OK - let's be serious for a moment. Some of you may know that I am a "landlord". Basically, our apartment lease is under my name, with my dad as co-signer, and then I sublet out to my roommates. For the past 18 months I have lived with one roommate, that even though I love her has always paid her rent late. I have each of the girls sign a contract saying that they have to pay rent by a certain date, otherwise they have a $50 late fee because that is what I have to pay if I pay the rent late (since I would have to pay rent late too because normally I don't have enough cash in my account to cover two people's rents). This particular month, I have had to ask this roommate 4 different times for a rent check. Today I left for work and she had not paid me yet, and I had to mail my rent in today so it got in on time by tomorrow. Fortunately my bonus is still in my checking account so I could cover it.
However, I was advised by someone that I need to stand up to this roommate and tell her she has to pay me the late fee. So I did.
She of course came back and said since she had left me a check after I had left this morning and since it is the last day of the month she shouldn't have to pay me the late fee.
I wrote back and copied the terms of her signed contract that say that rent is late by the 25th each month and today is the 31st so she is 6 days late. I then pointed out that she has been the only roommate in the past 18 months who has a consistent problem of not paying rent on time and that I shouldn't have to hound her every month to get a rent check.
So....who is right? Am I being mean by making her pay the late fee even though she is technically late but I am not getting charged since I paid on time? Should I let it slide again? Obviously I am hoping that by making her pay the late fee she will learn her lesson and start to pay me on time.
Thoughts??
HB - I 100% think you should charge her a late fee. It is irresponsible for her to give you a check the day before it is due, when you still have to come home from work, deposit it, allow it to clear, then send in your total rent check. Regardless of bonus cushion or whatever, it's not up to you to float her a loan for those few days because she can't get her act together.
ReplyDeleteAnd clearly you aren't going to allow your credit to be blemished by not paying on time. That would not be on her record, that would be on your record.
Friendship aside, this is business & since she clearly acknowledged your terms by signing a contract, she is in the wrong.
Now, if she will pay is a totally different story. I'm curious to see the outcome. But you are teaching her a life lesson that will only help her later on in life, not that it is your job to do so.
-ABP
Honestly, I don't think it's unfair to have her pay the $50... especially if this has been going on for 18 months. And normally you WOULD be paying the late fee. Your call because you have to live with the consequences, of course, but I don't think you're doing anything unreasonable in the slightest.
ReplyDeleteI say make her pay. She signed a contract. She needs to learn. It sucks but you have her legally bound and you've been nice about it for too long.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard with friends because it's hard to crack the whip on them, but you need to charge her the $50. She needs to REALLY understand that she can't keep doing this. It's hard to do it but if you've let it slide that long then she needs to learn it's not okay.
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