OK - I Need a Clever Response...

[DaisyFace]

to our landlady...

Who sent me an email yesterday (November 30th), looking for the December rent check.

Her email was couched in terms of "just wondering whether you mailed it" and "mail service here is so unreliable"...etc.

Legally, we have until the 7th of every month to pay rent "on time".

We have never been later than the 1st - ever. (And in fact, the check should arrive in her mailbox today.)

So I would like to send her a very polite email that makes it clear that I don't appreciate her looking for the rent before it is due. You didn't get it by the 5th? Contact me. You didn't receive it before it's due? Leave me alone!

Looking for ideas...

What would you say....and how would you say it?

 

[Hound dog]

Dearest Landlady,

We received your note on Nov 30 asking if the rent payment had been mailed. Since we have never been late with our rent payments, I am assuming you meant this letter for another tenant, so I thought it best you let you know it was sent to us by mistake. As usual, our rent is not only in the mail but you should receive it today, Dec 1. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

That ought to do it. Kill em with kindness I always say. lol Wonder if she has some xmas bills due and is counting on rent payments to cover it?

 

[Mattsmom277]

Hounds response sound good to me!!! I might change that last sentence to say " As usual we tend to pay early on our payments which are not due until the 7th of each month so it is likely that our cheque will arrive to you today by mail, a full week in advance of rent due date. If that ever changes and our rent is not submitted to you by the 7th of each calender month, I would much appreciate a reminder email.

 

[AnnieO]

LOL - yup! Love email... Easy to oops...

 

[Star*]

I'd tape my Decembers check to a box of that dog food - COME AND GET IT .........

I'd roll it in the dirt, spray water on it, step on it, roll the wheels of my car/truck over it - and then hand deliver it TODAY saying - I mailed this on the 15th of NOVEMEBER so that you'd get it on the 1st of DECEMBER - YOU ARE SO RIGHT - MAIL- HRUMPH - UNRELIABLE - MY CHECK IS ALWAYS THERE ON THE FIRST! UGH - then stomp off angry.

I'd wait until 11:59 PM on December 6th - knock on her door and say - "I do have until the 7th of every month to pay....right? I mean I had NO idea until you emailed me on November 30th and I checked the lease.....thanks for letting me know I had an extra week to play with your money."

I'd dress in my I dream of Jeanie outfit - and stand on her porch, with both my hands outstretched, check in it - blinking and blinking and blinking until she opened the door - and then I'd say -----"Well apparently THAT doesn't work - I started doing this days ago, guess I'll go back to my old system of mailing it so you have it on the first as usual."

No.....I'd put it in a box that says Open 1 box a day , in a box, in a box, in a box, in a box, in a box, in a box, in a box, in a box,,,,,,,,,,and set it on her front porch on Nov. 22nd......then put a tag on it that says DON'T OPEN 'TIL DEC. 1st.

I'd give her a treasure map - that ended at my house on Dec. 1st. with the prize being her rent check?

I'd show up to pay my rent with a Tshirt on that says "WHAT PART OF DEC. 1st DIDn"T YOU THINK I UNDERSTOOD?"

Seriously? (yes, I can be that too)

I'd change my phone number, and email, hand her the check and tell her - "I'll see you JANUARY 1st - we'll be celebrating Dec. 31 with family and not available. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. If you are intending to spend the New Year holiday with your family please inform me now so we can make arrangements for January's rent to be collected on January 2nd as we will be spending our holiday with family. Thanks. Daisyface.

If she doesn't catch a hint from that? She's hopeless and I wouldn't worry about her.

 

[hearts and roses]

I like Hound's response. However, I am a more direct person and I would likely call her up and ask her why she felt the need to remind me on NOV 30th about my rent payment since I always pay on time and in full every month without fail. And then I would tell her not to bother me unless my rent is actually LATE and hang up. Then I would likely stew and vent about it for a couple of days to friends and anyone who would listen and eventually let it go till next time. And, because I'm so paranoid, I'd probably send out January's rent a day or two early so she received it by the 1st (or 2nd depending on how the holiday lands).

Oh I thank God I will never have to relive the days with my exh - he never paid rent on time, it was always late or he sometimes promised it for the following month with a plan to double up, etc. I bought an answering machine ONLY because our calls were predominantly from collectors or landlords looking for money. Nightmare. We moved 11 times in 2 years.

 

[Hound dog]

I like Star's responses.

Unless it was past the very last day we had to have it paid........I never worried about late rent payments. Things happen. That is why they give you that grace period.

 

[flutterby]

I'd be worried that she's having financial trouble and is having trouble paying the mortgage on the house you're renting. You don't want the house to be foreclosed on and end up evicted by the bank. They have changed the law in some states so that tenants have more rights as foreclosure rates have skyrocketed and renters have suddenly, and with no warning, found themselves out on the street.

That said, I like Lisa's response.

 

[busywend]

I was thinking she just wanted to know so she can plan her Christmas shopping! I would not take that one personally myself.

But, that is me - the optimist!

 

[hexemaus2]

Being the smart alec that I am, I'd be emailing her on a regular basis asking "did it arrive yet?" "did you get my check yet?" "have you checked your mail today?" The rest of the month, I'd be bombarding her inbox with count downs to when I plan to mail next month's check. "Only 31 days left til you get January's rent check." "I'll be mailing January's rent in 30 days." "Hey! It's Friday. You only have 29 days left til January's rent arrives!"

But I tend to be something of a witch with that kind of thing.

Perhaps emailing her a list of the dates (according to your bank records) previous checks have cleared and based on this history, if there is a problem with payment due dates and previous payment history, could she please forward you a copy of the lease, highlighting exactly what terms you have violated so that matters can be corrected in accordance with your lease. Something like "After recieving your email, I pulled our bank statements for the last 12 months. All the checks have cleared by x date of each month. Perhaps I have misunderstood our lease terms and have confused payment due dates with when checks actually clear our bank and funds are made available to you. Could you please forward me a copy of our lease with the payment terms highlighted? I seem to have misplaced my copy and want to be sure we are not in breach of our lease and therefore inadvertently causing you financial difficulties."

You could always ask if your previous payment history could be documented or a letter of reference given. "We're thinking of buying a house of our own and want to make sure we have all the paperwork the bank might need once we decide." Let her sweat losing a good tenant for a little while.

Oh wait. You said clever, not evil. Ooops. lol.

 

[HaoZi]

I spent all day yesterday thinking it was 1st, maybe I wasn't the only one.

 

[Suz]

If this is the first time she's sent you an email like this, I would let it go.

If she does this frequently, or monthly, then a response would be appropriate. I think a light-handed approach for your first response is in order.

Suz

 

[DaisyFace]

Thank you for the ideas!

Hound Dog-- Yes, I'm thinking she is in a panic for Xmas cash, too. Unfortunately, we're her only tenant - so I can't use the "must have been meant for someone else line"...darn it!

Mattsmom--I like that ending sentence about the reminder! That's just how I feel. I don't mind a reminder if I'm late - but please don't hassle me if I am early!

Step--LOL! Yep! Easy to accidentally "delete", too!

Star--LOVE these! Especially rolling the check around in the dirt and handing it to her just like that...

Hearts--

However, I am a more direct person and I would likely call her up and ask her why she felt the need to remind me on NOV 30th about my rent payment since I always pay on time and in full every month without fail. And then I would tell her not to bother me unless my rent is actually LATE and hang up. Then I would likely stew and vent about it for a couple of days to friends and anyone who would listen and eventually let it go till next time.

LOL!!! O this is me exactly! Which is why I posted here instead of typing out what my FIRST thought would have been...


Flutterby--I hadn't thought about that. Geez, I hope that's nothing to worry about! I've seen those stories on TV, too...


Busywend--Hopefully, it is just a shopping thing....but gee whiz! She's never had to worry before - why start now?


Hexemaus--

Being the smart alec that I am, I'd be emailing her on a regular basis asking "did it arrive yet?" "did you get my check yet?" "have you checked your mail today?" The rest of the month, I'd be bombarding her inbox with count downs to when I plan to mail next month's check. "Only 31 days left til you get January's rent check." "I'll be mailing January's rent in 30 days." "Hey! It's Friday. You only have 29 days left til January's rent arrives!"

I had the exact same thought! Too funny! Good thing you weren't sitting next to me when I opened that email message...I might have sent off a whole barrage by now.


HaoZi--I hadn't thought of that. Maybe that's what happened?


Suz--This is what husband and I decided to do...ignore it.


husband's first instinct was to apologize to her for keeping her waiting. What???? Excuse me????? To keep her waiting on the 30th???? Oh no, no, NO!
My first instinct was to respond with something along the lines of "Sorry to hear you are having trouble with your mail service - please send me your PayPal address so the rent can be sent to you electronically next time."


In the end, we couldn't agree so we decided to ignore the message. But if it happens again?

 

[1905]

Star!!!!!!lol lol lol!!!!

 

[Star*]

I like Hexamus' indirect approach - but I'd go with Hounds and then roll my check in the dirt.

 

[PatriotsGirl]

About the foreclosure - that happened to my best friend. They had been paying rent payments every month and then bam - they get a notice that the house was foreclosed and they had so many days to move out. They had just paid the rent two days previously and we are talking about a family that struggles as it is. Scary.