Frequently asked questions
Straight answers, in writing.
What it costs, how setup works, where your records live, and whether BayRoster fits your property.
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What kind of property is this for?
RV and boat storage lots, numbered self-storage buildings, and properties that are both. Spaces are rented by the month or the season. If you run a seasonal campground, PineRoster is the product for that.
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Do I need a server or an IT person?
No. It runs on ordinary shared PHP hosting, which is part of the monthly package, so there is nothing for you to sign up for. There is no database to administer and no build step. I set it up for you.
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What does it cost each month?
$60 a month, covering all three pieces together: the real public website for your property, the hosting it runs on, and BayRoster behind it. Hosting is included, so there is no second bill and no separate account in your name. There is no per-unit SaaS toll, no seat charge, and no marketplace commission, and the bill does not rise as spaces fill or as people are added to the office. The one-time setup is quoted per property. If you switch online payments on, Stripe charges its own processing fee under your agreement with Stripe.
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Where does my data actually live?
In flat JSON files on the hosting that runs your site, not in a vendor database somewhere else. You can open them, read them, and back them up by copying them. CSV exports customers, assets, locations, and location history. Payments, charges, meters, inquiries, layout, and configuration are in the separate full backup, not that CSV.
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What happens if I stop working with you?
There is no license server that switches the installation off. Your records are plain files. Take the customer and location CSV and a separate full backup for payments, charges, meters, inquiries, layout, and configuration.
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Do I have to take online payments?
No. Online billing ships turned off. You can use the map and records while taking checks or cash. If you enable payments, Stripe verifies every charge server-side and anything ambiguous goes to a review queue.
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What happens when a payment does not match cleanly?
It goes into a human review queue. For direct billing, automatic application requires a verified payment from this software and a clean whole-month match to one renter. Ledger payments are allocated against charges. Unclear matches and payments this software did not start wait for review.
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How does a customer actually pay online?
Each customer can hold a durable link to their own statement: what they rent, what has been charged and paid, and the date they are paid until. You hand the link out however you already reach them, and it still opens months later. If online billing is on, they pay from that page by card or bank transfer (ACH) on Stripe's secure page. There is no account to create and no password to reset, and one Regenerate revokes every link you have ever issued.
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Is there autopay?
Scheduled autopay is not available. Renters choose when to pay from their statement. Optional saved-card authorization is off by default and does not enable automatic charges. Statement reminders are sent by the owner.
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What if somebody is several months behind?
For an account billed by its paid-until date, the statement bills the months behind, added up across every space they rent, and it shows the months and the amount under each space so the total is explicable. An applied partial payment retires the oldest months and leaves the rest owing. Online checkout uses the quoted amount; a partial payment may need owner review. A space more than twenty-four months behind is quoted at twenty-four; the rest is a conversation with you, not a self-serve charge.
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Can a customer pay for several months at once?
Yes, with online payments configured and nothing owed. On an account run on the paid-until date, a customer with nothing owed can choose one to twenty-four months and pay forward from where their date already stood, and the map colors the space accordingly. An account with anything past due does not get that option, because what is owed comes first.
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Can I move somebody to a different space?
Drag them there. Within an area, an editor opens with the new position filled in for you to save. Across areas, a transfer confirms the date and rate. The software refuses to drop two customers into one space.
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What happens to a customer who leaves and comes back?
You can reactivate an eligible former renter with no active occupancy onto their existing record. Their payment history and notes carry forward. Closing an occupancy is a dated event, never a delete.
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Is a public website included?
Yes. Every setup includes a real website for your property. Its availability form can send requests into the inquiry queue. That form does not reserve space. Separate online booking is optional and off by default.
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Can returning renters request space online?
Yes, if optional online booking has been configured and enabled. It is off by default. A request matching an existing customer waits for owner review without holding space. Approval checks current availability and terms, then emails a short-lived payment link. A verified payment confirms the booking; it does not automatically move the renter in or update the regular account ledger.
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Can renters read my agreement from their statement?
Yes, when a link to your published rental agreement is configured. Private signed documents are not exposed. If the document is not posted, the statement tells the renter to ask you for a copy.
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Does it open my gate or run my locks?
No. BayRoster tracks who is in which space and who has paid. It does not control gate hardware, keypads, or locks.
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Is there an app to install?
No. It is a website that works in a phone browser, so there is nothing to install and nothing to keep updated on everyone's phone.
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How do I see it before deciding?
Open the live demo. It is real software with fictional customers, the password is published on this site, and demo changes reset.
Still have a question?
Ask Ben directly.
Try the demo, then ask me about your property. Password: anytown-demo.