Rent is late. What should a landlord do?
The ladder from day one to a formal notice.
When rent is late, do not wait and do not go straight to anger. Work the ladder: a friendly reminder on day 3, a phone call on day 7, a written payment plan on day 14, a formal notice on day 30. Record every contact with its date. That record is what protects you if this continues.
Why a ladder rather than a notice?
Most late rent is not a tenant absconding. It is a late salary, a changed bank card, or they forgot. A formal notice on day three damages the relationship with someone who was going to pay anyway. The ladder separates the forgetful from the genuinely troubled without you having to guess.
Day 1 to 3: the friendly reminder
- Check your own bank first. A payment landing a day late is ordinary.
- Send one short message naming the unit, the amount and the date it was due.
- Record in UrusPro that you made contact, with the date.
Day 7: talk, do not type
If messages go unanswered, call. One call tells you more than ten messages: whether this is temporary or whether the tenant has stopped responding. Ask one question, which is when they can pay.
Day 14: a written payment plan
If they cannot pay in full, break it up. Write the total, the dates and the amount of each instalment, and send it so both sides hold a copy. An unwritten plan gets forgotten by both sides.
Day 30: the formal notice
At this point read your tenancy agreement and follow its notice clause. For formal action such as a letter of demand or possession, speak to a qualified lawyer. This guide is not legal advice.
What UrusPro does for you
- Monthly bills are raised for you, so you know who is late without counting.
- Each tenant's ledger shows their payment history.
- Every payment you record carries a date, so the record builds itself.
One expensive mistake
Taking a part payment without recording it as a part payment. Six months later nobody remembers what is outstanding, and the deposit does not cover it.