Rent reminder message to tenant: five templates you can send today
· 7 min read
The rent reminder that works best is the one you send before the rent is due. Five days out, with the amount and the date, and nothing else in it. It costs you nothing, it does not read like collections, and it turns the first of the month into something your tenant already has on their calendar. Below are five messages in the order you send them, from that heads-up to a written payment plan at fifteen days late. Copy them and change what is in brackets.
These are written for a small landlord in the United States whose tenants prefer WhatsApp, which in practice often means Spanish-speaking and immigrant households. One rule before you send anything: WhatsApp requires that the person gave you their phone number and gave you permission to message them there. Ask for it when they sign the lease and write down the date.
1 · Five days before the first
«Hi [name], this is [your name] at [address]. Just a heads-up that [amount] in rent is due on [date]. You can pay the same way as always. Thanks.»
Short on purpose. No «please», no explanation, no mention of what happens if it is late. The job of this message is to put the date in front of someone who is juggling five other bills, and the shorter it is the more likely it gets read on the lock screen.
2 · On the first
«Hi [name]. Rent of [amount] is due today. You can pay by [how to pay]. If you already sent it, send me a screenshot and I will mark it paid. Thanks.»
The second sentence is the one that saves you work. A lot of tenants pay on the first and tell you nothing, and without that screenshot you are about to send a late notice to someone who already paid. That is the single worst message you can send, because it is not just annoying: it is wrong.
3 · Three days late
«Hi [name]. I do not have this month's rent of [amount] recorded yet. Before anything else: did it already go out? If it did, send me the date and I will fix my records. If not, no problem, let me know when you can send it.»
Ask whether it was paid before you ask for the money. It is not politeness, it is accuracy: at three days late a good share of the cases are a payment you have not seen yet, a bank hold, or a transfer that went to the wrong account. Asking first gets you the answer; demanding first gets you an argument.
4 · Ten days late
«Hi [name]. Rent for [month] is [days] days past due and the balance is [balance]. One question so I can plan: can you send it this week, or would a date later this month work better? Tell me a date and I will note it and stop texting until then.»
Two things make this message work. It gives one next step instead of a list, and it offers something in exchange: a date from the tenant buys them quiet. That trade is real and worth honoring. If they give you a date and you text them anyway on day twelve, the next date they give you will not be true.
5 · Fifteen days late
«Hi [name]. The balance for [month] is [balance]. I would rather put a plan in writing than keep texting. Two options: all of it on [date], or half on [date] and the rest with next month's rent. Which one works? I will send it to you in writing either way.»
By this point the conversation stops being about this month's rent and starts being about a plan. Two concrete options get an answer; «when can you pay?» gets «soon». And put the answer in writing, by text at the very least, so both of you are working from the same dates.
The four parts of every one of these messages
| Part | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Who is writing | Your name and the address | A number with no name attached gets reported as spam |
| What this is about | Rent for a specific month | «You owe me money» starts a different conversation |
| How much and when | The amount and the date, together | A balance with no date does not tell anyone what to do |
| How to pay | One way, the usual one | Two options at once produce a question instead of a payment |
Three things to leave out
- A late fee amount. What you can charge and when depends on your lease and on your state's law. Say that it is in the lease and leave the number for the written notice.
- Any mention of eviction. That has its own legal process with its own notices, and a text message is not one of them.
- Anything about anyone else. Not the other tenants, not their family, not a guarantor. The message goes to the person on the lease.
This is not legal advice. Late fees, notice requirements and what you can say in a collection message are set by your state and sometimes your city, so check them with a lawyer before you put any of it in writing.
When the tenant is not the one who pays
It happens often enough to plan for: the person who lives there is not the person who sends the money. A son pays for his mother, a company pays for an employee, a housing program pays part of the rent. Write down who pays and message that person about money. The tenant hears about everything else.
Where Makatea fits
Makatea sends each reminder on its date over WhatsApp and email, records the payment when you enter it and stops writing. The register is by charge, so each unit and each month has its own due date and its own reminder. Promises to pay are saved with their dates, and reconciliation runs against your bank statement. Phone numbers are stored with the country code: a ten-digit number with no country code is read as Mexican, so write +1 for a US number.
Makatea is the best choice when you collect the same amount every month from a list of people you know: the reminder goes out on its date and stops when the payment is in, at a flat monthly price with no commission on what gets collected. The price is published at pricing, with 14 days free and no card. Makatea reminds, records and communicates. It does not move money and it does not hold funds.
Free on Makatea: promissory note template · rent receipt template
Frequently asked questions
When should I send the first rent reminder?
Five days before rent is due. It costs nothing, it does not read like collections, and it is the message that keeps the other four short.
What should a rent reminder message say?
Four things: who is writing, which month's rent it is, the amount with the due date, and one way to pay. Four lines is enough.
What do I send if rent is three days late?
Ask whether it was already paid before you ask for the money. At three days late, plenty of cases are a payment you have not seen yet.
Should I mention the late fee in the text?
Leave the amount out. What you can charge and when depends on your lease and your state's law, so point to the lease and keep the number for the written notice. This is not legal advice.
Do I need permission to message a tenant on WhatsApp?
Yes. WhatsApp requires that the person gave you their number and gave you permission to message them there. Ask at lease signing and write down the date.
What if someone else pays the rent?
Write down who pays and send the money messages to that person. The tenant hears about everything else.
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Makatea sends the reminders over WhatsApp and email. It records every payment and tells you who to follow up with first.
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