All Forum Posts by: Michael W.

Welcome to being a landlord. You’re unfortunately always going to have those types of tenants. I’ve had one for 5 years. Every month she’s late. Pays the late fee and pays in installments. Half now and half later.

Do I like it? No.

But she doesn’t owe me any money after 5 years. She takes care of the place, she’s is a good neighbor in the community, and she’s clean.

Again I don’t love it but you could do worse.

Wow, I am kinda jealous of you having a tenant who takes care of the property and is willing to pay an extra late fee. My tenant is not taking good care of the property well like yours and still paying rent late. Thank you for sharing your story.

0 Votes

Jacksonville, Florida

Quote from @Kevin Sobilo:

Quote from @Michael W.:

Quote from @Kevin Sobilo:

@Michael W., what about the late fee? Most every lease has a late fee specified either a flat dollar amount or a per day fee.

I would be collecting a fair flat rate late fee and enjoy the extra income.

My current late fee is a flat $50, but I plan to bump it to $75 for rents exceeding $1,000.

I had a habitually late payer pay well over $1k in late fees over their ~3-4 year tenancy.

The contract with tenants has a late fee clause, and when I talked to the PM, they replied that they would remove the late fee if they paid the rent before the end of the month. The late fee is also retained by the PM, JWB, so to me, the PM, JWB, kinda encourages the tenant to consistently pay rent late.

@Michael W., I self manage so I don't know how common it is or isn't for PM's to retain the late fee.

My thinking is this. My lease states that any fees etc are "payable as rent" and the PM is set to collect a percentage of rent collected. So, if the late fee is $50 and the PM gets 10% of rent, they should get $5 and I get the remaining $45. That would be my expectation and what I would try to negotiate.

If I wasn't collecting a late fee for a late payer, I would move to evict. As soon as they don't pay in full at the beginning of the money and any grace period passes I would issue a 10 day pay or quit notice and if they didn't pay in full in those 10 days I go to court and evict and that would be the end.

Thank you for your advice. Your and other's advice made me feel better that I am not alone thinking it's not okay to continue allowing such behavior. I do not like evicting someone, but I think eviction should be in consideration to stop it. Thanks again!

0 Votes

Jacksonville, Florida

Quote from @Peter Mckernan:

Quote from @Michael W.:

Quote from @Peter Mckernan:

Quote from @Michael W.:

Hi,

I am an out-of-state investor and have a rental property in Jacksonville Florida that is managed by JWB, a local property management company. The renters have lived in the property for 2 years now, and we have a long-term rental agreement with them, the lease ends in January 2026. For more than a year now, the renters have never paid on time. The rent is due on the 1st of the month. Each month, they would pay a little at the beginning of the month, like a couple of hundred dollars, a little in the middle of the month, and the rest at the end of the month.

I've asked JWB if any actions are taken to address the consistent late payment. They respond that they send notice to the tenant of any outstanding balance, and the notice is valid until mid-month. When a tenant makes a payment, a new notice is sent and a new expiration date is set. I think that's how renters avoid eviction since they just make a little payment to reset the notice expiration date.

I know I am getting full payment from the renters at the end of the month despite the consistent late payments, but consistent late payments don't look good on the ledger when selling the property with the renters.

What actions could I take, if any at all, to address the issue?

Thank you!

Would get the full payment upfront at the first of the month and if they cannot fulfill that than start the eviction process. This will go on forever till you put a stop to it or just let it go. The PM company should be managing this for you

I completely agree with you. That's what I think the PM should do, but they often BS their reply by saying their policy of sending a notice and resending another notice after receiving partial payment.

Just do not collect the small amount.. And fire that PM company

Thank you very much for the advice. I will push back on the PM as you suggested.

0 Votes

Jacksonville, Florida

Quote from @Ben Russell:

It sounds like the property is not being managed well by the manager. Speak with the property Manger and ask why they are accepting partial payments after the rent is late? Doing this will restart the eviction clock and it sounds like the tenants understand this.

Refer to your managment agreement and the lease. There is likely a clause that after rent is late, payment must be made in full. Talk to the manger and set your expectations. This should not be allowed to continue month after month.

Regarding the late fee, more than likely, The PM is keeping it Per their agreement.

Thank you. I will keep talking with the PM and set the expectations as advised. I agree that this shouldn't happen month after month.

1 Vote

Jacksonville, Florida