# Do I have to give my Tenant payment options?



## Josh (Jan 15, 2014)

I'm having issues with one of my current tenants. He only pays me in cash and makes me pick it up from his unit. Thats all fine, but every time the 1st rolls around I text him asking when is best to pick up rent and he gives me the most ridiculous timings (11:30pm on a monday night). Or he tells me his is busy and he'll text when he is free, then he'll text me randomly and say "I'm home now if you can swing by in the next 15min or I'll have to give you a text tomorrow". 

My question is in BC do I have to give a payment option? Can I refuse to go pick up cash and only request checks or e-transfers? I checked the BC tenancy act and couldn't find anything on this matter.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Josh said:


> I'm having issues with one of my current tenants. He only pays me in cash and makes me pick it up from his unit. Thats all fine, but every time the 1st rolls around I text him asking when is best to pick up rent and he gives me the most ridiculous timings (11:30pm on a monday night). Or he tells me his is busy and he'll text when he is free, then he'll text me randomly and say "I'm home now if you can swing by in the next 15min or I'll have to give you a text tomorrow".
> 
> My question is in BC do I have to give a payment option? Can I refuse to go pick up cash and only request checks or e-transfers? I checked the BC tenancy act and couldn't find anything on this matter.


Look on a provincial tenants board for advice.

It's his job to make sure you get paid, not your job to collect money. 

However if he's otherwise a decent tenant, you might want to keep him around, a quirky good tenant is better than a bad tenant.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

MrMatt said:


> Look on a provincial tenants board for advice.
> 
> It's his job to make sure you get paid, not your job to collect money.
> 
> However if he's otherwise a decent tenant, you might want to keep him around, a quirky good tenant is better than a bad tenant.


I agree, if he is paying his rent on time that's something you don't want to risk losing, but at the same time it sounds like he is having a bit of a power trip with you. I would check the landlord forums (but not ontario landlords, I don't recommend that site).


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

He has the obligation to get the rent to you not the other way around .


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I think you need to meet with the guy, maybe three days after his rent is due, and discuss with him his obligation to get the rent money to you. Then discuss alternatives that do not involve anyone picking up money. After three months, if you are still unhappy, give him a formal notice of non-payment.


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## Mortgage u/w (Feb 6, 2014)

As long as he keeps paying you, I wouldn't bother. Sure, his obligation is to pay on time....but if he always manages to pay you, better that than a tenant who doesn't pay.

You can mention it to him nicely that you find it difficult to manage his various payment dates....but don't push him cause it can cause him to stop paying altogether. Not all people can manage their finances properly. Sometimes we need to cut them some slack.


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## Josh (Jan 15, 2014)

Thanks everyone for your input. I told him I wanted checks from now on and he put his 30 day notice in. I have no idea why someone people do what they do. But at the end of the day I'm not upset. I had a lot of noise complaints about him and other issues as well. 



-Josh


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## jamesbe (May 8, 2010)

Sounds like he was hoping you just wouldn't bother to come get the rent, now that he has payments to keep, he's not interested.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

I agree. His behaviour was not just quirky - it was inconsiderate, unreasonable, and suspicious.


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

Sounds to me like he's hiding income (from somebody), and doesn't want any records, or he's unable to qualify for a bank account (under whatever name he's given you).......are you sure there's not a grow-op in his unit? :wink:


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

Nemo2 said:


> Sounds to me like he's hiding income (from somebody)


That sounds likely. 

Would seem to be one of the easier ways to use up large amounts of cash without depositing it in the bank legitimately.


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## RBull (Jan 20, 2013)

Report him to Rev Canada after he has vacated your property. His actions indicate he is earning income illegally.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

You don't have to do anything. It is up to you to set the terms, him to meet them. The credit card company, gas company, telephone, car payment etc. don't come around at your convenience,you have to meet their conditions.

Suggest you ask for post dated cheques, or direct deposit, or whatever is convenient for you. Send him a registered letter laying out in civil terms, the new payment methods just as if he was getting a letter from the electric company or a bank.

Warn him that if the rent is not paid on time, legal action will follow, up to and including eviction.

Now you will have to follow up. You MUST follow up, first time every time, and have a set policy for all tenants.

Send a warning letter followed by eviction proceedings as laid out in your province's landlord and tenant laws. Make sure you follow every procedure in exact detail, if you have to go to court you could lose everything and have to start over, if you make a mistake.

You MUST do this every time even if he pays up eventually, even if it is a poor old tenant you have no intention of evicting.

The reason is, if a tenant has a history of late payment or refusing to pay until threatened, this alone is enough to evict or it will be very bad for the tenant if you go to eviction but you MUST be able to document it.

If you do not follow up, the tenant can quite reasonably claim they didn't know not paying or paying late mattered to you.

Of course if you decide to let someone slide you can, but at least send out the proper documents first.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

If he gave you notice it suggests he was setting you up to beat you out of the last month's rent.


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## johnlena (Sep 6, 2014)

You must follow strict procedures if you want your tenants to leave your property, depending on the type of tenancy agreement and its terms.Periodic tenancies run on a week-by-week or month-by-month basis, with no fixed end date. You must follow a set process if your tenants have this type of tenancy.


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## MoreMiles (Apr 20, 2011)

RBull said:


> Report him to Rev Canada after he has vacated your property. His actions indicate he is earning income illegally.


Really?

Have you watch the show "Till Debt Do Us Apart?" That host insisted everyone to spend only cash and never touch any plastic.

Should those people be considered criminals too?

My gosh, our world has come to "you are guilty until proven innocent"


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## cheech10 (Dec 31, 2010)

Even on that show, the cash only aspect deals with variable expenses, not fixed expenses like shelter. This discussion is about cash vs post-dated cheque or direct deposit for rent payment. Unusual timing of rent payments that are paid wholly in cash do seem suspicious to me. And who said anything about plastic? I don't know anyone that accepts credit cards for rent payment, do you?


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## wendi1 (Oct 2, 2013)

My last landlord accepted plastic (15 years ago), and it is becoming easier with "Square" technology.

To me the issue is not cash or not cash - I assume if the tenant came to your house or office with a fistful of bills, that would be okay...


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## cheech10 (Dec 31, 2010)

I stand corrected on the credit card issue.

As far as cash payments go, that would be fine (for me at least), but asking for cash to be picked up at unusual hours would not.


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## NorthernRaven (Aug 4, 2010)

I had a landlord (apartment building owned by a large management company) in the 90's that allowed automatic VISA charges for rent. I piled up a lot of Aerogold Aeroplan points that way! Presumably they thought that there were advantages which made up for the merchant fee percentage they gave up to VISA, but it is presumably rare because of that lost percentage, which doesn't apply to pre-authorized debits, for instance.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

cheech10 said:


> I stand corrected on the credit card issue.
> 
> As far as cash payments go, that would be fine (for me at least), but asking for cash to be picked up at unusual hours would not.


I would be leery of accepting cash payments or having large amounts of cash on my person or in my house especially if other people know it.

Credit card, debit card, automatic withdrawal, checks are all fine.


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## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

I don't pick up rents either. It's impossible, I don't have a week to make appointments for people. I make it their job and give them postage paid envelopes.


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## Josh (Jan 15, 2014)

Well the good news is he is leaving at the end of this month! The bad news is that when I was showing this place last week he broke my door handle, toilet, and the little door stop. Also he pays rent on the 15th every month and has yet to pay me and keeps putting it off so I can see i'm not getting rent this month. 

The topper of all this. Is that I googled his name and found this on a Police website; 

"(NAME REMOVED FOR THIS FORUM)was charged with trafficking in a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. Charges were recently approved by Crown Counsel. Undercover officers bought cocaine and marijuana which led to these charges."

The date that happened was one month after he moved into my place.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

josh did this happened in same city or maybe name is common?Drug dealer paying cash and living in your house is not a good story ,how did you decide on letting him rent from you in first place?


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