All Forum Posts by: Cherilyn Williams

 Yeah, it's a bad circumstance.  She sent me a message stating that her BF did a number on her and pretty much left her out to suffer.  Although, I sympathize with her situation, their issues should not affect me running my business.  Thank you for your input!

 Thank you for your feedback.  My gut agrees with you.  - I'm learning more and more to keep my emotions out of these decisions and keep it strictly business.

Thank you for your opinion.  I totally agree with you.  I asked my adult son and another friend their opinion, and they both said well maybe give her another chance because she keeps the house immaculate, and you never know, you may get someone worse who doesn’t keep the house clean and destroys the place.  But I told them, keeping the house clean doesn’t pay the mortgage every month….

This is my first investment property.  A couple moved in a year ago and signed a yearlong lease.  The first 2 months' rent was paid on time.  By the 3rd month late payments started happening. The couple broke up and the BF left the house and decided he was not going to help his GF with the rent anymore, although they are both on the lease.  He was the only reason they were really able to rent in the first place because of his job and good credit.  She would not have been able to qualify alone.  He has intentionally been making it hard for her financially, and she has 3 children.  They were prior homeowners and sold their house before moving into my rental.

So, throughout the course of the year lease, she was struggling to pay.  She always paid, but she was late by over a month and a week one time.  Sometimes we had to break the payments up in half throughout the months.  We set payment schedules in writing twice, and she had to break our written agreement and ask for another extension.  For the last two months remaining on the lease, I gave her a non-renewal lease termination letter and waived the daily late fees.  I did not want to make it any harder for her.  (For the prior months, I charged daily late fees) I just wanted her to pay the rent price these last two months and be out so I could start looking for a new tenant.

I have been screening tenants for about a month now, and I'm increasing the rent by $75. I have found someone that has great income and can really afford to stay in the home.  He's coming for a second look this week with his daughters this time, on the same day my current tenant is supposed to move out.  I feel really good about him, but of course I need to verify everything first.

Now today, two days before she is supposed move, she sends me a message asking if she can stay and do a month-to-month lease and how things are better for her now with stability and her car situation.  She is very kind and respectful of my home, and to be honest she keeps the home immaculate. She has never tried to dodge me and has always been forthcoming. I have worked with her and compromised but like I said, I get paid, but the rent is always late by weeks and at most, a month and a week.  If she was late by a few days, it would be different and maybe I would reconsider.  I don't know.

Experienced landlords, what would you do in this situation? 

Thank you for this! For my next tenant, I am definitely going to implement your strategy here.  I thought I was very firm when I started off. Then some people told me I was too firm and being unrealistic. So I tried to lighten up a little, and here I am in this situation now.  

Thank you for responding. Yes, I think that will be the best bet. To get her out now. Do you recommend doing a lease termination letter, just to have something in writing?

I just don’t know if he would sign it since he all of a sudden disappeared.

I'm a new landlord.  I have had my rental property with tenants in it 7 months.  Lease signed March 2024. I went against my better judgment and rented to a non-married couple.  He had great income and a great credit score, she didn't, and I had been vetting potential tenants for a month and a half, and I was finally happy to see someone with good income and credit.  I went ahead and accepted them, and in the lease they both signed, he is the primary, because her income and credit score would have disqualified her to rent alone.

Two months after they moved in, he called me and said they were having relationship problems and she kicked him out the house.  I told him they signed the lease for one year so they BOTH are responsible.  So, out of the past 7 months they have been renting, they have been late on the rent 5 months out of the 7 months, but they always end up paying with late daily fees.  

On Oct. 1st I received a text from her asking if she could pay partial rent on Oct. 4th and pay the remaining rent on Oct. 20th.  I went ahead and agreed because even though they are late, they always end up paying me.  I'm trying to be more relaxed than I was in the beginning.  Some posters told me I was too strict, and as long as they are paying, be happy.

The rent price is $1350 and she paid $675 on the 4th.  I told her the total remaining would be $750 with late fees on Oct. 20th.

Oct. 20th came and went, no payment.  She texted me today on the 21st and said her and her bf are separated and he won't help her.  So, she quit nursing classes and took on another job to be able to pay bills.  She has 3 children, and he bailed.  She told me to only correspond with her from now on.  Then, she asked, if she could pay the remaining $750 that is currently due for Oct. on Nov 1st. and pay the November rent in full Nov. 15th.

My questions are:  What are the best ways to handle this situation. I am not sure how to respond to her request.  It seems like the goal post keeps being moved, and technically with him gone, she does not qualify to live there anyways. He can't just leave when he signed the lease?  He's still legally responsible for payment, right?  Should I give a 5 day notice to pay or be evicted? (Required 5 day notice in Illinois).  How would you experienced landlords handle this situation?  I obviously won't be renewing the lease, and will need to find new tenants come March.  I reached out to my attorney to see what my options are, but always appreciate the opinions of the Bigger Pockets community.

Thank you.

I need some suggestions on how to handle a situation with my tenants. This is my first investment property in a C class neighborhood, and I thought I had some good tenants, but there have been 3 late payments for rent in the 5 months they have been leasing my rental.  They signed the lease in March 2024.

The first time they were late it was a couple of days past the 1st but within the 5 day grace period……Ok.

The second time, they notified me on the 5th that they wouldn’t be able to pay until the 12th.  I charged them all the late fees and I was not happy and expressed my concerns, but I did get paid on the 12th.

Now, this 3rd time for this month of August, the boyfriend contacted me a day or two before the 1st and said they would not have the rent until the 9th of August. I told him that I would charge him the same fees as before. $50 late fee after the 5th and $5 fees each day late. 

Today, is the 9th, and I just received a text from the gf asking me if they could pay this Monday the 12th because something is going on with her account for fraud and she has to go to her bank on Monday.  She also asked if I could waive late fees until Monday. Each day like I mentioned is $5.  

I want to respond with something like…

This is becoming a recurring problem and it seems to me like you all are not able to afford my rental.  You have been late with the rent three times in the five months you have been living there.  I am not waiving any late fees.  Perhaps, it is best that we terminate the lease because I can’t continue accepting late payments until the lease is up.  

Also, let’s say they are late with the rent every month until the lease expires, but they pay.  Would you get them out of there when the lease expires?  TIA.

Thank you for your advice.  I will do just this.  I can't imagine going through this the next 7 months...

The first time they were two days late with the rent because of issues they were having, he said he moved out of the house and his gf said she was going to take care of it.  I told him, you are the primary lessee and he is the reason she is able to be there.  I told him he can't back out as the primary.  He makes more than enough money to stay there, she does not even qualify to stay there.  They both work, but he has the better job. When I checked his tradelines, he had about 7-9.  His bills were paid on time.  Her bills were not paid on time.  I told them I was not going to rent to them because of this and also I was afraid this would happen with them being bf and gf.

 I finally received a response today.  He just told me they can pay next week on the 12th.  I am not happy at all about this.  I am going to charge the late fee of $50 tomorrow, which will be the 6th, and a charge for each additional day they are late. (All clearly stated in the lease).  I will also state, they need to communicate this before the rent is due.  If I don't get the rent by next Friday, they will get a notice to pay within 5 days, or we will begin the eviction proceedings.