Tenants Say the Funniest Things About Not Paying Rent!

We ran a post on our Facebook page inviting our property manager and principal audience to let us know the weird and funny things that their tenants have said to them.

We were overwhelmed by their responses!

Here is just a sample of what property managers told us were the reasons that their tenants gave as to why they haven’t paid their rent!

Funniest things tenants say about not paying rent:

• “I had to get new teeth before my wedding.”

• “I don’t have to pay and I’m not leaving.”

• “Tenant: ‘I’m on my way to pay the (overdue) rent now.’

Me: ‘In full?’

Tenant: ‘Yes.’ The tenant arrives with half of the owed money and promises to pay the balance in two weeks!”

• “'My aunt/grandmother just died and I have to cover funeral costs’… (I don’t know how many dead grans I have come across.)”

• “I’m a perfect tenant! I’m only 10 days behind. That’s not a big deal!”

• “’My Centrelink payment didn’t come through!’ – But tenant has a very fresh sleeve tattoo!”

• “My personal favourite: ‘I was on holidays overseas for two weeks so why should I have to pay rent when I wasn’t even there?”

• “Centrelink stuffed up my pay.”

• “I just bought new furniture and I have promised my children a good school holiday so I’m going to be a month late with my rent.”

• “I paid the rent. The problem must be at your end.”

• “But, I paid two weeks’ rent two weeks ago!”

• “But, my car rego was due!”

• “You asking me to pay my rent all the time is harassment!”

• “Tenant: ‘I had to pay to fix my car to get to work.

Me: ‘Hmmm… yes. I can see how those new, shiny rims would get you to and from work much easier than your old, standard ones!’”

• “I just called the bank. They said it can take five days for payments to come through.”

• “A tenant claimed that she couldn’t pay the rent because her son had died in an accident. A few months later, the deceased son walks into the agency to pay the rent. The PM nearly fainted and told him what his mother had said. His response: ‘Yeah, it’s not the first time she has used that excuse.’”