July 4th Rent Collection Story

[James H.]

I made an appointment with a tenant today to do some preventative maintenance.  The tenant and I had agreed that he would pay this month's rent in person when I arrived.  When I got there, the tenant's girlfriend was there.  But, he was not.  I finished what I needed to do and asked about the rent.  The girlfriend (who supposedly does not live there) claimed to have no idea where the money was.

An hour or so later, I got an email from the tenant asking if I could come by and pick the rent up.  I did not respond since our family was already busy with holiday activities.

Another hour passed and I got a message from the tenant stating that he was on his way to a bar with his girlfriend and had left a money order under his door mat.  (This is a busy condo complex.)  I decided to go get it.

When I lifted his doormat, I found a blank money order, with no payee filled it, for the complete amount of the rent.  The receipt was still attached to the money order; so the tenant has no way to track it.  Not only that, the money order was not in an envelope or even wrapped up it a piece of paper.  It was face up!