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

Stop Training Tenants to Pay Late

10 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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0:46

Joe Downs argues that landlords who repeatedly waive late fees are training tenants to pay late. Enforce your lease consistently to protect cash flow, and use calm listening when tenants push back.

Chapters

Waiving late fees repeatedly is another trap. You're training your tenants that the due date is flexible. That destroys your cash flow predictability. The lease is your shield. Use it to keep your business running smoothly. But what happens when a tenant pushes back hard? So you've delivered the firm no, and now you have a difficult tenant on your hands. The key here is to de-escalate the situation without compromising your position. First, you stay calm. Your goal is to lower the emotional temperature in the room, not match their energy. Listen to them vent. Sometimes they just want to feel heard, and letting them get it all out is half the battle.