2021-05-10- DON'T ACCEPT ANY EXCUSES -- OFFER SOLUTIONS!
| By:
Jeff Taylor
DON'T ACCEPT ANY EXCUSES -- OFFER SOLUTIONS!
by Jeffery Taylor, Mr. Landlord.com
One of the biggest mistakes new landlords make--and sometimes some of us who should know better--is to accept any excuses for nonpayment of rent. Handle all nonpayment cases the same, whether it's a good or bad excuse. Do not accept any excuses - offer solutions!
If you start "judging" whether or not a resident's excuse is worthy of giving them an extended period of time to come up with the money, you will encourage them to come up with worse excuses the next time. In addition, you dig yourself into a deeper and deeper financial hole if they don't come up with the money after the extended time period, and you have delayed in starting the eviction procedures.
Let your residents know right from the beginning what your procedures are when payment is not received and that there are no exceptions. I even have a list that can be shown to the resident at move-in that gives examples of excuses that residents have tried to use in the past to no avail. This adds a little bit of humor to a very serious discussion, but it also clearly lets the new resident know that there is no need to offer excuses for nonpayment of rent. Then of course you must strictly enforce those procedures.
"But Jeffrey, what do you do, especially in these times? Don't you want to work with residents in 'some' way who are having a hard time? If I took a totally no-excuse approach, I would not have any tenants!"
I hear you and I'm fully prepared to work with residents by offering them several contact names and phones numbers of agencies and churches who may be able to offer them assistance. When doing so, I still start the eviction process and should the resident come up with ALL the money (including court costs, attorney fees, etc.) by the time of the court date, to that extent we will work with them.
I'll also admit this: If a resident who has paid on time for over a year and otherwise been an excellent resident, and they give me an excuse, I still won't judge their excuse, or delay the legal proceedings. But I will listen to their proposed plan for getting caught up and offer suggested solutions. AND if they have never lied to me up to that point, I will waive or suspend the late fees and court costs, and get them to sign a promissory note, and work with them.