Handling a Late Payment
When a tenant misses a payment due date, follow this workflow to manage the situation consistently.
- Payment deadlines and penalty rules should be configured in Settings > Payments
- Automated reminder emails should be set up in Settings > Emails > Communication Module
Step 1 — Identify overdue payments. Find overdue payments in one of these locations:
- Finance > Overview tab — sort by debt to surface the highest balances first
- Finance > Contract Values — filter by "Overdue" status
- Dashboard — high-debt bookings are surfaced automatically
Use the Sort By Debt option on the Finance Overview tab to prioritize the largest outstanding balances.
Step 2 — Check the automated reminder status. If you have overdue reminder emails configured in Settings > Emails > Communication Module, verify whether a notification has already been sent to the tenant and when.
Step 3 — Contact the tenant. If automated reminders have not resolved the issue, contact the tenant directly. Many late payments are due to oversight — a quick message is usually enough.
Step 4 — Record the payment when received. Go to Finance > Add Payment, select the booking, enter the amount and payment date, and save. The system allocates it to the oldest outstanding charge first based on your payment priorities.
Step 5 — Apply a late payment penalty (if applicable). If your penalty policy in Settings > Payments requires it:
- Open the booking and click Add Charge (see Adding Extra Charges)
- Select "Penalty Fee" as the category
- Calculate and enter the penalty amount (e.g., 1% of the overdue amount per day late)
- Set the due date
Penalties are not automatically applied — they must be manually added as charges. The penalty configuration in Settings defines your terms, but you must create the charge yourself.
Step 6 — Escalate if unresolved. If multiple contact attempts fail, escalate through your standard collections process. Document all communication attempts in the booking's notes field for future reference.