Our rent is due on the first, and a late fee applies after midnight on the 4th. All of this is spelled out in their rental agreement, along with the consequences for paying late.
On the 4th, we put up a door hanger that advertises to all their neighbors that they are late and about to incur a fee. This usually shames them into paying on time. I also put a big note right above the rent drop reminding them of the late fee and that we do not accept personal checks for late payments. Call me unprofessional, I don't care. For me, it's more unprofessional to not have the money in the bank when our mortgage payment is due.
On the 5th, they get a "notification of balance due." It's a form we purchase from a company called "Tenant Technologies" so I cannot share it. You can probably see a sample of it on
www.tenanttech.com
. A great thing about tenant tech is that they have the ability to process rental documents online. No more 30 page rental agreements to print and sign!
On the 8th, we post a 72 hour notice to pay or vacate (also from tenant tech.)
On the 12th, we file for eviction.