These are actual excuses (modified slightly to protect privacy) that tenants have given me for being late with their rent. I thought it might be fun to share them with you (they are funny now, they weren’t quite so funny at the time).
Please feel free to comment on this post with any additions!
- It’s been a tough month, with all my kids birthdays!
- I thought my wife mailed it and she thought I mailed it. I’ve got it right here and I’ll mail it today.
- I’m still waiting for the state to pay me my [subsidy] money. As soon as I get it, I’ll send you my portion of the rent.
- I’ve been out of work the past couple of weeks and applied for disability. As soon as soon as I’m approved and get my first check, I’ll send you the rent.
- Work has been slow, so I wasn’t able to send you the full rent… I’ve been meaning to call you but I just never got around to it…
- I forgot.
- It’s been a rough month and I had to make a decision whether to pay the utilities, telephone and cable bills or the rent… and I can’t go without utilities.
- I just haven’t had a chance to get the money order yet.
- I had a problem with my car and had to spend the rent money to fix the car.
- This one wasn’t actually an excuse, but I found out why the tenant probably couldn’t afford to pay the rent anyway. When I went to the tenant’s unit to discuss how to work out the rent situation, the tenant explained how the overtime he used to get at work was eliminated and that was hurting financially. I was really starting to believe him when I looked around the room and noticed the new big screen TV and remembered seeing the satellite TV hook-up outside. Then, I realized the true reason the tenant was having trouble paying the rent– their spending habits were getting in the way!
Unfortunately, this is part of property management. At the time, these really aren’t that funny. The fact is, in most instances I really do try and help most tenants through difficult times. Sometimes it all works out and you feel like you did something good. And sometimes the tenant takes advantage of you. In both cases, it usually isn’t humorous at all, until well after the fact.
Any “humorous” late rent excuses from tenants that you’d like to share?
Steven Boorstein
Author/Landlord
https://www.managerentalproperty.com/
http://www.howtobuyrentalproperty.com/
Steve,
An recent tenant excuse that I received for not sending in a rental payment was, “we couldn’t find your mailing address.” And that couple had aready lived in the house for 18 months!
Usually, I’ve heard the same excuses over the years from different tenants, but I have to give them credit, this was a new one.
I have a tenant who has a history of paying late. He seems to have trouble keeping a job. He told me that he couldn’t pay the rent because he couldn’t get a job because his identity was stolen. I’m thinking to myself; who would want to steal HIS identity?
I had a tenant not send in rent because they said they ran out of stamps and took them two weeks to get to the post office. Its deserves a top ten mention because they live across the street from the post office that has an automated stamp machine 24hrs a day. I now send out pre stamped envelopes.
Some excuses I have encountered….
*Broke my leg (she did have a cast on)I've never had to pay the hospital immediately…they always billed me and my insurance company…these folks have insurance thru the city.
*My son broke his hand and had to have surgery. Ditto above…
*I had to pay my car payment (bought newer vehicle a few months before instead of paying the rest of his rent deposit)
*Daddy is dying and I need to go see him one last time.
*I put it in your bank account (as a rubber check)
*The boss didn't bring the pay around today
*My buddy doesn't have an account, so we deposited his check into our account and the check bounced so I'm out that money to pay the rent.
*I lost my job because I couldn't work late a certain day because it was the championship baseball game for our team and the guys were counting on me.
And the best one yet…I forgot about a ticket. I had to pay $250 or spend time in jail. So I got no rent until I gave them 3 day notice to pay up or move. I got my money.