can add former tenants, and the portal will display their bedroom numbers and applicable date ranges.
Request Payment Page: Custom Split
Step 4: Decide Whether to Request Tenant Review
If you choose to request tenant review first:
Tenants will be notified to review the reimbursement request before invoices are created. From their reimbursement detail page, they can accept the charge, ask questions, or submit clarification about responsibility via a support ticket.
Once all tenants have accepted, invoices will be automatically created on your behalf and sent to each tenant. If one or more tenants do not accept, you can still choose to send the invoices at any time.
For Utility Reimbursements, it is generally acceptable to skip housemate review. These reimbursements follow Alcove’s standard utility overage policy across all homes and are not negotiable.
If you choose to invoice tenants directly:
Alcove will automatically generate and send an invoice to each tenant based on the split you selected. Tenants will receive any supporting documents or reimbursement details you uploaded with the request. They can still submit a feedback request ticket until the invoice is paid.
Alcove will also send automatic invoice reminders and follow-ups on your behalf.
Payments and Next Steps:
Once invoices are sent to tenants, Alcove will automatically send payment reminders on your behalf. The reimbursement request status will update to Awaiting Payment, and you can track the progress of each tenant’s payment at any time from your Reimbursement Requests page.
Reimbursement Status Page
As tenants successfully complete payment, the amounts will be reflected in your ledger and automatically paid out to your connected Stripe account.
What Happens if Tenants Don’t Pay?
If a tenant does not pay an invoice after repeated reminders, you have a few options:
Deduct from Security Deposit
After the tenant moves out, you may choose to deduct the unpaid amount from their security deposit, in accordance with the deposit return process.
Take Further Action
If you wish to pursue payment before the end of the lease, you can first reach out to the tenant directly using the Contact Resident button to request payment.
You may also contact Alcove Partner Support at any time for assistance by selecting Contact Partner Support in the top-right corner of your manager portal. In accordance with the lease agreement, we may be able to assist you in issuing a formal notice to pay or quit and proceed with further legal steps as appropriate.