What Causes the "1st Payment Failure" Service Issue?

To pay and split your rent through Flex, you must make your 1st payment, your portion of the rent paid upfront each month before Flex can submit the full rent on your behalf. If Flex (or you, if autopay is off) attempts to process this payment but encounters insufficient funds or a bank decline, a "1st Payment Failure" service issue will be triggered.

If this happens, Flex will notify you of the service issue via email, text, and/or push notification. The notification and your app will provide specific information about why the payment did not go through, such as insufficient funds or an expired card.

How Do I Resolve the "1st Payment Failure" Service Issue?

You can resolve this issue by taking the following steps:

1. Check the Flex App for Details and Take Action: Open the service issue in your Flex app to view the specific reason for the 1st payment failure. Open the service issue in your Flex app to view the specific reason for the 1st payment failure. Be sure to complete the action outlined in the service issue notification—this could include adding funds to your payment method or updating it if needed. 
2. Wait for Flex to Retry the Payment: If rent autopay is turned on, Flex will attempt your 1st payment up to six times until successful or until the 3pm ET cut-off on the 5th. After six attempts, automatic retries stop, and you must manually complete the payment in the Flex app by the rent payment cutoff at 3pm ET on the 5th. 
3. Retry the Payment Manually: If you’ve fixed the issue and don’t want to wait for Flex’s next attempt or if rent autopay is turned off, you can manually retry the payment in the Flex app. Simply follow the steps provided in the service issue to reattempt.

Note: You can view your 1st payment amount, which includes a bill payment fee, in the app. Check the Rent tab or the Payment Schedule screen to see the amount.

What the "1st Payment Failure" Service Issue Looks Like in the App: