Thought about adding this question to my application as a "multiple choice" (Select all that apply) to guage a tenant's attitude, and also to have as a reference for the future:

"When is it okay to pay rent late or pay partial payments?"

A) When my bank messes up my account.

B) When my pet has an emergency.

C) When my car breaks down.

D) When I have some kind of unexpected expense.

E) When my employer messes up my paycheck.

F) When I'm a little short for some reason.

G) Never. There is no valid reason for paying rent late or paying less than the full amount owed. If I can't pay the full amount on time, regardless of the reason, I will make arrangements in advance with the property manager and not expect him to have to come after me, or I will move out before the next rent payment becomes due.

If they pick anything except G, automatic disqualification.

If they answer "G, then I send that along with my "Rent?" text message any time rent is late or short, as a reminder of their own words.

Yes, it's kind of "in your face", but then again, isn't this how many of us train our tenants and/or go over during the lease initiation process?

Thoughts? Yea? Nay? Change the wording? "S i d, you're a nut case!"?

Not a nut case.

Sid, I like that approach/idea.

I have gone to bank to bank payments and it's working fairly well. I'm finding that the people that will pay don't have a problem with setting it up and the payments are on time. Those who will not pay on time ALWAYS have "reasons". They will agree to set it up and then cancel it, they close their accounts, they have one excuse after another.If I want to use a service that take it rather than them making the payment, they again deliberately mess it up.

I'm at the point where if there is any problem, it's time for them to leave.

Most all banks now offer advances or plans where they have some time to cover overdrafts.

I really like Robert J's way of requiring them to have reserves in their accounts to cover problems. A problem around here is that most people who rent C type places don't have those reserves and the ones that do can afford to buy a place and do buy.

Like many of us, I'm also having problems finding repair people who show up and don't want $65-$100 or more an hour.

Frank, that's the $64K question, isn't it?

Here's how I think it helps: it sets the expectation UP FRONT that we don't tolerate late or partial pays for ANY reason. It also serves as an easy, quick automatic DQ to avoid wasting time on other things that aren't so cut and dry and take more time, effort, and expense.

Like Richard, I use e-payments, but to get away from the hassles of how my bank did ACH, I switched to Buildium property management software. It does have an autopay feature that I typically set up on tenant's behalf, but if/when things bounce I sometimes get excuses... or my favorite, "I meant to text you that our cat had an emergency surgery and we HAD to take money out of the account to pay it..." Just got that one last week.

Richard, like you, I'm done with excuses. Seems like there are a lot of lazy landlords out there who accept excuses, late pays, and partial pays. I figure from Day 1--Application Day--we set the expectation that under no circumstance are we tolerant of late or partial pays, regardless of the reason. If an applicant is already thinking there are acceptable reasons not to pay rent, I use that as an automatic DQ.

Will some liars choose G anyway because they think it's what I want to hear? Sure, but then there's zero doubt about what happens next if/when they pay partial or late.

I view this sort of like my 3x the income rule: if you make less than 3x the income...automatic DQ. If you make more than 3x the income, then we keep moving forward. Same deal: if you think there are valid excuse for not paying rent, that's automatic DQ. If you don't (or if you lie), then we keep moving forward, and I try to catch liars in other ways.

I think most would know the "correct answer" to that one, but interesting idea to include a few questions in the application to gauge potential tenants. How about a question like: "what do you like most about your current apartment?" and "what do you like least ?" or "what's the most important thing your looking for in a new place?" or how about "would you be interested enrolling in our 'pay when only when you can' plan?"

Perhaps a few others as well.

2) When I loose my job and can't pay rent I should:

a) Stop all communications and avoid the landlord at all costs

b) Wait until the day before the Sheriff comes to do a setout to move out.

c) Rent rooms out to others to make money.

d) Notify the landlord of the situation and immediately move in with friends/family to avoid stealing from the landlord.

MikeA, that's a hilarious list! It also calls into question that how a question is phrased is more likely to get useful answers.

At the end of the day, it may not make much difference, but I'm really trying to find ways to set expecations up front and also improve screening. Most times when I get an excuse, I respond like this (copied from last week's "vet bill" excuse).

"I'm sorry to hear about (X). Unfortunately, we must stick with our rental agreement, or we'll have to proceed with legal action. If you would like to change your rent payment plan, let me know and we have a few options to choose from to avoid any negative actions. We need a resolution no later than (date)."

I've got a tenant who has had more insane reasons for briefly late rent in his three years of renting from us than I've heard in all my years of doing this. Usually they are job-related, from lost job to job changed payroll systems to any number of just-barely-believable-but-really not issues. Any ONE of these excuses from any one tenant would get them a pass. ALL of these excuses from ONE tenant...

He's a truck driver, long-haul, makes good money. Apparently he or his wife just totally suck at managing it. Although she is chronically ill and we all know how that can drain your finances.

I understand what you want to do - but how do you prevent this from being a teaching session where you are teaching them bad behavior?

None of these lists will matter when they're short of money and forced to choose between cell phone and rent.

Instead, create a step-by-step list of the procedures involved in eviction, including how their stuff will be sitting on the curb. Teach them that not paying rent is like becoming homeless. Maybe include a list of homeless shelters and churches that could house them when they're evicted?

Ray-N-Pa can you share those excuses? How do you word that? I am curious.

1. "My other bills are too high".

2. "I lost my job."

3. "We bought a..."

4. "My child needed a..."

5. "We're paying for school."

6. "My car broke down, so I can't send in the rent."

8. "The bank is closed so I can't give you the rent after work. "

9. "It's too snowy, rainy, or windy."

10. "It's in the mail."

11. "Work shorted me on my paycheck."

12. "I haven't gotten my payment from the government."

13. "My sister, husband, or child took the rent money."

14. "I don't have my child support payment."

15. "The bank made a mistake so I don't have the money."

16. "My friend said she dropped it off for me."

17. "It's lost in the mail."

18. "We can't afford to pay for the other items on our account. "

19. "You made us pay for repairs."

20. "You haven't completed the repairs I wanted."

21. "The money was in my account. I don't know what happened."

22. "When was it due?"

23. "But when is it really late?"

24. "The 1st was a Sunday."

25. "I mailed it to the wrong place."

26. "This is what I have. I'll pay the rest when I get paid."

27. "We are planning to move - can we have until the middle of the month?"

28. "I didn't realize there was a change."

29. "You've made a mistake."

30. " I'll pay more next month."

31. "I am dead"

32. "Can you work with me"

I've had a lot on my mind

We just brought a new car

my aunt died

my uncle died

Had to go to a funeral

Spent the rent money in HI while on vacation. (east coast tenant)

Couldn't get to a phone to call you!!

I've been working two jobs

O cum on, Scrooge !

You have all forgotten a very important excuse.

My dog ate it.

6bye yea the ESA that I lied to get.

My lease is clear: requires a credit card as backup. Paycheck messed up?? Credit card. They can call them to raise their limit if needed.

My lease is clear: requires a credit card as backup. Paycheck messed up?? Credit card. They can call them to raise their limit if needed.

A good friend managed a large grocery store.

His application form asked "When is it OK to steal?"

If they skipped the question he would ask it in the interview.

Answers certainly helped him weed out the baddies

AND provided some great laughter.

I take credit cards through Square and my PayPal business account, and I believe a number of other cellphone apps have this feature, as well.

My lease requires the tenant to cover the inevitable charge/fee/percentage that the CC charges me when the tenant pays by CC.

My lease also reminds tenants that mail may be late or go missing, and that's their problem, not mine (they always pay other ways - Zelle is increasingly popular, and one tenant uses Venmo.)

"The 1st fell on a Saturday/Sunday/holiday" is a legal reason for not paying the rent in California, and probably other states.

I suppose this may be true of some other things suggested here, as well.

Whats in my contract

LATE RENT -- RENT NOT PAID, WILL PAY LATE CHARGE ON THE 2ND DAY OF $30, PLUS $6/ DAY. STARTING THE 3RD DAY AND CONTINUING UNTIL LATE FEES AND RENT ARE PAID TOGETHER. LATE FEES AND RENT WILL BE ACCEPTED BY CERTIFIED/ CASHIER CHECK ONLY. LATE PAYMENTS MUST INCLUDE ALL FEES DUE TO THE DATE LATE FEES ARE PAID, AS DEPOSITED IN THE BANK.

1B-IF RENT AND LATE FEES ARE NOT PAID BEFORE THE 7TH DAY AFTER THE DUE DATE; THE RESIDENT IS HERE NOTIFIED- THE OWNER WILL FILE IN COURT FOR EVICTION, RESIDENT AGREES TO PAY ALL EVICTION COSTS REGARDLESS IF THE RESIDENT IS EVICTED OR NOT. THIS INCLUDES- MOVE OUT, LEGAL, STORAGE, CLEANING, AND RERENTING COSTS. COURT COSTS WILL-- APPROXIMATELY $95/COURT COSTS AND $110 CONSTABLE COST.

1C- THE RESIDENT SHOULD INFORM THE OWNER IF THEY HAVE SOME PERSONAL PROBLEM EARLY ON IF THEY CAN'T PAY THE ENTIRE AMOUNT OF RENT. IF THE OWNER IS AWARE OF THIS POSSIBLE PROBLEM, HE MAY MAKE ADJUSTMENTS .. BY NOT TALKING TO OWNER EARLEY ON, THE OWNER WILL HAVE ONLY THE BUSINESS DECISION – OF FILING AN EVECTION IMMEDIATELY

Also for my long-time good renters--- I want to keep them--but I would also like to increase rent --- I do this---- I put in an agreement that rent automatically increases by 5% next year--- so they automatically know right up front what to expect each year---- without me wanting to keep this good tenant -- but uses easy way to ALSO INCREASE RENT for the good renter---

I absolutely will use this question on my applications!

It's a great question! Now for all those using a program like RentRedi for applicants to apply online, I am going to forward this and see if I cannot get them to add this to their online application.

I've been in this business for over 35 years and what I have found out is this. 80% of tenants will go sideways on you and