Can Tenant Choose Where Money Is Applied

[Dhaval Shaw]

Hello,

My tenant has an outstanding expense for plumbing for which they owe me $300.  This bill is over a month late.

Today they paid a some money and claimed it is for rent.  I told them that those funds will have to be used for the plumbing expense they owe me since it is an older charge.

Can they dictate where the money is used?  If so, what prevents them from continuing to pay the rent and never paying the plumbing charge?

Thanks in advance.

[Sean McCluskey]

@Dhaval Shaw that just says you can elect to end the lease. Does the lease say anything about how payments are applied to existing balances?

Was the payment they made enough to be a current rent payment? Or would it be partial?