We make available several payment options to our tenants to ease payments. These include online payment, cash payment at our offices and mailing. Tenants can also sign up to automate their rent payment through their bank accounts. To know and understand all the payment options, tenants are encouraged to visit our offices. Payment options are explained at the time of the signing of the lease agreement as well.
We pride ourselves on our meticulous record keeping of all your income and expenses incurred on your property.
While our tenant screening process allows us to minimize any unpleasant situations, in rare cases we do get some situations where tenants fail to complete payment within the prescribed time. At Dawson Property Management, we use a combination of tact, compassion and due process to approach such issues.
How We Ensure Rent Collection
As a first step, we contact our tenants to update them on the situation. Depending on how late they are, we serve formal notice of non-payment. Following due process allows us to be equipped with the documentary proof in case the situation ends up in court.
If the tenant complies and makes the payment, we need not notify you. However, if the tenant fails to pay rent after the standard steps have been taken in such cases, we notify the owners to seek approval to initiate the eviction process.
In cases of rent non-payment, a “10-day Demand for Rent” is issued. Most tenants are able to comply and make the payments. If not, the next step is to file for a “Summary Ejectment” in small claims court.
The court issues a “Summons” to the tenant for a court hearing. The summons includes the date, time and location of the court hearing. The hearing date is usually within two weeks of the issuance of the summons. At this stage, the tenant has the option of making the payment or choosing to vacate the property.
If the tenant chooses not to pay and attends the court hearing, we take care to provide evidence of all steps taken to encourage the tenant to make payments. All property owners are required to be present at the court hearing.
If the tenant fails to pay rent or justify it, the court awards the plaintiff the “Judgement for Possession” which means the hearing is in our favor and gives the tenant 10 days to vacate the property. After receiving Judgement for Possession, we have ten days before we can file “Writ for Possession” which is a document that we can present to the county sheriff’s office to authorize them to remove the tenant from the property.
