Landlords in Riverside, California, can make over $100,000 a year. Of course, it's hard to maximize your earning potential if your tenants aren't paying their rent on time or at all.
That's why it's crucial to send tenants reminders when their rent is about to be late. You can also offer them a few incentives to pay on time.
These are only a few rent collection tactics that work for landlords in California. Check out this guide to learn a few more.
Make Sure Tenants Understand the Payment Terms
It's hard for tenants to pay their monthly rent on time if they don't know when it's due. This is crucial information that you have to supply in the lease.
On top of telling tenants when their payments are due, you should also let them know if you enforce late fees and if so how much.
Speaking of late fees, it might make you feel bad, but you have to put your foot down. If you give your tenants a pass one or two times, they'll only get in the habit of paying their rent late.
Allow for Multiple Rent Payment Options
There are some tenants who prefer to pay their rent by check every month. It's a bit old-fashioned, and not one of the best ways to collect rent, but it works as long as the check doesn't get bounced.
Offering an online portal where tenants can pay their rent is recommended. It's convenient for them, and it will allow you to get paid faster than you would with any other collection method.
Some landlords take payments via Venmo and PayPal, but since those aren't designed for rent payments, they can come with their share of problems.
If you want to take a more personal approach, you can arrange face-to-face meetings with your tenants where you collect their rent. Depending on how many residents you have, this can require a lot of effort, though.
Send Reminders
Another thing you can do with online payment portals and apps is send out payment reminders.
This real estate investment strategy is helpful because oftentimes tenants don't pay late out of maliciousness. They pay late because they forget.
Offer Incentives for Paying on Time
People like receiving freebies. Your tenants are no exception to this. You can persuade them to pay on time by offering them discounts on their monthly rent.
Some landlords will offer appliance upgrades in exchange for early rental payments. Providing rewards may cost you a bit, but you have to spend money to make it.
Use Rent Collection Strategies That Work
For you to maximize your income as a landlord in Riverside, California, you need tenants who pay their rent on time every month.
As you can see, there are a lot of rent collection tactics you can use to ensure on-time payments. However, almost all of them aren't as effective as having a thorough screening process.
PMI Riverside is part of a franchise that has been helping landlords find the perfect tenants for over 20 years. Go here to see a list of our services and schedule a consultation.
