The Ten Best Late Rent TENANT Excuses

We asked our property management audience from our Facebook page of the best late rent excuses they have heard when a tenant gives a reason for not paying their rent.

Here are the ten best excuses and comments from our Facebook competition (also quoting the name of the person who added the comment), as voted by our audience:

‘I lost my job because I refused to take a drug test at work’. … I left the eviction notice on his coffee table under his ‘bong’ so he would read it because he didn’t attend the hearing for eviction.
- Elaine Smith

One of our best for imagination was a tenant who said he had a money order but lost it when the fishing boat he was on sunk and the money order floated away. The receipt for it was in his pocket and it melted and why didn’t I know all this because it was on Channel 9 news!!
- Leanne Straube

“My wife just passed away” and months later the wife was sitting next to him in court at the eviction hearing!
- Jess McDonald

Not an excuse but nothing funnier than living in a small town, tenant in arrears, won’t answer the phone and you happen to bump into them at the shops with an overflowing trolley of food and presents – the look on their face when they see you are priceless!
- Nicole Mattick

“I forgot – why didn’t you remind me?”
- Libby Cattermole

“Spent the money on a breast enlargement”
- Sharon Callender

“I was in Queensland for two weeks so why should I pay rent if I wasn’t staying there”
- Cheryl Lambrick

“I couldn’t pay the rent as I had to get the kids Christmas presents off lay by”
- Krystal McGuiness

“I bought a racehorse”
- Clare Christiansen

“It’s a leap year & I am confused when to pay rent.”
- Sarah Munday