Automatic tenant invoicing for landlords

Automatic tenant invoicing in Rivio means that, from a single period's meter readings, the system builds the invoice itself: a rent line based on the contract and separate utility lines based on each meter's consumption and tariff. The invoice is issued through the integration with kontus.lt accounting — there it receives an official number from the landlord's series, a payment due date and a PDF document. The landlord sees the invoice and its status in the Rivio list, and the tenant sees it in their portal.

Why automatic tenant invoicing matters

Writing invoices by hand seems easy enough while you rent out a single flat. But once you have several, the same steps repeat every month: collect the readings, subtract last month's values, multiply by the tariffs, add the rent, send the amount to the tenant, wait for the transfer and finally enter everything into the accounts. Every step is a chance to slip up: a missed line, an old tariff, the wrong flat. Automatic tenant invoicing removes this manual work — the system does the multiplication and addition itself, and you simply confirm the result.

The difference from a plain Excel spreadsheet is not just speed. Rivio records which tariff applied during the period, so historical invoices do not change when a tariff later rises. In a spreadsheet, the old tariff often "leaks" away with the new formula, and last month's invoice becomes wrong.

What goes onto the invoice automatically

When the tenant submits the period's readings, Rivio builds an invoice from two parts:

• Rent charge — taken from the rental contract (if the contract specifies a rent greater than zero, the line is added automatically).
• Utility lines — one per meter. The amount is based on the period's consumption and that meter's tariff, and each line has its own name so the tenant can see what they are paying for.

There is no need to enter quantities by hand or multiply by tariffs anywhere — that is exactly where Excel formulas tend to break. For more on how consumption is split between flats, see the utilities allocation feature.

Numbering, due dates and statuses

Each landlord has their own sequential invoice numbering. The number is assigned from the landlord's series by kontus.lt accounting, where the invoice is issued — so the numbering is official and consistent, not made up in a spreadsheet.

The invoice has a payment due date, so you immediately see when it should be paid and there is no need to track the deadline separately in a spreadsheet. The PDF document shows the same number, date and amount, so what the tenant sees in the portal matches what is in the accounts.

You can see the invoice status in a single list:

• Issued — the invoice has been sent to the tenant and payment is awaited.
• Partially paid — part of the amount has been received.
• Paid — the invoice has been paid in full.
• Overdue — the due date has passed and no payment has arrived (the status is derived from the due date).
• Cancelled — the invoice has been voided.

How it works in Rivio

The whole chain rests on a single invoicing logic, integrated with kontus.lt accounting:

1. The tenant submits the period's readings, and from those and the contract terms Rivio builds the rent and utility lines.
2. The invoice is issued through kontus.lt: there it receives an official number from the landlord's series, a date and a PDF document, while on the Rivio side an exact mirror of that invoice remains with the same lines and amount. Numbering, totals and status always match the accounts.
3. The PDF document can be downloaded both by the landlord from the invoice view and by the tenant from the portal — the file is taken straight from kontus.lt via a short-lived secure link.
4. When the tenant pays, the landlord marks the invoice as paid in Rivio; the payment is passed to kontus.lt, and the invoice status (paid or partially paid) comes back and updates in both Rivio and the accounts.

Integrated accounting is the essential difference from plain bookkeeping spreadsheets: an issued invoice is immediately an official accounting document with a number, not a row in Excel that still has to be entered somewhere afterwards. The number, amount and payment status are a single chain — there is no need to retype data between several separate places.

The whole chain is safe for the landlord: the invoice view is protected by a permission so you only see your own invoices, and the tenant portal is reached through a signed link — you can safely invite them without requiring them to create an account straight away.

Who it suits best

Private landlords managing 1 to 10 flats, for whom the end of the month means the same ritual: collect the readings, multiply the tariffs, send the amount to the tenant, wait for the transfer and enter everything into the accounts. Rivio turns this into a few clicks.

The biggest difference is felt by those who previously sent invoices by text message or simply quoted the amount verbally — with no document, no payment record, no status. With Rivio every invoice has a number, a PDF form, a payment record and a clear status, so at the end of the month you know exactly who has paid and who is late. This reduces misunderstandings with tenants and makes the annual rental income accounting easier.

If you are still working with spreadsheets, read when to move from Excel to a system.

Want to try it? Create an account for free and issue your first automatic invoice from readings.

Frequently asked questions

Is the invoice an official document?

Yes. The invoice is issued through kontus.lt accounting, so it receives an official number from the landlord's series, a date and a PDF document. The landlord and the tenant see the same PDF in their portal — it is not an unofficial spreadsheet row, but a real accounting document.

How is the utilities amount on the invoice calculated?

For each meter, Rivio takes the period's consumption and applies that meter's tariff. Every charge becomes a separate line with the meter and tariff name, so the tenant can see what they are paying for.

Will the invoice reach the accounts?

Yes — that is where it is issued. Rivio creates the invoice directly in the kontus.lt accounting system through the integration, so there is no need to export or retype data by hand: the invoice is in the accounts straight away with a number, date, amount and lines, and the payment status is synced.

What happens if the tenant does not pay on time?

The invoice has a payment due date. Once the deadline passes and no payment has been received, the invoice is shown as "Overdue", so you immediately see who you need to contact.

How is an invoice marked as paid?

When the tenant pays, the landlord marks the invoice as paid in the Rivio list. The payment is passed to kontus.lt, the invoice receives a payment status (paid or partially paid), and this status updates in both Rivio and the accounts.