Tenants are chronic late-payers

[Tori Breitling]

First time landlord here, so obviously I need to do better pre-screening. What I'm wondering is what I should do now. Tenants have been in only for four months, and have paid late two of those times. I don't think it's really a money issue, but more of an inattention issue. They are business owners trying to keep their business afloat, and so are full of excuses about why this and that. I actually like them, and they are taking care of the house, and I'm sure they don't want to move. But how do I get them to pay on time? Trying to get them to pay me is time-consuming and stressful. They seem to think the late fees are a minor nuisance. Other than flat-out serving them notice the next time it happens, refusing payment, and moving forward with eviction, are there any other strategies I might consider? 

[Mindy Jensen]

@Tori Breitling , How do they remit payment to you? If they are sending you a check in the mail every month, offer to have them mail the remaining months to you all at once, post dated for each month, and tell them you'll deposit them one every month. If they're trying to keep their business running, this could be one less hassle for them.

If they prefer an online auto-pay, set something up for them to use. 

If they refuse both of these offers, then the next time they pay late, start the eviction process.