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How to write rent reminder text messages (+18 samples)

Alia Paavola
8
minute read
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Missed or late rent payments cause headaches for landlords, property managers, and owners alike. Instead of spending hours chasing down payments, opt for a quick and proactive approach with rent reminder texts.

Text messaging is a preferred method of communication for tenants and offers impressive open rate and response rate stats.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to write an effective rent reminder message and provide 18 rent reminder text message samples for you to use as inspiration. 

Jump right to:

<h2 id="What">What is a rent reminder text message?</h2>

A rent reminder text is an SMS message sent to tenants to notify them about upcoming rent payments. These 160-character messages serve as friendly yet direct reminders to encourage timely payments. Rent reminder text messages are sent from property managers or landlords directly to tenants’ mobile phones and include details such as rent amount, rent due date, and how to pay.

<h2 id="Why">Why do rent reminder texts work?</h2>

Text messages are a great way to deliver payment reminder texts, because it’s a channel that’s preferred and read. Consider the following SMS stats:

  • 71% of residents say that texting is their preferred method of communication.
  • 64% of consumers say reminders are the most valuable texts to receive.
  • 98% of text messages are opened, nearly five times the rate of email.
  • Most text messages are read within three minutes of receipt, making them great for time-sensitive information.

These stats clearly show why texting is a great communication tool for property management owners, companies, managers, and businesses because it helps them get in touch with tenants efficiently.

<h2 id="How">How to write an effective rent due reminder text</h2>

An effective rent due reminder text will:

  • State the purpose quickly. The goal when writing any rent-related message is to ensure your purpose is clear from the jump. Clearly state that the message is a rent reminder.

  • Include relevant details. To be effective, a rent reminder should include the key details necessary for the tenant to know about the upcoming or overdue rent payment. At a minimum, your text message should contain the rent due date, how to pay, and your business name. Other details to consider adding include the amount due, the property address, payment methods accepted, and contact information such as the phone number to call for questions.
     
  • Maintain a friendly tone. Texting is a more casual channel than email so you can relax the tone a bit when communicating via SMS. Plus, a friendly tone can go a long way in building relationships with tenants and getting them to make a payment.

  • Provide a simple way to pay. The best reminder texts will include directions on how to pay or a link within the text to an online portal. Providing these instructions and links will encourage more tenants to pay directly when they receive the message.

  • Be concise. Remember, a standard text message is built for short messages. You should keep your text as concise as possible, without jeopardizing clarity.

  • Be timely. One of the key components of an effective message is the timeliness of it. You’ll likely want to send tenants a message a few days prior to the due date, as well as on the due date to encourage on time payments. Additionally, if a client misses a payment, send them a message first thing the next day.

  • Be sent to all paying residents. You will want your rent reminder message to go to all residents of the property who are paying rent. Chances are many properties you manage will have residents splitting the rent so it’s a great idea to include all tenants in the reminder message.
Core components of a reminder text message.

<h2 id="Examples">18 rent reminder text message samples</h2>

Now that you know what an effective rent reminder message contains, here are a few reminder text examples that you can use to encourage on time rent payments. You’ll see examples for messages to send before the due date, on the due date, and after a missed rent payment. With a few simple tweaks, you can send these rent reminder messages to your own tenants.

A friendly rent reminder text

A friendly rent reminder text can be used each month to remind tenants to pay. Friendly reminders should be helpful and reserved for those who haven’t missed payments repeatedly.

Hi [Name], this is a friendly reminder that your rent for Alta Roosevelt Unit 2410 is due on 6/1. You can pay online in the resident portal: altaroosevelt.com/resident-portal

Hey there, rent is due soon! Just wanted to remind you and thank you in advance for making a timely payment. You can pay online here:
altadeerborn.com/resident-portal

Hi Helena & John! This is a reminder that your rent of $2,250 is due next week. Please pay online using this link seaside.com/portal or send a check to Seaside Properties at 1245 Oceanside Way. Thanks! - Pam, property manager.

A friendly rent reminder text example.

A stern rent reminder text

There are times where you may want to send a more stern or professional rent reminder text. This could be for tenants who routinely pay late or are not responsive to your initial reminders. 

Hi Karen, rent for 145 Park Street is due next week. Pay online or mail a check to Cliffside Property Management at 902 Escondido Way. Payments over 2 days late will incur a 5% late fee this month.

Hi Bill, this is a reminder that $1,500 for July rent is due tomorrow. You can pay online at this link cliffsideproperties.com/portal. Late payments will incur a 5% late fee.

Hi Jet and Jim. Your August rent payment is due soon. Please head to the resident portal to pay by 6/4 to avoid any late fees.

a stern payment reminder text example.

A rent reminder before the due date

Use one of these rent reminder samples to encourage tenants to pay early or before the due date.

Hey Torrey Pines Condo Residents. Quick reminder that rent is due the first of the month, which is next week! Head to the portal now to make your payment: torreypinescondo.com/portal

Hi there! This is a quick reminder that rent is due in a few days. Please be sure to make your payment to avoid late fees. You can pay by check, Venmo, or Zelle. -Tim, property manager

Hey Leno! I quickly wanted to remind you that rent is due on 7/1! Please make your payment by then to avoid any late fees. Pay online here: kncproperties.com/portal

A rent reminder text sample for prior to the due date.

A rent reminder on the due date

Send a reminder on the actual day rent is due to encourage tenants to pay that day.

Attention! Rent payments are due today, 6/1. Please schedule your payment as soon as possible to avoid late fees from your landlord.

Hi Annika, your rent payment of $2,450 is due today for 440 Park Palace.  Please head to your online portal to make a payment and avoid a late fee. avail.com/portal-1312

Hey Shane, quick reminder that your rent payment for July is due TODAY for 123 Park Ave! You can send me a payment via Zelle, CashApp, or Venmo. Thanks -Tom.

A rent reminder text sample for on the due date.

A past-due rent reminder text

Use one of these past-due rent reminder texts to get tenants to pay their rent before levying a late fee.

Hey Paul, it looks like you missed a rent payment yesterday. Don’t worry, it happens sometimes. If you pay today, we’ll waive the late fee for this month. Pay here: strata.com/resident-portal

Hi there, your rent for this month is now past due. Please call or text me here so we can arrange a payment and avoid a late fee. -Jean, property manager

Hi there, your rent payment for July is now overdue. If you don’t pay by July 3, a 5% late fee will be added. Pay now: siennaproperties.com/portal

A past-due rent reminder text sample.

A last-notice rent reminder text

Use a last-notice rent SMS reminder to alert tenants that you may need to take legal measures if they don’t make a payment soon.

Hi there. This is the final notice that your rent payment is overdue. We may begin legal action if we don’t receive a payment by the end of the day today. Thanks -Ava, Seaside Properties Manager

Hello Helena. Your June rent payment is now 7 days past due. You’ll be receiving a final rent demand letter via email and mail shortly. Please make your payment immediately.

Hello Dee, your rent of $3,100 is now one week past due. Please arrange the outstanding payment to be made immediately. If you have any issues please contact our office at 312-889-2222 to discuss.

A last-notice rent reminder text sample.

Get tenants to pay on time using Textline

Textline is the ultimate SMS platform for property management companies and property owners seeking timely rent payments. Textline offers several features that make property management texting a breeze, including automations, mass texting, two-way SMS, scheduled texts, and true group messaging. Use Textline to set up automated rent payment reminders or text back-and-forth with tenants about maintenance requests.

Textline enables property managers to keep their personal phone numbers private, text from a web browser, and maintain a record of tenant communication. Plus, our team SMS inbox is perfect for companies who have multiple property managers because you can add as many phone numbers as you need and oversee them all from one account.

Start getting more timely rent payments and communicating better with tenants across properties using Textline. Request a demo with our product experts today to see how Textline can work for you.

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