Setting up Direct Debit (GoCardless)

Collect rent from your long-term tenants' bank accounts automatically using GoCardless. This guide covers connecting GoCardless, importing mandates you already have, setting up a lease with auto-collection, and what your tenants see.

Before You Start

You'll need a GoCardless account (you can sign up during setup if you don't have one).
Direct Debit is best suited to long-term leases - permanent sites, monthly residents, seasonal stays - not short-term bookings.
Payments take 3-5 business days to clear once collected.

1. Connect GoCardless to Your Campground

Go to Campground Settings -> Direct Debit Connections.

Tick the box to acknowledge the terms ("I acknowledge that Direct Debit processing is subject to the terms in Sections 4 and 7 of the SaaS Agreement"). The connect button stays disabled until this is ticked.
Click Connect GoCardless Account.
Sign in to GoCardless (or create an account) and approve the connection.
You'll be sent back to Camper BMS.

Once GoCardless approves your account, you're ready to collect Direct Debit payments.

2. (Optional) Import Existing Mandates

If you're moving to Camper BMS from another system - or you already set up Direct Debit mandates directly in GoCardless - you can pull those existing mandates in and link them to your leases, so auto-collection works as if they'd been created here. Starting fresh? Skip this section.

Go to Direct Debit Connections -> Import Existing Mandates -> Open Importer.

You must be connected to GoCardless first (the importer will prompt you if you're not).
Click Load mandates. Camper BMS lists the active and pending mandates on your GoCardless account that haven't already been imported, with the customer's name, bank name and the last four digits of the account.
For each mandate, choose the lease and the tenant it belongs to. Where Camper BMS can recognise a match (from mandate details or a matching email), it's suggested for you. Leases that already have an active or pending mandate appear greyed out and can't be selected, so you won't attach two mandates to the same lease.
Select the mandates you want and click Import selected, or import them one at a time. Use Load more if you have a long list.

Watch out for double-charging. If an imported mandate still has active subscriptions running inside GoCardless, Camper BMS will warn you. Cancel those subscriptions at GoCardless before Camper BMS starts auto-collecting, otherwise the tenant could be charged twice.

3. Create a Lease with Auto-Collection

When you create a lease, choose Automatic - Collect via Direct Debit (GoCardless) as the invoice method. Fill in the rest of the lease (dates, rent, frequency) as normal.

When you activate the lease:

The tenant gets an email asking them to set up Direct Debit.
The first invoice goes out as a PDF with a card payment link. This is expected - the mandate isn't active yet, so the first period falls back to a manual invoice. Direct Debit takes over once the mandate is active - usually from the second billing period, since the tenant typically sets it up after the first invoice has gone out.

If you imported a mandate for this tenant (Section 2), the mandate is active from the start and the lease auto-collects straight away - no setup email needed.

4. What Your Tenant Sees

The tenant receives an email titled "[Park Name] - Set up Direct Debit". They click the button and are taken to GoCardless's secure page to enter their bank details.

You never see their full bank account details. Camper BMS only ever receives the bank name and last four digits, for display.

When they finish on GoCardless's page, setup is complete - GoCardless confirms it on screen and they can close the tab. The emailed setup link does not redirect them back into Camper BMS; we're notified by GoCardless in the background and update the Direct Debit status on the lease automatically.

The tenant can log in to their lease portal at any time to view their lease, invoices and Direct Debit status, and to cancel the Direct Debit (or set up a new one).

5. How Payments Work After That

For each billing period:

Camper BMS generates the invoice and schedules it for Direct Debit collection on the rent due date.
The amount is pulled from the tenant's bank account automatically - they don't need to do anything.
Once confirmed (3-5 business days later), Camper BMS marks the invoice paid and sends the tenant a receipt.
Funds settle to your bank account through GoCardless on your normal payout schedule.

6. When a Payment Fails

If a payment fails (insufficient funds, account closed, etc.), Camper BMS automatically:

Reopens the invoice as unpaid.
Emails the tenant a manual payment link so they can pay another way.
Emails you so you know to follow up.

If GoCardless's Success+ feature schedules an automatic retry, we wait for the retry rather than alerting you straight away - the tenant is told a retry is coming and the invoice stays as-is. You're only notified if the retry also fails.

7. Refunds

You can refund any successful Direct Debit payment from the invoice on the lease - full or partial. Direct Debit refunds are submitted to the bank and confirmed asynchronously, so the refund shows as pending and takes 3-5 business days to reach the tenant. The tenant gets a refund confirmation email automatically once it's confirmed.

A few things to know:

There's a 7-day "safer refund" window after a payment confirms during which GoCardless blocks refunds by default. If you hit this, the error message tells you how many days to wait. You can ask GoCardless to disable this window for your account.
Refunds come out of your GoCardless balance. If you don't have enough confirmed funds available, you'll need to wait for recent payments to clear.
If a refund fails to reach the tenant's bank, Camper BMS automatically restores the invoice and emails you to follow up.

8. Cancelling Direct Debit

Tenant-initiated: Your tenant can cancel their Direct Debit at any time from their lease portal, via their bank, or directly through GoCardless. We detect the cancellation and switch their future invoices back to manual payment links.
Operator-initiated: To stop using GoCardless entirely, go to Campground Settings -> Direct Debit Connections and click Disconnect GoCardless Account. Existing leases stop auto-collecting and revert to PDF invoices.

FAQ

How long does it take for payments to clear?
Direct Debit takes 3-5 business days from collection to confirmation.

Can I use Direct Debit for short-stay bookings?
It's not recommended. Direct Debit is suited to recurring rent for long-term tenants. Short bookings should use card payments through your regular payment gateway.

I already have mandates in GoCardless - do I have to recreate them?
No. Use the mandate importer (Section 2) to pull existing mandates in and link them to your leases.

What if the tenant's bank account changes?
The tenant needs to cancel their existing Direct Debit and set up a new one. You can resend the setup email from the lease page.

Does Camper BMS store any bank account details?
Not the sensitive ones. Full account numbers are entered on GoCardless's secure page and never reach Camper BMS. We store only the bank name and the last four digits, so the Direct Debit is recognisable on the lease.

What happens to existing leases if I disconnect GoCardless?
Auto-collection stops. Future invoices for those leases are emailed as PDFs with manual payment links instead.

Who do I contact for help?
For how Direct Debit works inside Camper BMS, contact support@camperbms.com. For questions about a tenant's bank account, the Direct Debit Guarantee, or a specific GoCardless transaction, your tenant should contact GoCardless or their bank directly.