How can I deal with a tenant who is persistently late in paying the monthly rent?
Full Question:
I have let out a studio apartment that I own in Grand Rapids for a monthly rent of $600. The tenant was prompt in paying his rent for the first 5 months on the 1st of every month by check drawn in my name as promised by him in the lease agreement. From the 6th month onwards, he has been messing up the payment dates but still managed to pay me the rent before the 8th of every month. We are into the 10th month of a one year lease. Last month, he paid his rent on the 20th. This is causing a lot of inconvenience for me as I have to manage my bills based on the income I derive from all sources. What are my options in such situation?
11/10/2016 |
Category: Landlord Ten... ยป Residential ... |
State: Michigan |
#26501
Answer:
If your tenants are always late paying the rent, you should be serving them with the notice of non-payment of rent (Form N4) which gives them fourteen days to pay the arrears.
If they do not pay within that time or make only a partial payment then you can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board after the fourteen days are up. However, if they do pay up you will have to wait until the next time they are late and serve the N4 again. You may have to do this several times before attempting to evict them based on persistent late payment of rent, at which point you would serve a Form N8.
