Investor · Madison, WI · Member since 2012 · 242 posts · 61 votes
I'm looking for a sample letter to include with a municipal fine I'm going to mail a tenant. Our lease on file states that tenant is responsible for municipal fines, and they failed to remove snow at one point and I received the bill.
Does anyone have a sample letter that you would mail with the fine explaining it? Or how would you go about it? Would you mail a copy of the lease page with the section highlighted, along with the fine? Finally, would you request the tenant pay the fine directly or should I just pay it and have them reimburse me? (I don't want to be charged interest if they fail to pay it).
First off, I would check and make sure you're allowed to do this sort of thing. Depending on where you are sometimes its the landlords responsibility sometimes not.
As for handling the bill maybe you should give them a call. Ask them if they have had trouble making payments or what the situation is why they didn't remove snow. Then explain that you'll send a copy of the bill and letter referencing the lease. Even though you mention it over the phone have it in writing as well.
Can you count late payment on this the same as late payment on rent?
Our lease (actually the schedule 'A' to our lease) identifies the tenant is responsible for any by-law infraction fines assessed as a consequence of their failure to fulfill their obligations and responsibilities (put out garbage, clear snow, or mow the lawn, having non-operable vehicles on the property, etc).
When we receive such a fine from the City, we pay it and then send the the tenant a letter and invoice for the amount of the fine, plus an administrative fee to cover our bookkeepers time to issue and collect the invoice {though we typically waive the administration fee on first offences}. We also include a copy of the original fine for their reference.
As an incentive for the tenant to pay the bill, we charge a late penalty of 1.9%/mth on all overdue invoice balances. If they ignore the invoice, we will give a reminder and, at 60-days (30-days late) file a Notice to Vacate {read: begin the eviction process}.
Yes, I would send a copy of that page of the lease with the clause putting the responsibility on them. I would probably go ahead and pay the fine to avoid liens from the city. My leases states that money received from the tenant can be applied first to charges like this and then to rent. So, if I don't get the rent plus fines on the 1st, I would apply money to the fines first and then rent would then be late.