Charging security deposits and managing refunds

Purpose

1.1. Automate charging security deposits upon booking confirmation for all guests in vacation rentals.
1.2. Automate refunding of security deposits after successful post-stay inspections and cleaning review.
1.3. Ensure financial records update instantly in rental management and accounting systems.
1.4. Automate guest notifications at every transaction stage to enhance trust and transparency.
1.5. Automate compliance with hospitality financial legalities and traceability.

Trigger Conditions

2.1. Booking status set as “Confirmed” in property management system (PMS).
2.2. Check-out inspection marked as “Passed” in cleaning or inspection app.
2.3. Guest cancellation before arrival.
2.4. Manual override or administrative request from staff.
2.5. API webhook from payment provider on deposit receipt or refund status.
2.6. Scheduled batch refund for recurring end-of-month cases.

Platform Variants

3.1. Stripe
• Feature/Setting: Payment Intents API
• Automates security deposit holds and refunds by creating `capture` and `refund` actions via PaymentIntent endpoints (`/v1/payment_intents` and `/v1/refunds`).

3.2. PayPal
• Feature/Setting: Orders API and Refunds API
• Automates deposit charging by creating and capturing orders, automates refunds via `/v2/payments/refunds`.

3.3. Square
• Feature/Setting: Transactions API, Refunds API
• Automates card-on-file deposit charges and refund processing using `/v2/payments` and `/v2/refunds`.

3.4. Braintree
• Feature/Setting: Transaction.sale & Transaction.refund
• Automates deposit capture with the `Transaction.sale` function, automates refund with `Transaction.refund`.

3.5. Xero
• Feature/Setting: Invoices Endpoint
• Automates creation of invoice entries for deposits and credits for refunds via `/api.xro/2.0/Invoices`.

3.6. QuickBooks Online
• Feature/Setting: ReceivePayment, RefundReceipt APIs
• Automates deposit posting and refund receipts via respective API endpoints.

3.7. Zoho Books
• Feature/Setting: Customer Payments, Refunds Module
• Automates payment logging and refund management using `/customerpayments` and `/refunds`.

3.8. FreshBooks
• Feature/Setting: Payments API, Refunds API
• Automates deposit entry and refund with `/payments`, `/refunds`.

3.9. Booking.com API
• Feature/Setting: Reservation Webhooks
• Triggers automation flows when bookings are confirmed or cancelled, connecting to payment APIs.

3.10. Guesty
• Feature/Setting: Automations Suite, Payment Integration
• Automates charging/refunding deposits on guest reservation status with event-based triggers.

3.11. Hostaway
• Feature/Setting: Booking Automations, Payment Scheduler
• Automates security deposit workflows upon reservation confirmation and check-out via PMS triggers.

3.12. Lodgify
• Feature/Setting: Payment Automation, Deposit Workflow
• Automates payment request and refund after cleaning approval.

3.13. AppFolio
• Feature/Setting: Payment Automation Rules
• Automates deposit collection and refund logging in tenant records.

3.14. Rent Manager
• Feature/Setting: API for Payment Postings
• Automates deposit charge and refund records using documented payment endpoints.

3.15. SendGrid
• Feature/Setting: Transactional Email API
• Automates guest communication for charge and refund confirmations.

3.16. Slack
• Feature/Setting: Incoming Webhooks
• Automates notification to staff each time a deposit is charged or refunded.

3.17. Twilio SMS
• Feature/Setting: Messaging API
• Automates guest SMS alerts for security deposit transactions.

3.18. Mailchimp
• Feature/Setting: Transactional Mail (Mandrill)
• Automates bulk guest notifications or confirmations for deposit activities.

3.19. Microsoft Power Automate
• Feature/Setting: Scheduled Flows, HTTP actions
• Automates orchestration between PMS and payment tools, triggering based on custom or scheduled logic.

3.20. Zapier
• Feature/Setting: Payment and PMS App Integrations
• Automates multi-platform connection for deposit workflow, using triggers and actions to chain systems.

Benefits

4.1. Automating security deposit transactions reduces staff workload and errors.
4.2. Automated workflows accelerate deposit release, improving guest satisfaction.
4.3. Automated audit trails ensure compliance and financial traceability.
4.4. Automation improves cash flow predictability for property owners.
4.5. Automating guest communications increases transparency and trust.