Rent is due

[TheSnakeLady]

So I live in an apartment complex, and as with most apartment complexes, rent is due on the 1st of the month. The complex has a 2-day grace period, so your rent payment has until the 3rd to get there before the landlord begins charging late fees and initiating legal action.

Why am I posting this? Well, normally the apartment complex sends out rent-bills in the mail about a week before the month is up. This month, they didn't send one.

I came home today and saw Demand-For-Rent notices on door after door. Based on the presence/absence of notices, it seems I am literally the only person in my particular building who has paid their rent this month.

Just because they forgot to bill you doesn't mean you don't have to pay!

(And I can understand missing a power bill or a phone bill if it doesn't show up in the mail, but rent? That due date's always the same.)





All that having been said, I'm betting the landlord is kicking themselves for not sending out notices. I can't imagine the lawyer fees were cheap.

[Bright_Star]

People know that their rent is due on the same time each & every month. Just because someone doesn't get a notice that their rent is due doesn't mean that they don't have to pay it for that month. People can be really stupid.

[notalwaysright]

I've never gotten a rent bill. The terms are in the lease, essentially the lease is the bill. One place I lived, the "grace period" was three days, but you still accumulated a fee each of these days. I guess they didn't start the eviction process until day four. I had a couple times when I thought I'd get hit with late fees, but never did. I'm in a small building now, and for months a few days after the 1st I'd hear very persistent knocking on an upstairs door... Thank goodness his lease was up and he's gone.

[sms001]

I've never gotten a rent bill.

I've rented for 35-plus years in multiple cities and states and never had a rent bill. Seems pretty wasteful to be honest. Bills for water, electricity, gas, etc., sure; they're different every month. Rent stays the same. Kinda wish it didn't sometimes (I'm looking at you, February.) Never had a car payment bill either, for that matter.

[csquared]

Electric bill, phone bill, cable bill, credit cards: Every last one of them has a clause in the contract that basically says that you are responsible for paying the bill on time whether or not you receive an invoice/statement.

I too have never receive an invoice for rent. It use to be that you would get a coupon book for your car loan/mortgage. They don't even do that any more.

[TheSnakeLady]

Maybe it's a local (to me) thing. I've never lived in a complex where they -didn't- send you a bill in the mail.

[Sapphire Silk]

Electric bill, phone bill, cable bill, credit cards: Every last one of them has a clause in the contract that basically says that you are responsible for paying the bill on time whether or not you receive an invoice/statement.

I too have never receive an invoice for rent. It use to be that you would get a coupon book for your car loan/mortgage. They don't even do that any more.

I got nailed on this with my phone bill recently. They changed how their autopay system worked. I didn't get the notice for the new system and so didn't switch over.

They cut off my service (they're pretty hard core here about that). So I called. I was pretty upset, but it's not their fault I didn't get the notice. I usually toss the bill (which is just a notice they're about to do the autopay) and probably missed it. That's my fault, not theirs. They were nice about letting me make a partial payment for the month I missed, the full payment for the month that was due, and to take the rest with my next months payment. They were even able to set up an auto payment that would switch over to my regular bill meaning I can go back to not thinking about it other than to manage my budget for other things.

Maybe it's a local thing. I've never lived in a complex where they -didn't- send you a bill in the mail.

It must be. I've also lived in many parts of the country and I have never seen this. You either paid or got a nasty gram on the door after a few days.

[MoonCat]

My sister was once paying off three separate hospital bills (she had been to the E.R. three times and each time they gave her a DIFFERENT, NEW account number). She missed one bill one month. They sent it to collections. The collection agent said, "It's not the hospital's responsibility to send you a bill every month."

She said, "Funny, they've been doing it up until last month." She did pay them all off, it was just really confusing.

[AccountingDrone]

Maybe it's a local (to me) thing. I've never lived in a complex where they -didn't- send you a bill in the mail.

Freaky. Lived in a number of states and never got a bill for my rent. It was assumed that since I signed the lease stating how much was due on the first of the month, and the penalties for not paying I was then on my own as a rational adult.

[Sapphire Silk]

My sister was once paying off three separate hospital bills (she had been to the E.R. three times and each time they gave her a DIFFERENT, NEW account number). She missed one bill one month. They sent it to collections. The collection agent said, "It's not the hospital's responsibility to send you a bill every month."

She said, "Funny, they've been doing it up until last month." She did pay them all off, it was just really confusing.

Yeah, I got nailed with this. Ticked me off royally.

Autopay with my online banking has been a blessing. I decide how much I can afford each month, set up the autopay, and send the hospital a letter telling them how much they will get a month on X bill, and when the final payment will be and for what amount.

Never had a problem doing that, at least not so far.

[MoonCat]

Yeah, I got nailed with this. Ticked me off royally.

Autopay with my online banking has been a blessing. I decide how much I can afford each month, set up the autopay, and send the hospital a letter telling them how much they will get a month on X bill, and when the final payment will be and for what amount.

Never had a problem doing that, at least not so far.

This was years ago, I don't think the banks offered autopay then.

The collection person lied, too. My mom answered the initial call, heard "hospital" and asked the caller if she was calling about my sister's next appointment with the doc. The bitch said Yes so my mom gave her my sister's work number.

[Anakah]

That's weird that they get a reminder at all... Didn't they sign a lease or something?

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

The local hospital is notorious for sending out non-bills. Those lovely little explanations of services, itemized like a bill, but with "THIS IS NOT A BILL" in red print.

Their pattern tends to be two non-bills followed by a collection notice.

[Geek King]

I can't imagine the lawyer fees were cheap.

Not sure about your area, but around here, no lawyer is needed to post a late notice, or even begin eviction proceedings. Most professional apartment owners have a standard "late" form for their properties with lines to fill in the precise details like date and apartment number. Evictions are filed standard down at the appropriate government office. Lawyers are only really needed if the tenant fights the eviction and it goes to court.

Lawyers were probably involved in drawing up the original, standard base paperwork, but no need for them unless you make changes, or you're headed to court.

[Raveni]

That's very true. Here in Florida, 3-day notices are done by form letters and not considered practice of law. Still not free, but less expensive and usually done by the management. So if they "forgot" to send bills just to rack up more billable work, that's pretty scummy.