Landlord asking why we don’t have emergency funds

[JustDrained48]

We’ve rented the same property for 2 years.
We’ve always paid bang on date.
I’ve recently changed jobs which meant a change to my pay dates for the first month.
I immediately emailed our landlord to tell him this monthly rent would be a day late but would follow the original date here after.
Obviously I said I was sorry & hoped this was ok.
He sent a v long email by return stating that we needed to explain to him why we didn’t have emergency funds to cover these one off occurrences.
Should I even grace him with an answer?

check=cheque!

Such venom for LLs is one of the MN things that makes me shudder as it clearly identifies a certain mind set, a bit like identifying yourself as being a racist and thinking it makes you look/sound clever!

Saywhatnow?

Have you looked into whether you could get a temporary overdraft to cover this?

We have had rentals. One day late really shouldn’t be a problem. Especially if they are good payers.

Yes he may have bills coming out on that day but it’s a bit stupid, if he does, because he should anticipate any minor hiccups and stagger his bills for a few days after official payment date.

I wouldn't have told him about a difference of a day, especially if it was only going to be for one month. Regular payments rarely get paid on the exact same day of the month anyway because of weekends and bank holidays etc. I'd be surprised if he would have even noticed really.

It's just one day late, it's a one-off due to a job change, and you had the courtesy to tell your landlord in advance. It's no big deal.

If I were you I'd send a very brief reply to the landlord saying "Unfortunately we don't have savings to cover it. You will receive the rent on . Apologies again for any inconvenience caused." And then stop engaging, if he emails back just ignore it.

FYI, if a private landlord was going to evict you for rent arrears, you would have to have at least 2 months of arrears (or 8 weeks if paid weekly). However, a private landlord can evict a tenant for no reason at all after the end of the fixed term; this is a Section 21 eviction and it takes a long time (8 months on average from start to finish). It would be a massive overreaction if your landlord did start S21 eviction proceedings because of one day late as a one-off with advance warning.

I can see both sides in most cases (I feel for landlords whose tenants don't pay for months) but in this case I think your landlord is being unreasonable and a bit of a bully. Some of them are, unfortunately (I had one who was awful about our deposit), and that's why some Mumsnetters are "anti landlord"!

There are a lot of silly posts on here. I work in the property industry and one day late is not even worth comment. Your landlord is ridiculous and so are some of the people on this thread.
Even huge companies often pay their rent late, sometimes as a standard thing, sometimes as a one off. None of my landlord clients would go jumping around if they were told rent would be a day late, even if it was a multimillion pound rent.

Personally as a landlord a day late from a normally reliable tenant wouldn't bother me.
I do not like his patronising response.

However. There is always the assumption that landlords are rolling in it and can afford to take a hit financially. He prob relies on your rent to pay the mortgage and you could be in turn making him pay late.

But saying that, according to his logic he should have reserves for situations like this.

PS In an ideal world you would have at least one month's rent in savings, but without more info about your circumstances and finances, it's hard to advise on that. If your new job is better paid could you afford to put a small amount in savings?

Such venom for LLs is one of the MN things that makes me shudder as it clearly identifies a certain mind set
Given the state of the private rental market, the imbalance of power and precarious feeling of being a tenant, I think that mindset is justified.

Unlike racism.

Why do you think they’re even comparable

I would just send a message back apologising again and reiterate that it's a one off. I wouldn't answer about the lack of emergency funds.

i think we were over a week late second payment on our last rented place before we escaped the rent trap. It was due to bank the fact new job the wage went into a holding account and the fact it fell over xmas. Dont ask. I think i used alot of shoe leather walking back and forth trying to sort out the silly bank mistake. I explained to our landlord the problem. All paid ok a week later and then the dd was ok every month after that. Ll was great and tbh amazing when we bought a house 8 months later. He put us on a rolling contract as again ea bank and not sure if the house go through to last minute. I kept ll informed all the time. Yanbu. Its one day, youve told him before hand. You sound a good tenant.

I'm also surprised that between the two of you ( you say 'we') you don't have enough savings to cover one month's rent .

You really can't imagine a situation in which a normal family might not have hundreds of pounds in savings?

They might be paying so much in rent that there's no wiggle room. They might have had a good savings pot a week ago but then the car they need for work died and they needed a replacement. Perhaps one of them has been on long term sick pay. We don't know and it doesn't actually matter because this is a perfectly normal circumstance and no reasonable person would kick off about it.

As others have said, companies pay other companies (and sole traders) late all the time. Yes it's technically a breach of contract but not a breach so great that it entitles the other party to a grovelling explanation of their finances. Life happens.

Another topic where MN is weird.

I'd have for what you did op and I'd also not feel obliged to go into my full financial situation with my landlord. Y have proven track record, you've given advance notice this one will be late, and that future ones well be on time and even given a reason why, which gives a reason for why the one hiccup and should have reassured him that It really is a one off.

There is a general rule that we should all have three months salary saved in case of emergency. It sounds very sensible, except that I rarely manage one. That's just a symptom of the economy these days.

Curious
"You can get a S8 for one penny owing for 1 day."
Absolute nonsense. I am sick of people posting "information" which they have clearly pulled out of their arse.
A section 8 eviction for rent arrears can only happen if there are at least 2 months (or 8 weeks) of arrears.

You can't get a section 8 for one day arrears no.

But yes you should "grace him with a reply". Why should he lend you money? And you told him rather than asked him. CF

It could be the start of a slippery slope in his eyes. One of my tenants adjusted her pay date by a few days with each (frequent) job change. She is now 22 days later than the original agreed date and has never made up the difference.

When I was private renting (long time ago now!) I wouldn’t have has wriggle room and all my savings had been taken by the rent deposit. Once your savings are gone and you’re private renting you have no chance to save if you’re on a low wage.

Yeah you should have asked him not told him. Your contract says you pay on a certain date not the next day. I don't think he's being unreasonable

Jeez. Some of the replies on here. If you are otherwise good tenants I.e. pay rent on time, respectful of property and neighbours etc.one day late with notice should not an issue.
Maybe you just got them on a bad day, but the landlord is being ridiculous. Perhaps respond with reassurances that this is a one off and normal service will resume, but your other finances are none of their business.

One of my tenants adjusted her pay date by a few days with each (frequent) job change

Well that isn't the situation is it? A tenant, in the same job paying on time for two years, has written to the landlord explain her job change situation with confirmation that it is just the one off and will revert to normal date thereafter.

A landlord who can't sustain one property paying one day late is in the wrong business.

A landlord who would want rid of an otherwise reliable tenant of two years standing over one day which came with advanced explanation is an amateur landlord and a fool (from observation the two often go together).

As to why the tenant doesn't have a slush fund to cover a months rent - well maybe its because tenants have to spend the bulk of their income in rent.

Why do you think they’re even comparable Obviously because they are both vehement and unpleasant mind sets, reflecting a certain nastiness on the part of the thinker!

Not saying that there aren't dickhead landlords. Just that the kneejerk vitriol that any LL thread inevitably includes is odd!

Emma I sit corrected, I should have been far more precise and said that if you pay late more than once you can be given S8.10/11 for a single penny a single day late!

What is the difference between asking him and telling him. If the op can’t pay on normal date, I am assuming the op is in a better position than me to know their own finances, what is she going to do if LL says no, start pawning her jewellery, go get a pay day loan for one freaking day?
Some people on here would appear to live in a parallel universe, must be nice to have never had to worry about money and how you’re gonna pay your bills.

Tell him you have savings but they're in an account that needs notice.
Hopefully he'll be reassured that you're not living hand to mouth and risking his rent.

One day late, for a good reason - moving to another job that will enable continued payment of rent - would not concern me, if informed in a way that acknowledged the tenant knew late payment wasn't ok.

The phrase 'what can you do? ' (used by pp) strikes fear into my heart.

It's indicative of a passive, irresponsble attitude to life, whereby you do whatever you consider to be your best, hope for the best and expect everyone around you to accept that's enough, mop up your problems and pay the difference.

Tenancies are based on contracts and trust, not on a sense of goodwill and 'doing ones best'. If you can't meet your contractual obligations, then, after first exploring every possible avenue to cover short-term problems - overdraft, loans, delay less pressing payments, sell things, do extra work etc, you have to change your circumstances - find cheaper accommodation, or a better paying, or more reliable job.

'What can I do? ' quickly accompanies rent being a week late, a month, or not paid at all, as and when the tenant's work or personal circumstances change.

I suspect that's where the landlord is coming from. You need to reassure him that you know this isn't ok, you don't see him as a bank offering free loans, you are moving into a reliable, salaried job and you will always prioritise paying rent over other expenses.

Curious

Ground 11:
"Whether or not any rent is in arrears on the date on which proceedings for possession are begun, the tenant has persistently delayed paying rent which has become lawfully due."

Good luck persuading a judge that one day late as a one-off means that the tenant is persistently delaying paying their rent!

And under Ground 10, there has to be rent arrears on the day that the landlord starts possession proceedings, and if the tenant is only one day late when they pay, it is literally impossible for the landlord to do that.

Ground 10/11 are not guaranteed anyway. The court may grant possession on those grounds but may not. The only way you can guarantee possession for rent arrears is if they are 2 months or more (Ground 8).