Use our late rent notice to let a tenant know rent is late and encourage them to pay.
Updated May 15, 2024
Written by Jana Freer | Reviewed by Susan Chai, Esq.
A late rent notice (or a notice to pay or quit) is a written letter from the landlord informing the tenant that rent is past due and requesting the tenant pay the overdue rent immediately.
This notice is more informal than an eviction notice and can be a courteous first step to collecting rent before beginning the eviction process.
A lease amendment or month-to-month rental agreement can be helpful supplemental forms for a landlord if both the landlord and tenant agree to reduced rent or a modified lease to accommodate specific tenant circumstances, such as job loss.
A late rent notice is a document a landlord sends to a tenant whenever that tenant has failed to pay rent. Late rent notices should include the amount due and any late fees owed.
Additionally, landlords can list all other expenses the tenant may owe (such as parking or storage fees) and a warning about legal action to follow unless the tenant pays the rent by the stated deadline.
If a tenant has only been late once, landlords often send this notice as a courteous and formal reminder that rent is due. When a tenant continues to be delinquent or is late on multiple occasions, the landlord may send a notice to pay rent or quit or an eviction notice to end the lease agreement.
The landlord should keep a clear paper trail of all communications mailed to the tenant and check state and local housing laws to determine how many days the tenant has to pay or leave.
Some state housing laws provide a grace period for a tenant to pay their late rent. Refer to the table below and check your state’s laws before filing a formal eviction.
That said, a landlord can always grant a grace period or a longer grace period even when it is not statutorily required.
| State | Late Rent Grace Period | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 5 days | AR Code Ann. § 18-17-701 |
| Colorado | 7 days | SB21-173 |
| Connecticut | 9 days | CT Gen. Stat. Ann. § 47a-15a |
| District of Columbia | 5 days | DC Code Ann. § 42–3505.31 |
| Maine | 15 days | 14 Maine Rev. Stat. § 6028 |
| Massachusetts | 30 days | MA Gen. Law ch. 186 § 15B(1)(c) |
| New Jersey | 5 business days | NJ Rev. Stat. § 2A:42-6.1 |
| New York | 5 days | NY Real Prop. Laws § 238-A |
| North Carolina | 5 days | NC Gen. Stat.§§ 42-46 |
| Oregon | 4 days | OR Rev. Stat. § 90.260 |
| Rhode Island | 15 days | RI Gen. Laws § 34-18-35 |
| Tennessee | 5 days | TN Code Ann. § 66-28-201(d) |
| Texas | 2 days | TX Prop. Code Ann. § 92.019 |
| Virginia | 5 days | VA Code Ann. § 55.1-1204 |
| Washington | 5 days | WA Rev. Code Ann. § 59.18.170 |
A simple letter reminding the tenant to pay past due rent may be all the landlord needs to receive payment.
Perhaps the tenant forgot to send a check that month and doesn’t need to be threatened with an eviction notice. A notice in the form of a letter is fast and easy, and it can maintain a good relationship between the parties.
Without this notice, the landlord may suffer the following preventable consequences:
| Preventable Consequences |
|---|
| 1. Lost money |
| to pay attorneys to start the eviction process |
| to pay for court fees to file an eviction lawsuit |
| 2. Lost time |
| to pursue a delinquent tenant |
| to research how to remove a tenant |
| 3. Mental anguish |
| of having someone live in your property for free |
| of continually asking for money owed |
The lease agreement may describe how landlords should send late rent notices. You can typically:
Whenever you need to send a late rent notice, consult your lease agreement and state laws for the legal and most appropriate delivery method to your tenant.
Here’s a list of step-by-step instructions for writing a late rent notice to your tenant:
Provide the tenant’s full name. If there’s more than one tenant, include the names of all tenants who entered into the lease agreement. Record the tenant’s street address, which should be the same as the rental property address.
Write the date you send the late rent notice.
Write the month for which the tenant hasn’t paid rent. Include the rent amount that’s overdue and any late fees in addition to the normal rent payment.
Indicate how the tenant can pay the rent, whether via in-person delivery (acceptable day(s) of the week and hours), by mail, or through another method. Provide the payment methods acceptable to the landlord.
As the landlord, you can provide your full name and your current street address.
