Can we talk about the time a tenant's check bounced for $2,500?

I was at my desk in the main office last Tuesday, finalizing the monthly deposit. I got an alert from my bank that a check from a unit in the Oakwood complex had been returned. The tenant had always paid on time, so it was a total shock. I called them immediately and found out their payroll system had a major glitch. Has anyone else had a reliable payer suddenly hit a snag like this, and how did you handle the late fees?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley_schmidt16d ago

Late fees over a payroll glitch seem harsh. The tenant clearly didn't mean to bounce it. Maybe cut them some slack this one time.

max_ross11d ago

Actually, it's not really about the intent though. The late fee is for the bounced check itself, not for the tenant's feelings about it. The bank charges the landlord a fee when that happens, every single time. So the policy is there to cover that cost, not to punish anyone. It's just moving the fee from the landlord back to the person who caused it.

evan_burns9517d ago

That "total shock" feeling is the worst. I once had a perfect tenant's check bounce for like twelve bucks because they forgot about a streaming service auto-renewal. I felt like a goon charging a late fee over something so small, but you gotta stick to the policy. I ended up waving it as a one-time courtesy because the whole thing was just silly. It's those tiny, dumb mistakes that make you question the whole system.