How many Storage Operators call a tenant when they are late?

websterb

We implemented the E-mail option when we joined Site Link. On move in, we explain (as nice and detailed as possible) to the customer "We do not call when you become late or even in Auction status, we will email you daily until I get a response.  We are not responsible for reminding you to make your payment, thus you need to supply us with an email address and we can send an invoice X amount of days prior to due date.  If they don't have one, I will mail late notices as needed. Most of our tenants prefer not to be called, so this is a win win for our facility.

CVSSSTORAGE

We call once they are in lien. We used to call once they were 10 days late and then people were upset we called the day of their late fee. Then we would call the day before the late fee and they would be mad we called before they were late. You can't make everyone happy all the time so we just decided no calls until they are in lien.

i43storage

We do not call until they are close to getting to lien.  Takes up too much time.  Up until then, we email, text, and USPS.

GSS

We have a 10 day grace period. E-mails will be sent out between the 2nd-5th then we will call tenants between 6th-10th if payment still has not be received. 

If payment isn't received by the 22nd they will get a lien fee so another e-mail will be sent out between the 11th-16th and if people still haven't paid we will call again between the 12th-22nd.

So pretty much 2 e-mail and 2 phone calls a month.  

Christa_Gray

We call and/or email every other day once they become 2 days past due. 

sonyawiprud

I make "courtesy" calls if I have the time, when they are about 8 days late. Then I send emails to everyone that are 9 days late. I get a pretty good response from that and some people appreciate the reminder. I work from anniversary date so it's usually a small amount of people on a daily basis I have to remind. We have a predefined email that sounds a bit harsh to me to so I change the "collection call" in the subject line to say "reminder". I like to do it, and it gives my staff something to do when they look bored! LOL 

teamcapitola

From our Procedures handbook. We've kept delinquency below 2% on 792 units rented.

• 5 days past due – Send Friendly Rent Reminder email.

• 7 days past due – Call tenant and "touch base" letting them know about grace period.

• 9 days past due – Call tenant and explain that it is the last day before late fees hit.

• 12 days past due – Send Past Due email

• 14 days past due – Call/Email warning of upcoming Pre-Lien & associated fees.

• 25-30 days – Call tenants to warn about Lien & fee; explain Lien process and attempt to arrange payment plan or settlement with manager. Have them call manager with any questions, and explain that only the manager may authorize settlements or payment plans. Always explain that Auctions are a last resort; nobody wins with an auction, and we don’t want to "sell their stuff"!

Jeffrey_Buller

I once made courtesy calls at a Philadelphia store and got cursed out for doing so "I know when my #$%#$ bill is due" 

L_Greenwell

My customers actually like a call. Some of our customers are older and do not have email. You soon find out who likes a call and who doesn't.

skinman

Our rent is due on the 1st. Units are locked out of the gate at midnight and over-locked on the 2nd. We don't actually assess a late fee however, until the close of business on the 6th. Most initial move ins are a prorated partial/month to start.

If it's their first regular monthly payment that is now due... I give a courtesy call to remind them before they are assessed a late fee. (usually a day or 2 before) Most appreciate it. But I do this once only.

I then offer again to send an invoice via email 2 weeks before their due date after that. Otherwise I email the day after the late fee is assessed..If no email on file, I will call.

I then call anyone still unpaid around the 15th of the month. 

Finally sending default notices by mail and email to all still not paid by the 20th.

L_Greenwell

Skinman, yours is similar to ours, however we do not have a gate and unit is usually overlocked by the 3rd day past due. A late fee accessed on the 6th day past due. I also send out emails about once a week to those still late. Invoices go out to those without an email on the 6th day past due. I only call those tenants that have been with us for years and like you maybe a new customer, once.

MegumiM

teamcapitola said:

From our Procedures handbook. We've kept delinquency below 2% on 792 units rented.

• 5 days past due – Send Friendly Rent Reminder email.

• 7 days past due – Call tenant and "touch base" letting them know about grace period.

• 9 days past due – Call tenant and explain that it is the last day before late fees hit.

• 12 days past due – Send Past Due email

• 14 days past due – Call/Email warning of upcoming Pre-Lien & associated fees.

• 25-30 days – Call tenants to warn about Lien & fee; explain Lien process and attempt to arrange payment plan or settlement with manager. Have them call manager with any questions, and explain that only the manager may authorize settlements or payment plans. Always explain that Auctions are a last resort; nobody wins with an auction, and we don’t want to "sell their stuff"!

This is similar to what we do here with small differences:

• Due date - Send Friendly Rent Reminder email. I always wait till after the mail comes.

• 9 days past due - SMS Collection Text

• 10 days past due - Send Past Due Notice

• 15 days past due - SMS Collection Text #2

• 20 days past due - SMS Collection Text #3

• >30 days past due - Call tenants every week or every other week to try and collect payment. After 45 days of non-payment start threatening to auction unit. Always explain that we don't want to sell their stuff and that we will work with them and help in any way we can. I often exempt them from the late fee or try to come up with a payment plan with them.

I try not to call too often so people don't get as irritated. I actually have a tenant right now who I don't call because they would hang up on me every time. I still include them when I am making collection calls but I send them an email instead of calling. I always call on a Friday since that is payday for most people.

Orkocean

Every place i've ever worked it's been aim for 3 calls per week. The days we don't call we would send emails which are automated with our custom past due schedule we put in everywhere we go so there is constant contact.  We've used the automated call systems in the past with a national company and it actually made collections worse. The biggest thing about calling past dues is the tone and manner in which you call. You will always get better results being friendly, leaving stern/threatening voicemails or talking down to customers is just not the way to do business. Also when leaving voicemails keep it short and just "calling from so and so for mr/mrs name, give us a call back at your earliest convenience", amazing how many managers I have caught leaving detailed messages with pertinent information that could come back to bite you.

MrFugate

Our company started using a 3rd party that makes Robo calls, Emails & Texts starting on the 2nd with 2 "rounds" of live calls each month.

It takes a lot of work off of the managers in regards to the past due calls but it also removes the personal aspect of the business . Prior to using this other company we made calls , Emails & text messages once a week on different days. the 1st round ( to the Primary # ) where before the 1st late fee, the 2nd was 1 day after the 1st fee to the Primary & the Mobile the 3rd round was to the Primary, mobile and alt. contact numbers on the account. the 4th round would be to every# on the account including the work #.

Before I took over this property 2 years ago the adv. % of late payments at the end of the month was 15-18% with a 70% ocp. When making the live calls we adv. 5% or better with a 85% or better Ocp.

NUNYA

Call and/or email everyday (excluding Sundays)

MegumiM

@NUNYA Think about this; what would you do if your landlord called and/or emailed you every day that you are late paying rent? You would probably start blocking and/or not answer calls, stop listening to their voicemails and even start ignoring the emails. Then you notice an important voicemail or notice they sent you days, weeks or even months ago but you get mad at the realtor because it's their fault that you started ignoring emails and calls.
We know better because we work in this industry but most people are going to have that reaction. Then you have to deal with irate customers and that's never fun. So maybe try not to to call and/or email everyday.

Storagelife

I like sending an sms on the 5th day  "friendly Rent reminder"  and then on the 9th day "Last minute rent reminder". Also, I will call if the person is not normally late. Then mail and email all Late notices, pre-liens and liens. I agree the more you try and contact them the more they shrug you off.

Keri

We start calls on day 1 and call every 3 days after and then will alternate to emails or texts as well ,we would rather take the extra steps before hand before they get to the Auction process , and we have over 681 clients with two staff members . 

StowIT

I am generally the one making the collection calls. A tenants first late fee is applied at day 10, so I call on day 9 and act as if I am doing the tenant a favour reminding them-usually I gat paid on the phone during that call, or they send an e-transfer.  With the exception of a few that are in a constant cycle of being late, we typically have every tenant paid before reaching any fees come into play.

JulieA

MegumiM said:

@NUNYA Think about this; what would you do if your landlord called and/or emailed you every day that you are late paying rent? You would probably start blocking and/or not answer calls, stop listening to their voicemails and even start ignoring the emails. Then you notice an important voicemail or notice they sent you days, weeks or even months ago but you get mad at the realtor because it's their fault that you started ignoring emails and calls.
We know better because we work in this industry but most people are going to have that reaction. Then you have to deal with irate customers and that's never fun. So maybe try not to to call and/or email everyday.

If they don't want calls/emails all they have to do is let us know when they will pay.  I always thought that was the responsible thing to do if you couldn't pay a bill on time.  You contact them and let them know when you will be paying and keep your word on that promise!  Old fashioned!

Matt_W

I email a past due on the 5th and follow it up with a phone call that afternoon. Our rents go late on the 6th. I am preparing to mail 14 day late letters and have called my late people this morning as a curtesy. 
'Good morning, I am calling to let you know I am mailing letters on the 14th and would like to try and assist you with making payment before the fees increase.'
I don't do it every day and indeed I'm not obligated to- but perhaps just before your key rent dates as a curtesy? 

jcatt

In our office, I bill ten days prior to the first, bills are due on the first, late invoices are sent on the 7th.  If tenants still have not paid by the 15th, I call them and at the same time we double lock tenants.  If tenants still have not paid by the last day of the month, we mail out certified lien letters and post a charge of $15 to their account. 

TCBlossoms

We used to call, text, and email delinquent tenants when they were 3 days late as a friendly reminder that on day 6 they get a $25 late fee.  We quit doing that when we found we were getting yelled at for contacting them via phone.  We now only email a past due notice at 6 days, when they have received the $25 late fee, when we over lock their unit on the 12th, and then on the 21st when we begin the lien process.  It does NOT pay to be overly nice in this business.  If you give people a break they WILL take advantage of that.  Keeping things straight forward and to the point, reminding them of the lease agreement they signed, has cut down on a lot of lost time calling, texting, and email delinquent tenants.  It's not our responsibility to make sure they are paying on time especially when they have the luxury of setting themselves up for autopay.  The "I forgot" excuse does not work anymore!

1833

 We send e-mail reminders that rent is coming due, we call and or e-mail to tell them  the late fee is going to be applied on such and such date, we also make or try to make contact weekly on anyone that is late ( quite often doing this They will pay over the phone or go to the website and make a payment.

Drew_Scadoo

We don't call till 30 days late. With our call past dues I made an email template that we send to everyone that is late about 1 time a week. We used to call but got more response from the emails so we don't call much anymore which I LOVE!! lol 

ESS

As a courtesy, we send out an email 3 days past due, we call a day or 2 before the first late fee on the 8th, sometimes email after the late fee, call before 2nd late fee on 21st and then email after 2nd late fee. After 26 days past due, a preliminary lien notice is sent out, 36 days past due, lock cut notice sent out. After 45 days past due, we cut their lock and send a certified lien letter. Some tenants prefer text, which we do as well. I don't mind collection calls and emails, when we have the time. All tenants know they are a courtesy tho and nothing excuses their payment from being due on the 1st of the month, every month.

Orkocean

@ESS you're in TX, why are you sending pre-liens? Unless the law changed since I left there last August it was not required, also certified is not required. You can save a good amount of money by sending via firm book instead of certified. 

We call every single day, some sites 2 times a day if they're bad with delinquency. Emails are our custom templates we've used for ages and go out every other day. We don't have a SMS service so no text messages, never going to contact a customer from my own phone via any method as well. Made that mistake at my first site, was having customers contact me to make complaints about the new managers/rules still years later when I had nothing to do with it.  

ESS

@Orkocean Neither are required still. We just do it to cover ourselves and to have the paper trail. I actually send "certifieds" as bulk verified mail so I can send out 2 sheets for maybe 5 bucks. If we receive them back, there's another paper trail for our notes, if they end up being auctioned. We don't have an SMS service either, but we have an office cell phone which our landline is forwarded to as well so I text from there. Although, my cell number is at the keypads if a tenant has an after hours issue with the gate or anything. Most ppl don't know it's mine, it just says after hours emergency. 

Madonna

In WV you aren't late until 16 days after rent is due so on the 15th I call everyone who hasn't paid and say that its a courtesy call to let customers know this is the last day to pay without a late fee. 95% are grateful I call. About 30% will pay over the phone right then and the rest set a payment date with me knowing they will still incur the late fee on the 16th. 

SimplySpace

We give a courtesy call two days before the account is charged a late fee. We also call again when they are about to go into lien and then a week after. If we don't receive payment within 40 days, we will give them a 5% increase. The threat of the increase will typically keep people paying before it gets too far out of hand. 

DanielD

1. We don't have a air tight set up here.  Normally the bills go out, then they get a 7 day reminder email.  Once it hits day 11 they get the fee and I will physically mail out late notices. 
2.  Once they hit day 20 is when we are supposed to start calling but after about 15 days and no response to emails or paper mail, I will start calling customers normally once a week. 
3.  If it's my heavy hitters who are already 31 days past due is when the phone calls are 3 times a week on top of letters and lien notices etc.
4.  It's funny because all I want to know is when they can pay, just give me something I can put in the system so I can stop calling you and emailing you. 
   

DanielD

1. We don't have a air tight set up here.  Normally the bills go out, then they get a 7 day reminder email.  Once it hits day 11 they get the fee and I will physically mail out late notices. 
2.  Once they hit day 20 is when we are supposed to start calling but after about 15 days and no response to emails or paper mail, I will start calling customers normally once a week. 
3.  If it's my heavy hitters who are already 31 days past due is when the phone calls are 3 times a week on top of letters and lien notices etc.
4.  It's funny because all I want to know is when they can pay, just give me something I can put in the system so I can stop calling you and emailing you. 
   

GSI03

Everyone is due on the first here.  Late fee on the 7th and 15th.  We start contacting on the 4th, every Mon, Wed, and Fri.  We call, email and text on those days, I don't care if someone doesn't like how I contact them.  They owe me $.   We strongly encourage autopay.