Jun 16 • General discussion
Rent collection isn't a confrontation on the 6th. It's a calendar that starts on the 25th.
Most PMs run rent collection the same way:
Rent due the 1st. Grace period to the 5th. Then the chasing starts — awkward calls, late fees someone has to defend, and a delinquency report that ruins the second week of every month.
By the time you're "collecting," you've already lost. Collection that starts on the 6th is a confrontation. Collection that starts on the 25th is a calendar.
Here's the cadence we run now:
1. The 25th (of the prior month) — a friendly reminder text goes to every tenant NOT on autopay: "Rent's due on the 1st — want us to set up autopay so you never have to think about this again?" This one text quietly moved our autopay adoption from ~40% to over 80%. Autopay is the whole game. Every tenant you enroll is a tenant you never chase again.
2. The 1st — rent due. Nothing to do. The system does the work.
3. The 2nd — anyone unpaid gets a soft check-in text, not a warning: "Hi [name], didn't see rent come through — everything okay?" Tone matters here. Most of these are forgotten transfers or a card that expired. The majority pay within 24 hours, and the ones with a real problem TELL you — which is exactly what you want, on day 2 instead of day 20.
4. The 5th — the late fee posts automatically. Software applies it, not a person. This is the most important line in this post: when the SYSTEM charges the fee, your PM gets to stay the helper. "I can't waive it — but let's make sure it never happens again. Autopay?" The fee does its job and the relationship survives.
5. The 8th — anyone still unpaid gets a call plus a written payment-plan offer with two options and hard dates. People in trouble avoid open-ended conversations. They say yes to structured choices.
6. The 10th — no payment, no plan, no communication? The notice goes out. Not as an act of aggression — as the next box on the calendar. Tenants who got 4 touches before day 10 are never surprised, and the ones on payment plans almost never get here.
Results since switching: 30+ day delinquency down by more than half, late-rent phone drama in week 2 basically gone, and our PMs stopped dreading the 6th of the month.
The lesson:
"If your collection process starts after rent is late, you don't have a collection process. You have a monthly argument."
Question for the community: What % of your tenants are on autopay right now? Drop your number below — and if it's under 50%, the 25th-of-the-month text is your homework this week.
0
0 comments
Rent collection isn't a confrontation on the 6th. It's a calendar that starts on the 25th.
powered by
skool.com/the-modern-pm-3507
AI workflows and automations from a Property Manager running 1,000+ doors. Built in the field. Tested on real doors. Free.
Suggested communities
Powered by