Brand new tenant has already not paid their first rent payment.

The tenant is a first time renter. She makes more than enough for the place, and we did get a cosign from Mom.

Worked quite awhile with her setting up Direct Deposit, to which she replied, "Its all set!" when I checked with her a couple days before rent was due.

However, on the due date, no rent.

I finally get a text from her that evening. I'm sorry she says, her bank says the wire transfer is going to take 5 days.

Where is your bank? I asked repeatedly.

No reply to that question.

That's not going to work I said, you'll have to cancel the wire transfer and just use one of our rent deposit slips, and drop the rent off at any of the bank drive thrus (there are 5 in town).

"No problem", she says, "I canceled the direct deposit and I'll just drop off the rent."

Never mind that she somehow canceled the direct deposit on Saturday evening when the bank wasn't even open.

A late messge reply then comes the following day which was Sunday, "I don't have any deposit slips."

Strange, I gave her some when she signed the lease.

I'll run some over! I say. I drive across town. Her car is there, as well as her boyfriends.

Knock knock, I'm here with the rent deposit slips!

No answer.

So I stick a pack of them in the back door, then text, "Please be sure and drop the rent off before noon Monday, and we can write off the late fee. Just this time, because of the bank error (I wanted to give her every INCENTIVE to pay the rent). Also to let you know, there's a package on your front porch, Amazon must have delivered."

As I'm driving away, I look in the rear view mirror. The Amazon package on the porch had vanished.

Well, I guess somebody read my message, because they got their online order pretty fast.

So here's what I suspect.

The 5 day wire transfer thing was a lie. She blew her money and won't have rent for another 5 days.

If that's the case, since she's a first time renter, the best thing I would think is to come down hard with a 5 day notice the moment it is late, to tell her paying rent is serious.

But how to phrase the 5 Day Notice, so that she doesn't read, "I have 5 more days to pay my rent!"

Because she'll be late every month from now on, I imagine.

BTW, this is the same girl that I said NO to Ferrets. My worry is if I send a 5 day Pay or Quit, she may bolt thinking "I can go back home, and have my ferrets!"

Uchh.....

Its all guesswork, but after having one tenant after another you tend to assume things!

I just hate to send a "Pay or Quit" moveout notice because I bet she'll start thinking about moving out and home so she can have her ferrets. Its just a really bad time to send one.

And every vacancy takes me a month of work.

I'd rather send a "5 Day Notice" without the quit part. But that would just be training her to pay a week late every month.

idk

So how to phrase a 5 Day Notice so that it doesn't say, "You can leave if you want"....?

aaand this is why I won't rent to first time renters. Parents probably didn't teach her consequences as has been popular since the 80s.

Show up at the mother's doorstep. I feel for you however. I'm getting a parade of criminals (mostly minor) people who are "homeless" yet have a menagarie (whacked priorities), people who have no visible means of support.

Duplexer, find your local landlord association and find another LL that will mentor you.

Post a 5 pay or vacate notice with amount due and late fees if applicable.

Starting the eviction process by serving your State's pay or quit notice is the only legal way you can obtain possession of your property, if rent continues to remain unpaid. She does not have the money, and you are jumping through hoops trying to get it from her. You can contact the mom as co-signer, but that's no guarantee the rent will be paid either. Both the tenant and the co-signer should receive the 5-day notice.

Some people (tenants) are not that savvy to set up and execute payments on time. What the Banks say and the the true days funds are delivered are ALWAYS misleading.

I have several long term tenants and their banks wanted to Hold On To the money longer to make interest at these higher rates. So instead of asking the bank to make a payment for the 1st of the month, these tenants tell their bank to pay it on the 25th, meaning I will have the funds in my bank by the 1st.

Do not send the 5 day notice. Talk and work it out.

Duplexer,

You just learned why I

- don’t take first timers. Gotta have a rental history.

- autodraft. TAKE the money from her account, NEVER wait and HOPE they pay.

Yes, she lied. Doesn’t matter, just stick to the system.

Notify both immediately. I would give 24 hours to pay the full amount plus late fees.

NEVER believe giving up late fees will motivate someone to pay. They are broke and saving $20 means nothing to them. They don’t care, it makes you look weak, and it trains them your rules don’t apply to them.

Personally I believe giving up late fees amd letting someone slide on rent is a slap in the face of the residents who struggle and DO pay their rent on time.

Text both: “Mary and Sue, Your rent is unpaid. This is your only notice to pay $XXXX by cash or money order to our Deposit Only Account # 111111 at Main Street Bank before 5 pm Wednesday to avoid sheriff eviction/lockout. Write your name on the bank receipt and text a photo of it to this number.”

This works!

Duplexer,

Here’s an explanation of why this works.

Your state might require a five or 10 or 14 day notice prior to eviction.

My notice is to get them to Pay and 99% do pay with this notice. So now I don’t need to mess with the state required time period.

Please notice I do not tell them to quit or vacate. A judge taught us in a landlord association meeting that if they vacate they don’t have to pay more rent because you told them to get out.

And yes you are right. If you say five days they will pay the end of the fifth day.

They are already three days late, I don’t need to give them any more time.

Consider this – you could put them on weekly if they don’t have the money for the whole month. That way they can pay a small amount and be up-to-date. I can keep track of them better on a weekly basis than waiting an entire month to know if they’re going to be able to pay that next payment.

I will say that one of my newer tenants did legitimately have issues with her bank at first (it is located in CA) and with Zelle.

This does appear to be a doting mama situation, but thank god she's not a HoverMom at least so far. The kind that pecks you mercilessly demanding their child be spoiled. She seems content with just backing up the rent so far.

The kid clearly seems to have never had to pay bills before with any kind of consequences. She showed every sign of just never paying rent and expecting to live off the land.

So I focused on her sugar momma and got her to shoo the kid to the bank, and she finally paid. But made a HUGE production about being late. As well I had better.

IDK it could go either way. My pessimistic side says maybe in a few months she'll tire of having responsibilites despite the thrill of having her own place, and go back to her mothers arms and free lodging with free cleaning service & catered meals. At least, until she wants her own place again.

But.... maybe it could work. Gotta be positive. We'll see!