Penalties for late payments and monthly reminders seem to be a lost on some tenants. Though it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to see the originality of the excuse in the moment, some of them are truly unique in hindsight. Below are some of the most creative excuses the RE/MAX of Southern Africa network has heard over the years…
Technical Difficulties
“The electricity pre-paid box is not working so I don’t have electricity to make an EFT”
“The bank has frozen my account and nobody at the bank can tell me why.”
“My computer was stolen so I cannot make internet payments now.”
“All my information on my Cell Phone was lost, so I didn’t have your banking details.”
“We weren’t able to pay because we didn’t manage to withdraw due to our SIM cards being blocked.”
Shifting the Blame
“The electricity is too high so until I get to the bottom of it, I`m not paying the rent.”
“I DID pay you, so it is the bank who has not paid you.”
Guilt Factor
“I had to make the choice of paying my rent or buying food for my kids.”
“I gave my partner signing power on my bank account and they’ve stolen all my money.”
Feigning Ignorance
“I have moved out and didn’t realise that you needed to know.”
“But, it’s December. I didn’t think we had to pay in December.”
“We will make double payments next month. You can use the deposit for this month.”
A Sad Revelation
“I gave the rent to my husband to pay. I will check with him.” Later: “I found out that my husband was lying to me and using the money for something else. We’re now getting divorced. You should receive payment shortly.”
