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Home Real Estate Late Rent Notice

Late Rent Notice Template

Use our late rent notice to let a tenant know rent is late and encourage them to pay.

Updated September 26, 2023 | Legally reviewed by Susan Chai, Esq.

A late rent notice (or a notice to pay rent) 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.

Supplemental Forms

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.

Table of Contents
  • What Is a Late Rent Notice?
  • Grace Periods for Late Rent by State
  • Why Should I Use a Late Rent Notice?
  • When Should I Send a Late Rent Notice?
  • How Should I Send a Late Rent Notice?
  • How to Write a Late Rent Notice
  • Late Rent Notice Template
  • Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Late Rent Notice?

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.

TIP

The landlord should keep a clear paper trail of all communications mailed to the tenant and check state and local housing laws to figure out how many days the tenant has to pay or leave.

Grace Periods for Late Rent by State

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 give a grace period or a longer grace period even when not statutorily required.

StateLate Rent Grace PeriodCitation
Arkansas5 daysAR Code Ann. § 18-17-701
Colorado7 daysSB21-173
Connecticut9 daysCT Gen. Stat. Ann. § 47a-15a
District of Columbia5 daysDC Code Ann. § 42–3505.31
Maine15 days14 Maine Rev. Stat. § 6028
Massachusetts30 daysMA Gen. Law ch. 186 § 15B(1)(c)
New Jersey5 business daysNJ Rev. Stat. § 2A:42-6.1
New York5 daysNY Real Prop. Laws § 238-A
North Carolina5 daysNC Gen. Stat.§§ 42-46
Oregon4 daysOR Rev. Stat. § 90.260
Rhode Island15 daysRI Gen. Laws § 34-18-35
Tennessee5 daysTN Code Ann. § 66-28-201(d)
Texas2 daysTX Prop. Code Ann. § 92.019
Virginia5 daysVA Code Ann. § 55.1-1204
Washington5 daysWA Rev. Code Ann. § 59.18.170

Why Should I Use a Late Rent Notice?

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

When Should I Send a Late Rent Notice?

A landlord should send a late rent notice as soon as the rent payment is past due (and outside of the grace period), giving the tenant a chance to cure the breach and pay.

To begin eviction proceedings, the landlord must typically provide the tenant 3 to 5 days to pay late rent or leave (confirm with your state and local housing laws).

notice-requirement-failure-to-pay-rent
State Distribution: # of Days Notice Required for Pay Rent or Quit

Most state housing laws agree that tenants should pay their rent on time.

More than a third of the states require landlords to give a minimum 3-day eviction notice when rent is late or overdue, while almost a quarter of the states require a minimum 5-day eviction notice, and only six states require a 7-day eviction notice.

Of note, six states empower landlords and tenants to decide on the notice requirements and refer landlords back to the original lease or rental agreement.

IMPORTANT

Check your lease or local laws for when you should send them a notice to pay rent or quit, but a 3-day or 5-day notice is typical.

How Should I Send a Late Rent Notice?

The lease agreement may describe how landlords should send late rent notices. You can typically:

  • Deliver it in person
  • Send it via certified or registered mail
  • Send it via overnight courier service

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.

How to Write a Late Rent Notice

Here’s a list of step-by-step instructions for writing a late rent notice to your tenant:

Step 1 – Write the Tenant’s Name and Address

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.

tenant details

Step 2 – Enter the Date of the Notice

Write the date you send the late rent notice.

date

Step 3 – Fill In Late Rent Details

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.

late rent details

Step 4 – Identify Payment Details and Method

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.

payment method

Step 5 – Write Your Name and Address

As the landlord, you can provide your full name and your current street address.

landlord details

Late Rent Notice Template

Below, you can view our late rent notice template. Download it as a PDF or Word file:

late rent notice template

DOWNLOAD PDF
DOWNLOAD MS WORD

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days late on rent should I wait to send an eviction notice?


There will probably be a grace period of 3-5 days, but the amount of time you should wait will depend on the specific laws of your state and the terms of your lease agreement with the tenant.

How do I get tenants to pay rent on time?


Get tenants to pay on time with the following tips:

  • Carefully screen and choose tenants with a rental application
  • Provide clear rent payment instructions in your lease agreement
  • Include a late fee clause in your rental agreement
  • Make rent payments easy for tenants by offering online options

What happens when a tenant is late to pay rent?


When a tenant is late on rent, the landlord acquires certain legal rights. The landlord can, if they wish, issue an eviction notice, which allows the landlord to remove the tenant from the property.

The landlord might also be able to recover other expenses, such as damages and costs. The tenant will also suffer the loss of finding a new place to live and quickly gathering up all of his possessions, possibly from the side of the street.

Related Landlords Documents

  • Lease Termination Letter: A document created by the landlord or tenant in order to end an existing lease or rental agreement.
  • Early Lease Termination Letter: A document that a tenant sends to a landlord to formally request to end a Lease Agreement early.
  • Notice of Rent Increase: A written letter from the Landlord to the Tenant that officially communicates a change in the amount of money due.
  • Lease Amendment: A written document that details changes or modifications to the terms of a previously executed Lease or Rental Agreement.

Free Late Rent Notice Template

Create Your Late Rent Notice in Minutes!

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