Rent collection twice a month?

Question

I have a tenant who is most often late with rent. She’s asking if she can pay every two weeks when she gets paid. Does anyone have experience with this?

Rene Hosman · Answer

Taking partial payments can make it hard or impossible to do an eviction if needed so be very wary of that!

IF you were going to do this I would personally still require full month by the 1st meaning for July she'd pay half on 6/15 and then the remainder on 7/1 so you're still getting the full month's rent by the 1st.

Amit Patel · Answer

Hi Sarah! This situation often happens with some tenants, especially when they receive their paycheck biweekly instead of monthly. In our case, what we usually do is ask them to send us a formal signed letter explaining the specific reason why they need to pay their rent in two installments (usually because of how they get paid at work).

We also ask for their permission and the contact number of their employer to verify the information. Once we approve this, we sign an agreement with the tenant that clearly outlines the payment terms to avoid misunderstandings and, most importantly, to have legal backing if the situation escalates.

We’ve had good experiences with tenants who are upfront and communicate their situation honestly, as it shows responsibility and willingness to pay.

If you charge late fees, it’s important to set two clear payment windows—for example, the first payment between the 1st and 5th of the month, and the second between the 15th and 20th. If the full rent isn’t paid by the 20th, then a late fee would be applied starting on the 21st.

Above all, it’s crucial to have everything in writing to protect both parties.

Amit Patel · Answer

Hi Sarah! This situation often happens with some tenants, especially when they receive their paycheck biweekly instead of monthly. In our case, what we usually do is ask them to send us a formal signed letter explaining the specific reason why they need to pay their rent in two installments (usually because of how they get paid at work).

We also ask for their permission and the contact number of their employer to verify the information. Once we approve this, we sign an agreement with the tenant that clearly outlines the payment terms to avoid misunderstandings and, most importantly, to have legal backing if the situation escalates.

We’ve had good experiences with tenants who are upfront and communicate their situation honestly, as it shows responsibility and willingness to pay.

If you charge late fees, it’s important to set two clear payment windows—for example, the first payment between the 1st and 5th of the month, and the second between the 15th and 20th. If the full rent isn’t paid by the 20th, then a late fee would be applied starting on the 21st.

Above all, it’s crucial to have everything in writing to protect both parties.

Ned Carey · Answer

@Sarah Buchanan I disagree with many  here. There is nothing wrong with have twice a month payments buy it should be written in the lease that way. Some landlords have weekly payment of rent.

If you keep it as monthly rent but establish a patter of accepting 1/2 at a time, this could be used against you in an eviction case. So make sure it is written as twice a month payment (or every 2 weeks)

A clear red flag is this person has no saving as a safety net. While the twice a week payment can help for a time, what happens the next time there is the slightest unexpected expense?

Peter Mckernan · Answer

This is a bad move, I would give them only one option to pay at the first, and if they keep doing this move to start to evict them, or get them out. People that have this trend tend to not get back on track and will continue the move towards later rent or just doing this till they cannot afford it (not pay, or move out abruptly).

Ryan Spath · Answer

We allowed this once and will never do it again. We no longer renew tenants that are late more than one time in a twelve month period. At the next renewal it may be time to move on a find a tenant that can pay more timely.

James Wise · Answer

Just tell her that she doesn't have to worry about paying late anymore because the next time she doesn't have the rent you'll be tossing everything she owns on the curb.

Adam Bartomeo · Answer

We have very strong landlord laws in Florida. We accept partial payments without fear of it effecting the eviction process. If you are in a state that is more tenant friendly than you should be able to rewrite the lease from an annual lease with a monthly payment to an annual lease with a payment every two weeks. This should make the tenant happy and protect you.

Alecia Loveless · Answer

@Sarah Buchanan has have a few tenants that pay multiple times per month. It’s a bit of a pain but in the long run I’m still getting paid by otherwise good tenants. I do try to discourage it.

Rent collection twice a month?

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