Chargeback Dispute Handling Policy · Tentunit Help Center

Version 1.0 (Draft — pending legal review) · Effective Date: July 11, 2026 · Applies to: Tentunit Business

This page is informational. It explains, but does not override, the Payments & Rent Collection Terms, which control.

1. Overview & Definitions

This page explains what happens when a tenant disputes a rent payment with their bank or card issuer: how the process unfolds, what evidence wins disputes, what it costs when you lose, and where the process ends. The binding rules are in Section 10 (Chargebacks & Disputes) of the Payments & Rent Collection Terms.

1.1 Purpose of This Policy

Chargebacks are a consumer-protection mechanism built into the card networks and bank debit schemes, not a Tentunit feature — and neither Tentunit nor Stripe controls their outcome. What we can do is notify you fast, help you assemble strong evidence, submit it correctly, and be transparent about the costs. This page describes that process end to end for landlords and property managers using Tentunit Business.

1.2 Key Definitions

“Chargeback” means a reversal, dispute, or claim initiated by a tenant through the tenant’s card issuer, bank, or payment scheme with respect to a tenant payment — including card network chargebacks, disputed ACH returns, and SEPA Direct Debit refund claims.
“Issuer” means the tenant’s card-issuing bank or account-holding bank, which receives the tenant’s dispute and decides whether to pursue it.
“Card Network” means the payment scheme (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) whose rules govern the dispute’s stages, deadlines, and final adjudication.
“Evidence Window” means the deadline, set by the applicable card network or scheme rules, by which dispute evidence must be submitted.
“Connected Account” means the Stripe Connect account associated with your Tentunit Business account, as defined in the Payments & Rent Collection Terms.

Offsets and Negative Balance recovery are described in the Payout & Settlement Policy; fraud monitoring that elevated dispute rates can trigger is described in the AML & Fraud Prevention Policy. The controlling document is the Payments & Rent Collection Terms, especially Sections 10 and 16.

2. Chargeback Process Overview

A chargeback starts at the tenant’s bank and travels through the card network and Stripe before it reaches you. Understanding the relay explains why timelines are tight and outcomes are out of our hands.

2.1 The Typical Path

Tenant disputes with their issuer. The tenant contacts their card issuer or bank claiming, for example, that a charge was unauthorized, duplicated, or wrong in amount.
Issuer raises the dispute through the network. If the issuer accepts the claim, it files a chargeback under the applicable card network’s rules (or the equivalent ACH return or SEPA refund mechanism), and the disputed amount is pulled back through the scheme.
Stripe receives and forwards the dispute. Stripe, as processor, receives the chargeback, debits the disputed amount, and passes the dispute details to Tentunit.
Tentunit notifies you. We notify you through your dashboard and by email, identifying the transaction, the stated dispute reason, and the evidence deadline.
You respond (or not). You compile and upload evidence before the deadline; we format and submit it to the processor and network. If you do not respond within the Evidence Window, the chargeback may be resolved against you by default.
Adjudication and resolution. The card network or bank decides the dispute under its own rules and notifies Stripe, which notifies us, and your dashboard is updated with the outcome.

2.2 Immediate Financial Effect

Per scheme rules, the disputed amount is debited from your balance (or becomes a Negative Balance) when the chargeback is initiated — before anyone has decided who is right. If the dispute is resolved in your favor, the amount is re-credited. This front-loaded debit is a scheme mechanic, not a judgment by Tentunit.

2.3 Timelines

Dispute timelines vary by network, dispute reason, and payment method, and adjudication is controlled entirely by the network or bank. Neither Tentunit nor Stripe controls the outcome or the timeline. What is always true: the Evidence Window is short, fixed by the network, and unforgiving — treat every dispute notification as urgent.

3. Evidence Requirements

Disputes are won with documents, not indignation. This section lists what to gather and how to submit it.

3.1 Core Evidence

The strongest rent-dispute responses typically include:

The signed lease agreement covering the disputed period, showing the tenant, the property, and the rent amount;
Payment authorization records — the tenant’s auto-pay enrollment, mandate, or one-time payment authorization matching the disputed charge;
Communication logs with the tenant — messages acknowledging the tenancy, the charge, or the amount, especially anything post-dating the disputed payment;
Ledger extracts from your Tentunit dashboard showing the invoice, the charge history, and the tenant’s prior undisputed payments of the same amount; and
Proof of tenancy for the period charged, such as move-in documentation or renewal records.

Evidence should directly address the stated dispute reason: an “unauthorized” claim is answered with the authorization record; an “amount incorrect” claim is answered with the lease and invoice.

3.2 Submission via Dashboard

Upload your evidence through the dispute panel in your Tentunit Business dashboard before the deadline shown. We format and submit it to the processor and the applicable network or bank on your behalf, as described in Section 10.2 of the Payments & Rent Collection Terms. Submission is a service, not a guarantee: we do not control or warrant any outcome.

3.3 Deadlines

Evidence deadlines are set by the applicable card network rules, not by Tentunit, and they cannot be extended by us. Respond promptly — assemble your evidence as soon as you are notified rather than waiting for the deadline. Missing the Evidence Window typically means losing the dispute by default, with the cost consequences in Section 5.

4. Temporary Holds

While a dispute is open, the money in question does not move freely. This section explains what is held and why.

4.1 Hold on the Disputed Amount

The disputed amount is held or reserved pending the outcome of the dispute: it is debited from your available balance when the chargeback is initiated and stays out of your payouts until adjudication. If your balance cannot cover it, the shortfall becomes a Negative Balance under Section 16 of the Payments & Rent Collection Terms.

4.2 Broader Risk Measures

Sustained or elevated chargeback rates may trigger broader measures: reserves on your Connected Account under Section 8 of the Payments & Rent Collection Terms, network- or Stripe-imposed restrictions or remediation programs, or suspension of the Payment Services in serious cases. Keeping dispute rates low — through accurate invoicing, clear tenant communication, and valid authorizations — is the best protection.

4.3 No Interest or Compensation

Tentunit does not pay interest or compensation on amounts held during an open dispute, and dispute-related holds are excluded from any service level commitments applicable to your subscription.

5. Responsibility Allocation

Someone bears the cost of every dispute. This section states plainly who pays what, in each outcome.

5.1 If the Dispute Is Resolved Against You

Where a chargeback is resolved against the landlord, you bear:

The disputed amount (which was debited at initiation and is not returned);
The processor’s chargeback fees, passed through to you; and
A $15 administrative fee charged by Tentunit.

These amounts may be offset from your future payouts or invoiced to you, at our discretion, in the order of application described in Section 16.2 of the Payments & Rent Collection Terms and the Payout & Settlement Policy. A dispute lost by default (no evidence submitted) is treated the same as any other loss.

5.2 If the Dispute Is Resolved in Your Favor

If the network or bank resolves the dispute in your favor, the disputed amount is returned to your balance and released with your normal payouts, and no Tentunit administrative fee applies. Processor-level fee treatment follows the processor’s and network’s rules for the dispute type.

5.3 The Underlying Rent Obligation

A chargeback outcome decides who keeps the disputed payment — it does not rewrite the lease. If a tenant successfully charges back rent that was genuinely owed, the rent obligation remains between you and the tenant, and pursuing it (or defending against the tenant’s claims) is your responsibility under applicable landlord-tenant law. Tentunit is not a debt collector and does not pursue tenants on your behalf.

6. Final Outcomes & Further Recourse

Every dispute process ends somewhere. This section explains what “final” means and where remaining disagreements go.

6.1 Network Decision Is Final at That Level

The card network’s or bank’s decision is final within the dispute process at that level. Some networks provide limited further stages (such as pre-arbitration or network arbitration) under their own rules and cost allocations; where such a stage is available and viable, we will tell you what it involves. Neither Tentunit nor Stripe can overturn a network’s adjudication.

6.2 Landlord–Tenant Disputes Remain Between You

Chargeback adjudication resolves the payment, not the tenancy. Disagreements about whether rent was owed, whether deductions were proper, or whether a lease was breached remain between landlord and tenant, to be resolved through negotiation, arbitration, or the courts as provided in the lease and applicable landlord-tenant law. Tentunit does not adjudicate landlord-tenant disputes.

6.3 Disputes with Tentunit

If your disagreement is with Tentunit — for example, about how a dispute was handled or a fee was applied — contact [email protected] first; unresolved matters may be appealed within 14 calendar days to [email protected]. Formal disputes with Tentunit are governed by the dispute resolution provisions of the Business Terms of Service (Delaware law; AAA Commercial arbitration in New Castle County, Delaware, with a small-claims carve-out and a 30-day arbitration opt-out via [email protected]; EU/UK mandatory rights preserved). EU and UK payment complaints may be sent to [email protected] and are acknowledged within 72 hours, with a target resolution of 15 business days; EU consumers may also use the European Commission’s Online Dispute Resolution platform.

Tentunit, Inc. · Delaware, USA