Handling Payment Disputes

When a unit owner asks their bank to reverse a dues charge, that's a dispute (sometimes called a chargeback). Stripe notifies Fourplex and gives the board a short window to either accept the loss or submit evidence that the charge was valid.

When you'll see one

• A unit owner contacts their bank claiming the charge was fraudulent, unrecognized, or for service they didn't receive.
• The bank opens a dispute with Stripe.
• Fourplex receives a webhook and shows the dispute on the Billing → Disputes page with a red badge in the sidebar.
• The President and Treasurer receive an email with the deadline.

The deadline matters

Stripe gives you about 7 days (sometimes longer; the exact date is on the dispute page) to respond. If you do nothing, Stripe refunds the cardholder automatically and the disputed amount comes out of your HOA's Stripe balance.

How to respond

1. Presidents and Treasurers can go to Billing → Disputes in the sidebar.
2. Click the disputed charge. Fourplex shows the dispute context first, including the payment, unit, owner, amount, and deadline.
3. Open Stripe's embedded dispute tools from the dispute page. Evidence uploads, refund actions, and response submission are handled securely by Stripe.
4. Submit. Stripe forwards your evidence to the cardholder's bank, which makes the final call (usually within 60–90 days).

What evidence helps

• Records showing the unit owner is a current member of the HOA
• Receipts or board meeting minutes referencing the dues amount and period
• Any communication where the unit owner acknowledged the obligation
• For online payments: the IP address and timestamp from the autopay enrollment (we keep these in the audit log)

What if you accept the dispute

If you'd rather not contest it (sometimes the cost of staff time outweighs the disputed amount), accept the dispute in the embedded form. Stripe refunds the cardholder and the case closes.

Disputes are rare

Most HOAs go years without one. But the deadline is short and the financial impact is direct, so when one opens, treat it as a same-week priority.