About Occupi

Our Origin Story and Mission

Rethinking Rent: Why Payment Options and Digital Inclusion Matter More Than Ever.

The process of paying rent remains one of the most persistent and frustrating challenges in property management. The standard assumption, that every tenant has a traditional bank account and gets paid on the first of the month, simply does not reflect reality for millions of Americans.

Today, over 24 million U.S. households are unbanked or underbanked, relying on digital wallets, prepaid cards, or apps like Cash App, Venmo, and Chime¹ to manage their money. For these renters, paying the most important bill of the month requires inconvenient, costly workarounds, often involving multiple money orders, long lines, and service fees.

The result is payment friction, higher operational costs for landlords, and a system that actively promotes financial exclusion.

Our Origin

Occupi was founded on the principle that the system needed to be fixed from the ground up, starting with real-world experience.

Our CEO, Taylor Peake, spent over a decade as an owner/operator of manufactured housing communities in rural Alabama. She experienced the challenges firsthand: missing money orders, tenants having to leave work to make inconvenient walk-in payments, and staff burdened by time-consuming manual tracking and reconciliation errors.

To truly understand the problem, Taylor set herself up as a tenant in one of her own communities, submitting an application and making a walk-in cash payment. That eye-opening experience made it clear that the rent payment process was fundamentally broken.

That moment led Taylor and co-founder Emily Hart to create Occupi.

Access and trust

We centralize popular digital payment methods, including Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, Chime, SoFi, cards, and ACH, into a single, secure platform.

Pay anytime, anywhere

Renters can finally pay using the tools they already trust, 24/7, without navigating expensive and time-consuming workarounds.

Expanded access

We added support for renters who use ITINs, expanding access for international residents and others who might not qualify through traditional screening methods.

Our Purpose

Enabling Digital Inclusion and Financial Flexibility

Occupi's mission is to align rent payments with how people actually live and manage their money. We empower property managers to offer true digital inclusion while ensuring they can meet their tenants where they are financially.

Reduce late payments

Improve cash flow by making it easier for tenants to pay on time.

Streamline operations

Automate deposits and eliminate manual reconciliation.

Serve a broader renter pool

Improve satisfaction and retention by meeting tenants where they are.

For Property Managers

Efficiency and resilience

Offering flexible, app-based payment options is more than a convenience, it's a business necessity. By supporting how tenants actually pay, Occupi enables property managers to adapt to changing demographics and tenant behaviors.