Not able to pay rent on time? Dos and don’ts

You don’t have to worry about getting evicted if you can’t pay rent on time. You won’t, not right away at least. It’s inevitable to run short on funds. It’s actually normal for other tenants to be delayed paying the rent. What you need to do though is follow a series of simple advice. Most landlords find it very tacky and expensive to evict a tenant especially.

There are specific dos and don’ts that will make your landlord understand your situation.

Here are the Dos:

1. Ask your landlord for an extension of the rent deadline. Put it into writing. Indicate in the letter of request how many days you’re asking before you can finally pay the rent. Give the landlord a specific date.
2. Also include in the letter why it was difficult for you to pay the rent on time. Most landlords look for explanation.
3. You can also offer a partial payment.
4. Give the landlord an assurance that the delay will not happen again in the future.
5. If the landlord has a late fee policy, be gracious to pay it in full.

Here are the Don’ts:

1. Don’t hope for your problem to just go away. It won’t. Even when you think your landlord won’t notice your delay, she most definitely will and she will be counting on you for on-time payment because she has bills to pay as well.
2. Issue a bouncing or unsigned check. Don’t add injury to insult. It will warrant an immediate termination of contract especially when you ignore to deal with your problems.
3. Don’t face your problem with emails and text messages you plan to send to the landlord. Deal with them personally. A letter however, has personal touch and considered more formal compared to email and text messages.