When is rent considered received?
When it comes to paying the rent on time, all methods are not created equally.
A mailed check, for instance, may be considered received when a landlord receives the letter, not the postmarked date – depending on what your lease says. Online payments may go through instantly and considered received as soon as the tenant initiates the payments. No matter what, it’s best not to push the limits on your monthly rent calendar if you want to avoid landlord-tenant friction, or worse yet, eviction.
The due date is the due date
Although many mortgage companies offer a payment grace period beyond the listed due date, the same is usually not true for rental payments.
If your rent is due on the 1st of each month, for instance, your landlord expects to receive it by the 1st. However, in some states, when the 1st falls on a Sunday and your mailed rent check shows up on Monday the 2nd, this is acceptable.
Read your rental agreement
Some landlords give a grace period, so be sure to read your lease to find out the actual due date and whether there is a grace period. Read this section thoroughly, as it also explains what happens if the payment date falls on a weekend or holiday. This area should also list acceptable payment methods and what to do if the landlord is on vacation, for instance.
Grace periods
Some leases have grace periods, either by law or by preference. A five day grace period means that rent due on the 1st wouldn’t get a late fee until the 6th. However, this does not mean that rent is actually due on the 5th – but that’s the message that is inadvertently conveyed. Rent is due on the due date – please don’t make a habit out of paying within the grace period.
Related: Don’t allow a grace period unless required by law
When you can relax after payment
In person: Your rent is considered received when it’s in the landlord’s office, if you pay in person.
In cash: Get a receipt to prove payment if your landlord accepts cash.
By check: If you mail your rent payments, the “received by” date is when the letter is received by the landlord. Postmark dates don’t matter when paying rent. The IRS allows you to postmark your taxes because the Postal Service is part of the federal government and therefore the government has “received” your taxes as soon as you mail them. But the USPS is not an extension of your landlord, so you need to take into account the mailing time when sending your check. A check sent on time but returned due to insufficient funds means your payment is late.
Online payments: If you pay via online bill pay, a confirmation email showing proof of payment should suffice.
Paying through Cozy: Paying rent becomes a streamlined process through Cozy. This convenient app allows you to make automated monthly payments on a date you select. It’s free if you connect the app to your checking account, and you won’t have to think about the rent payment ever again. This method is also ideal if you are paid via direct deposit or if you keep enough cash in the account to cover the rent.
Bank transfer considerations
A manual bank transfer is a way to pay the rent, but it’s not the best way (unless you and your landlord use the same bank).
Let’s say you pay via bank transfer performed manually (not automatically) each month. You initiated a payment on September 1, a Friday, for a payment due the same day. Two weekend days follow, then Monday is Labor Day and the banks aren’t open. The transfer doesn’t complete until nearly a week later due to the holiday and bank processing times, which can take three to five days. Your landlord isn’t happy that your payment took so long to show up in their account. Mailing a check probably would have been faster.
Note: The exception is if you and your landlord use the same bank. In that case, the money typically transfers immediately or within minutes.
If making transfers manually, set them up well ahead of the due date to ensure they arrive close to the actual due date. Otherwise, opt for an automatic monthly withdrawal via an automatic clearing house (ACH) to ensure your payment arrives consistently on time. Cozy uses this method.
The one potential drawback to ACH payments: you must have enough money in the connected bank accounted to ensure the payments clear. If you don’t have enough to cover the rent payment when an automatic payment initiates, your account might be charged for insufficient funds and/or your rent payment won’t go through.
Better early than late
Waiting until the last minute to pay rent could spell serious trouble.
Check your state laws to determine how soon the landlord can take action over late or missing rent. Your landlord has a legal right to evict any tenant who doesn’t pay within the legal time frame. Turning in that check a little late more than once could also make your landlord less likely to offer a lease renewal.
Paying a few days early helps eliminate the stress of wondering whether the landlord received your payment on time. It also shows the landlord that you’re a reliable tenant. A stress-free, peaceful rental arrangement benefits both you and your landlord. Ditch the due-date pressure and make your life simpler with Cozy or other early automated payments. Your brain will thank you for it.
