Charge for Mailed Payments or Not

[David Moore]

Ok, gang.  I've got a problem that I'm going to try to solve in my lease.  But I want your honest feedback.  I require my tenants to pay using cozy.  Anyone who has a checking account can pay for free.  Some tenants don't have one, didn't like paying the small cozy fee, but now they get the system and actually like it.  I have one tenant who is on 80% assistance.   This tenant, even though the lease says to pay via cozy, sends me a money order to our P O Box each month.  This has been our tenant that pushes back on everything.

There is a cost to  going to the PO, making sure I get there by the 5th, and then manually depositing it.  We are raising rents now, and having tenants sign new leases.  I'm thinking of adding a 3% fee if a tenant pays by mail.  There is only one tenant who is going to give me grief about it, and perhaps, this will finally deter her to use cozy.  I don't want the 3% fee.  I want tenants paying on cozy.  I'm just looking for a lever.

Would you consider such a measure, or would you come at it from a different angle.  My risk is that other tenants learn this tenant is ignoring lease and mailing her payments to our P O Box.  Tenants are only supposed to mail checks in the event that there is an electronic issue with the pay site.  

For those who have never had a strident tenant, I ask that you put yourself in the place of someone who has.  Imagine some difficult person who never followed the rules, when framing your answer.  Thanks.