State Specific Question About: COLORADO (CO)

I have a tenant who claims to have sent a money order rent check in. It was never received. She has a receipt. What do I need to do to get paid?

Sometimes this is legitimate, sometimes it isn't.

The tenant needs to file with the place where she bought the money order and request a replacement.

If it is a highly credible tenant, I wait for rent, although many don't - since rent has not been paid.

If it isn't a credible tenant, I make demand for the rent.

I have had a tenant who tried to use a money order stub with my name written on it as proof of payment - but on further investigation it turned out the money order actually had been used to pay an old utility bill.

Is your tenant's name Michelle @$%%^#! I had a tenant try that trick last year. I sent her 3 day pay or quit, and magically she had money for the rent.

Ladd,

Let the tenant worry about the lost money order; you worry about running your business efficiently. Send the letter...

Today is the 8th! Kinda late to be starting to deal with this.

My rental agreements state that checks lost in the mail will be treated as late.

I can't believe that people use the mail for anything these days, but that's another story.

Is this a 4-year excellent tenant, or is this someone who moved in 2 months ago? When was the money order mailed?

I always suggest that tenants pay rent a few days early, post-dating the check for the first. I also let them know that I don't make deposits until the first. They have no excuses.

I would immediately post a 3-day notice and go from there. if it is a good tenant, and they have good proof that they paid early, I'd reduce their late fees.

Right now treat it as unpaid rent, which it is!

I've had this happen 2 times in 11 years.

Both turned out to be lies. The last one told me she had it stolen out of her purse at work and had lost the receipt as well. I chuckled over the phone. Told her I was laughing at my SO. (I lied lol)

Truth came out a week later. She had never purchased a MO.

Tell them awww that's a shame. So where are you going to get your rent money from? Bat your eyelashes and grin.

I have had zero problems with the mail and rent payments. I receive them in 1 day from my tenants.

Start evictions.

I once had a tenant call me to say his bank account had been accessed fraudulently and emptied.

I apoligized and told him I would have to start eviction procedures. I did think he was telling the truth, but I have to pay my bills and my bank doesnt care if my tenants dont pay.

Ditto what Carolyn said.

When the rent is late and tenants tell us, the check/MO is in the mail, we tell them ok, give us another check today and we will use the other check that you send for your next month rent, it has worked so far.

In our 31 years, we have had a several of these. 99.999999% of the time, they are a stall tactic by the tenant or stolen by a boyfriend.

We treat it as unpaid rent. Their problem. We tell them if the original money order shows up, we will work with them by deducting the late charges.

The one time I can remember this being legit, the shredded envelope arrived a few days later in a plastic bag from the post office.

I came down relatively hard on a two month tenant that put the check in the mail. It was actually sent early to get $10 off and arrived the same day as replacement check I requested - 20+ days after the postmark.