Please critique,

Dear Ms. Late Payer,

After several attempts to contact you, we are writing this letter in regards to the payment for the month of June 2012. The rent was received late in the month of June and the total late fee, per diem, came to $37.00.

If you have already sent this fee, please disregard this letter. If you have not sent this fee, please do so A.S.A.P.

As stated in tenant’s leases, monies received are first applied to damages, repairs and fees, whatever money is left is then applied to rent. A copy of the lease clause is as follows;

#1 MONTHLY PAYMENT. The tenant(s) shall pay to the landlord the sum of $_______________ per month for the term of the lease. Rent is due before the 1st of each month, payable in US funds only, accepted at office address: 123 RETIRED STREET, Highlife, PA 12345 - there is a late fee of $25 dollars plus $3 per day thereafter and any month rent is due, monies paid will be applied towards damage repairs, fees and then rental amount shown on lease in the order shown above, please enclose full payments to avoid unpaid rent. If the term begins on a day other than the first of a month, the tenant(s) shall pay pro-rata for the balance of the month. The tenant(s) may pay by personal check. However, if a bad check is ever received, all future payments must be made by cashier’s check or money order. All returned checks will be charged a $20.00 bad check fee.

Highlighted above, you will find the portion of the lease clause that states how monies are applied. This results in a non-payment of rent situation. If this payment is not received within 7 days of the date above, legal proceedings will begin for non-payment of rent.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Mr. Mean Landlord

Why, I did that once.

This is to apply pressure. There is a grey area in landlording, and this is one of them.

Do I send this letter and apply pressure?

Do I follow through and file for eviction and spend $150 for a $37 late fee? Hmmm, Idk. It goes back to applying pressure.

Do I let it go and let them be late each month? No.

Do I file for eviction for a $37 late fee and possibly have a judge laugh at me and the the TENANT knows that the judge will not enforce a late fee? That is something I don't want to find out.

send them a different type letter/statement - there is no grey area.

June rent $500

late fee $37

paid $500

balance $37

July rent $500

July late fee $37

balance $574

paid June late fee $37

paid July late fee $37

paid July rent $500

balance $74

naturally, make it into correct columns w/subtotals

Correction to Nicole above me;

June rent $500

late fee $37

paid $500

balance $37

--> July due bill $537

July late fee $37

--> outstanding balance $574

NE, looks good except:

1. The more words, the less likely they will read it.

2. No deadline = no teeth.

(does it meet your state's requirements?

We are getting great response with a text 'rent?'

I send a pay or quit. It has a deadline and sends a clear message that they must pay. I wouldn't worry about explaining the way their payment is applied, just say they owe $37 of rent.

Change the 7 days to 10 to match PA law.