Penalty for not paying rent in time

[banagan]

I forgot to pay my rent last month.

Anyway, I get a note in my mail box from the landlord, with a bill that is 1,000 baht more than my rent.

Is this normal carry on here?

[steven100]

Normally you are entitled to 7 days from the end of the month to pay your rent.

Yes, if you read the fine print in your contract I would expect it will state the time given allowable to make rent dues to be paid, also I do know that most accomodation facilities do charge 100 - 300 baht per day for every day over the indicated time ...

How does one forget to pay their rent .... ?

[bangmai]

I would say you got off light. What does your lease say? How much was the rent? Did you forget to pay May? Or June?

[elektrified]

I've never heard of anyone forgetting to pay their rent!

Look in your contract. What does it say regarding late fees?

[colinneil]

Forgot to pay your rent !! Charged 1000 baht for late payment serves you right.

You will not forget again will you.

[worgeordie]

Did the note say,the extra 1000 THB, was for late payment,or maybe the

landlord has just increased your rent by 1000 THB.

regards worgeordie

[northernjohn]

Normally you are entitled to 7 days from the end of the month to pay your rent.

Yes, if you read the fine print in your contract I would expect it will state the time given allowable to make rent dues to be paid, also I do know that most accomodation facilities do charge 100 - 300 baht per day for every day over the indicated time ...

How does one forget to pay their rent .... ?

Good question. It is usually the biggest payment a month. Did he run around wondering why he had so much spare cash. Now there was a time in my youth when such a thing could have happened to me. But I know the reason now. That time in my life was a big blur.

[kingalfred]

Landlords owners can do and charge what they want. No regulations in Thailand. Once they got your deposit its going to dwindle to nothing by the end of tenancy.

[eaglesflight]

Not all landlord are bad. The owner of the last house we rented in Chiang Mai returned our deposit in full, despite the fact my daughter made a hole in the fly screen by the front door and scribbled on some of the walls (when I say 'we', I am referring to me and my partner, I'm not using the royal 'we').

[cnx355]

I had 2 landlords in the last 7 years, and I offered to pay the rent using an automatic bank transfer to their account. I cannot forget to pay as the transfer are done automatically.

I asked to include the bank account number they use and the name of the owner of the bank account in the rental contract t0 avoid conflict.

I set up an automated payment using my internet banking.

Landlord using the same bank...no fees

Landlord using another bank....25 bahts fee ..(cheap for peace of mind.)

[little mary sunshine]

What is in your contract? I had rental property in The States, always had a "late fee" clause

In the contract, $50, if rent wasn't paid by the 3rd of the month. ( I had a mortgage to pay

And the bank always had a late fee if the mortgage wasn't paid on time).

[technologybytes]

If you were renting from me and you "forgot" a months rent I'd be forcibly evicting you by now and you would forfeit your deposit.

It would be different if you had an emergency and could not pay, but "forgot" !

[TheAppletons]

If you were renting from me and you "forgot" a months rent I'd be forcibly evicting you by now and you would forfeit your deposit.

It would be different if you had an emergency and could not pay, but "forgot" !

Internet bluster, blah, blah, blah.

Really, if you had a tenant who was otherwise a very good tenant and was uncharacteristically late with the rent one month, you wouldn't simply call and ask them if there was a problem, remind the tenant he was late, stop by to inquire/collect, or engage in some other less drastic measure?

[technologybytes]

Really, if you had a tenant who was otherwise a very good tenant and was uncharacteristically late with the rent one month, you wouldn't simply call and ask them if there was a problem

A good tenant does not "forget" to pay the rent. I assume you have never had tenants ! I have, and I have learned the hard way. There is no such thing as a good tenant who forgets the rent, I would call and see if there was a problem, if the tenant said he forgot I'd arrange a removals truck at my own expense!

[tonray]

It is normal...my contract says that I have 5 days (until the 5th) and if still not there.....$1000 baht. All my past contracts said the 5th was the drop dead date.

[Dante99]

What is normal, what the contract says or what is reasonable are of little relevance to the issue.

If the landlord wants 1,000 Baht for it and does not get it without a bunch of bull shit, you can be assured that they will get a lot more from you someother way later.

[arunsakda]

Really, if you had a tenant who was otherwise a very good tenant and was uncharacteristically late with the rent one month, you wouldn't simply call and ask them if there was a problem

A good tenant does not "forget" to pay the rent. I assume you have never had tenants ! I have, and I have learned the hard way. There is no such thing as a good tenant who forgets the rent, I would call and see if there was a problem, if the tenant said he forgot I'd arrange a removals truck at my own expense!

Doubt I have the stomach for dealing directly with renters but the worst story I heard of are tweekers who literally pulled the copper pipes out of a mates walls in the US to sell for drug money. (In our Condo they had a scummy little foreigner who only came out at night rent a Thai woman's room. Then he stopped paying anything, rent, electric, nothing. I think they had to get police involved to eject him).

[steven100]

I hope you don't forget to put your underpants on in the morning ......

[pjmansions]

I have couple of houses and 10 room apartment and have 2 tenants who are always late and always have excuse on hand. Rent has not been paid this month, I have late fee written into the contract but not enforced it but getting beyond a joke now. The late payment is made worse because they also have to pay for electricity and water, when they are late not only do I not get money I'm owed I have to put my hand in my own pocket to pay there amenities.

[maidee]

troll post for sure

the landlord will be knocking your door at 1 day late

[USNret]

Pay the 1000 willingly; consider yourself fortunate. Consider a little "make up" gift for the landlord, and don't forget to pay your rent anymore. We are all big boys & big girls now.

[NanLaew]

I have couple of houses and 10 room apartment and have 2 tenants who are always late and always have excuse on hand. Rent has not been paid this month, I have late fee written into the contract but not enforced it but getting beyond a joke now. The late payment is made worse because they also have to pay for electricity and water, when they are late not only do I not get money I'm owed I have to put my hand in my own pocket to pay there amenities.

What good is a penalty for paying late stated in a contract if you aren't enforcing it?

[robblok]

I have couple of houses and 10 room apartment and have 2 tenants who are always late and always have excuse on hand. Rent has not been paid this month, I have late fee written into the contract but not enforced it but getting beyond a joke now. The late payment is made worse because they also have to pay for electricity and water, when they are late not only do I not get money I'm owed I have to put my hand in my own pocket to pay there amenities.

What good is a penalty for paying late stated in a contract if you aren't enforcing it?

That you can enforce it when someone is really taking the piss. Same like that I don't collect the penalties I can collect when clients are late. I prefer to keep a good relation with clients until it really is going to far.

That means you have the penalty option as a last resort, if you did not have it in your contracts you could not even enforce it if you wanted it.

[bangmai]

I would make prospective tenants provide a copy of their credit reports. There is a National Credit Bureau in Thailand. I haven't looked at one, but it is likely similar to Equifax, Transunion, and Esperian. Same for the Europeans. In US terms, I wouldn't rent to anyone with a score under 700, even though many can still get a government backed mortgage with 640. Save yourself the drama. Yields are way too low here to get shafted. Chevron and Concoco are both paying over 4.25% right now.....7 USD to get out. If you are netting that much here as a landlord; good for you; many aren't. If you factor in the 12.5% tax you are legally suppose to be paying on rents; that will bring it down even more.

[Straight8]

If you were renting from me and you "forgot" a months rent I'd be forcibly evicting you by now and you would forfeit your deposit.

It would be different if you had an emergency and could not pay, but "forgot" !

What? You wouldn't give them a call or an email asking why the rent wasn't paid after about a week?

Could be many reason why it hasn't been paid.

Remind me never to rent of people like yourself.

[bangmai]

What is ironic is that there appears to be a large oversupply of newly built condos + those under construction, yet two months deposit is a general rule, and I don't know of a single apartment building that doesn't mark up electric at least 50%, and 100% (8 THB per unit) seems to be standard. So what gives? Do you think that many have no intention of renting out their units? Is the real supply actually smaller than suggested?

[wolfmanjack]

I have rented 4 different houses here in thailand and the landlord always stopped by to pick up the rent. The weird thing that I have found is I offered to pay 6 months in advance so I didn't have to see the landlord every month but they refused.

[technologybytes]

If you were renting from me and you "forgot" a months rent I'd be forcibly evicting you by now and you would forfeit your deposit.

It would be different if you had an emergency and could not pay, but "forgot" !

What? You wouldn't give them a call or an email asking why the rent wasn't paid after about a week?

Could be many reason why it hasn't been paid.

Remind me never to rent of people like yourself.

I clearly said that it would be different if there was an emergency or something. The fact that a tenant was prepared to say "I forgot" would be reason enough to want him gone.

By the way, I have let many condos and small houses in Thailand to foreigners. My way of doing business has always been to offer a very clean and well equipped property for a very good price, but to pick the tenants very carefully. Most of my tenants stayed years and not months, and all but one got 100% of their deposit back. I always considered myself to be an exemplary landlord, and many of my ex-tenats are now friends.

I never ever has a tenant "forget the rent", and many years ago when I myself was a tenant I would never have forgot the rent.. it's as crazy as forgetting to dress or forgetting to breathe in my opinion.

[NanLaew]

I have rented 4 different houses here in thailand and the landlord always stopped by to pick up the rent. The weird thing that I have found is I offered to pay 6 months in advance so I didn't have to see the landlord every month but they refused.

Well Wolfman, if your avatar is representative of your looks and/or demeanor, as your landlord, I would be dropping by more regularly as well to check on my property. [no suitable emoticon available]

[Concerned expat]

Landlords owners can do and charge what they want. No regulations in Thailand. Once they got your deposit its going to dwindle to nothing by the end of tenancy.

I returned remaining part of the deposit to both tenants and withheld cost of laundry, cleaning and broken appliance. Tenants signed off the receipt with claw of no objections as it was in the contracts anyway. Are you a teenager or going off the planet to forget monthly rent payment? Many others seems to think the same way.