Late rents ugh. Please help!

[Tony Velez]

We closed on a triplex in March. The old landlord informed us the first floor tenant is always late but always pays. I don't like the fact that he's late all the time. It's now March 9... He texted me and said he should have the tent by Thursday. I texted him back and said is like the rent by the 5th of each month going forward. I said just like you have a due date for the rent. I have a due date to pay the mortgage. He continued to apologize. 

Any suggestion on how to handle this??

Thank you

Tony

[Thomas S.]

Late payment is the landlords fault.

Everyone has made the point that it is your sole responsibility to train your tenant. No tenant should ever pay late fees three times. After the second incident they should be evicted. Keep all tenants on M2M leases. 

1) read your state regulations.

2) Do not give a tenant one second longer than the regulations allow.

3) serve the eviction notice as soon as legally possible.

4) when a tenant asks for a extension past the 1st of the month to pay always deny it.

5) impose the maximum legal penalty.

6) when a tenant starts to give an excuse cut them off and simply say their personal life is none of your business. No pay, no stay. 

The first time a tenant pays late or asks to pay late they generally have some lame excuse and every seasoned landlord has heard them all. Every single time it equates to the fact that the tenant has chosen to spend his rent money on something he feels is more important. It is a landlords responsibility to teach their tenant that nothing is more important than paying on time and by not doing so they will be evicted. You do not need to justify your actions to a tenant.

Your tenant was trained to understand payment on time was not important. You have now trained him the same by inform him he did not need to pay rent till the 5th of each month. Shame on you for being a bad landlord. Send him a letter stating rent is due by midnight on the 1st and if he is late a second time you will serve eviction papers.