Joe DownsCEO & Co-Founder, Belrose Storage Group. Founder, Storage Moguls.

Simple contact habits that stop small issues becoming defaults

25 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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In this instructional segment, the speaker outlines three proactive contact habits for property managers to prevent tenant payment defaults. First, they advise making a same‑day phone call to any tenant who misses a payment, emphasizing that most first missed payments are simple oversights that can be resolved within minutes, whereas delayed letters prolong the issue. Second, they recommend reviewing access logs annually to flag tenants who have not accessed their space for 90 days or more, as this may indicate a loss of interest or intent to stop paying; early outreach at the 90‑day mark is easier than dealing with a tenant after six months and multiple missed payments. Third, they stress the importance of keeping tenant contact information current, noting that unreachable non‑paying tenants become far more costly than those who can be contacted promptly. The overall message is that timely, consistent communication can surface payment problems early and prevent them from escalating into defaults.

Chapters

Always call on the first missed payment. That same-day call to a tenant who misses a payment resolves the vast majority of those situations before they become defaults. Most first missed payments are oversights— a changed card, a forgotten update. A same-day call resolves them in 5 minutes. A 30-day letter creates a situation that could take weeks. Review your access log annually as well. A tenant who hasn't accessed their space in 90 or more days may no longer have the vehicle. Maybe they passed. Or maybe they're planning to stop paying. Proactive contact surfaces the situation months before it becomes a default. At day 90, the conversation's easy. At day 180, with 5 missed payments, not so much. Try to keep contact information current. The non-paying tenant you can't reach is a much more expensive problem than the one you can.