Tenant late on payment

[Ben M.]

I’m on my 3rd month of my first duplex rental property in Texas City and found that one of the tenants only paid partially so far and is ignoring communication. Supposedly this tenant always paid but was also always late, however it’s getting close to the end of the month so not sure why it’s taking so long this time. What’s usually the best way to handle difficult tenants such as this?

[Nathan Gesner]

Eviction.

Seriously, you can't fool around or they will continue to drag this out. You should have a solid policy in place that says rent is due on the 1st, late on the 5th, start eviction on the 10th. Those are my numbers but you should have something established and then follow it like clockwork.

You apparently don't know the law or have anything established so I would hire an eviction attorney immediately and get the ball rolling. You can handle it on your own later when you know the law and process.