Late Rent Notice

Late Rent Notice to Tenants comes in two forms: a Courtesy Notice and a Three Day Notice (or similar, depending on the state). Landlords should consider their tenant’s past payment history before deciding which Notice to issue.

Most tenants who normally pay rent on time, let their landlords know beforehand that they will need to pay rent a few days late. Normally there is a late fee included in the lease, and tenants should include that late fee with their late rent payment.

If no notice was received by the Landlord, and no rent is received on time, Landlord should take action. Landlords can notify tenants with a Courtesy Notice or Three Day Notice.

A "Courtesy" Late Rent Notice

A “Courtesy Notice” works well when there is a good Landlord/Tenant relationship, tenant normally pays on time, or normal method of payment is mail. The Courtesy Notice is normally used the first time rent is received late, and usually used no more than 1-2 times in a year. A call to action should be included in the Courtesy Notice. For instance, “please email right away to let us know when to expect your rent payment”. Or “please make sure to send your rent in right away”. Another option: offer to waive the late fee if they send payment in before a certain number of days.

"Three Day" Late Rent Notice

If there is any indication the tenant doesn’t intend to pay, or doesn’t have the means to pay… a Three Day Notice should be posted/issued right away. This 3 Day Notice (different depending on the state) can serve as the start of the eviction process. If issuing the Three Day Notice, tenants legally have three full business days after receipt of notice to pay rent.

If no rent is received at that point, the Landlord can use the Three Day Notice to begin the eviction process.

Three Day Notices are most often posted on the rental property front door. They can be mailed, but this adds considerably more time to the process. If Landlords wish to have the 3 Day Notice posted at the property, but want to avoid possible confrontation with the tenant, it’s advisable to hire a third party to post the notice.