Have a tenant that is $150 short (Florida)

[Ryan Cleary]

I have a tenant that I am self-managing.  Her rent is $1,350, she has been there for 1.5 years, always on time. We have a good relationship. She was 2 weeks late this month, she was transparent as to what was going on so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. When she finally paid, it was $150 short. I reached back out asking for the remainder to be paid yesterday.  She agreed but no money was paid.  

I am nervous this will put us in a bad position for March.  Not sure how I should proceed.

[Ko Kashiwagi]

Hi Ryan,

What does your lease agreement say in regards to late payments and late fees? As much as it's nice to give the tenant a benefit of the doubt, this can lead to slippery slopes and often ruin landlord experiences. It's good to stay professional and show sympathy, but it's important you enforce the rules set in the lease agreement. Tenant laws depend by regions, but in general it's a bad idea to accept partial payments as there is a chance you need to wait longer for evictions.