August 8, 2025
Occupi Simplifies Rent Payments for Tenants and Property Managers
Taylor Peake saw cracks in the rental payment system long before launching a company. As a landlord in rural Alabama, she dealt with delayed money orders, inconsistent payment methods and tenants without access to traditional banking. The pandemic made things worse. Postal delays left checks sitting in transit for weeks, and some tenants had to open new financial accounts just to pay rent on time.
She wasn’t alone. Other landlords faced the same issues. The process was inefficient for property owners and difficult for tenants. Peake, a Birmingham-based entrepreneur, teamed up with longtime collaborator Emily Hart to change that. In 2024, they launched Occupi, a rental payment platform built to make rent easier for both sides.
Occupi aggregates payment platforms like Venmo, Cash App and Chime in one place and connects directly to property management systems. Renters can pay using tools they already trust. Landlords receive payments directly into their general ledger without manual tracking.
“We built Occupi to solve a real problem that was affecting property owners and managers just like me who were struggling to convert underbanked residents to digital payments.” Peake said. “Occupi posts payments into property managers’ existing workflows to ease the administrative burden.”
According to FDIC data, more than 60% of unbanked households that are paying bills online use services like Cash App or Venmo while nearly one in four banked households do the same. Yet most property management systems don’t accept these payments, forcing tenants into workarounds or leaving them with no reliable option. The result is late payments, added fees and lost time on both ends.
Peake saw these barriers in her own communities. Some tenants didn’t have checking accounts or were international residents here on visa. “Occupi adapts the existing system for screening to work for residents on work or education visas who are otherwise excluded from access to housing and adequate financial services,” Peake said.
Hart, with a background in product strategy, helped shape Occupi into more than a payment tool. The platform also streamlines rental applications and screening, allowing landlords to evaluate applicants using ITINs (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) or alternative documentation. These features reduce friction for landlords and make the process more accessible for renters who have historically been excluded.
Occupi exited beta and went to market in September 2024. Within weeks, the team signed 1,000 rental units and completed an integration with Rent Manager, a leading property management software platform. That early traction drew private investment, supported in part by Innovate Alabama through its InvestAL program.
InvestAL helped unlock private capital and gave early investors the confidence to act. The funding allowed Occupi to grow its team, adding talent with experience at Trulia, American Express, and GrubHub in engineering, compliance and product development. It also gave the company room to focus on onboarding and sales while continuing to raise. By backing high-potential startups like Occupi, InvestAL is making targeted investments designed to return capital to the state and support future innovation.
“Innovate Alabama maximized the impact of our private investors before we jumped into raising venture capital, which was critical for helping us meet our early milestones, like integrating with key partners and growing the team,” Hart said.
By the end of 2024, Occupi had secured the first $1 million of its raise, finishing in June 2025 at $3.105 million. The company is now on track to onboard 30,000 rental doors across more than 10 states by the end of 2025. Additional integration partnerships are underway to expand compatibility with other major property management systems.
For renters, the platform simplifies one of the most important transactions they make each month. They can pay rent with familiar tools, without needing to switch banks or adopt new systems. For landlords, Occupi reduces late payments, eliminates reconciliation issues and automates what was once a manual process. The result is greater reliability for both parties.
“We’re seeing more and more everyday Americans rely on alternative financial services for their primary banking relationship. Our partnerships with services like Cash App, Chime, SoFi, and Venmo are more than just convenience; they’re a requirement,” Hart said. “Occupi’s integrations enable property managers to expand payment options as easily as flipping a switch.”
Product development is ongoing. Based on user feedback, the team plans to roll out features like personalized schedules for payments, expanded screening capabilities, and automated property onboarding. A dedicated sales operation is also underway to drive adoption in new markets.
Peake and Hart aim to make payment flexibility a standard part of renting. Their focus remains grounded in the realities that led them here. “We started this company because we were living the problem,” Peake said. “And we’re growing it with the same mindset. Stay close to the need. Build what works. Keep it simple.”
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