Late rent payments often lead to eviction if not addressed quickly. One of the most important principles in rent collection is consistency. When tenants don’t know what to expect from you, payment problems multiply.

At Advanced Solutions Property Management, we follow a strict timeline:

• Rent due: 1st of the month
• Grace period: Until the 5th
• Pay or quit notice: Posted on the 6th
• Tenant response window: 3 days to pay or move out
• If no response: Eviction process begins

This consistent process helps train tenants to pay on time.

Taking Action on Late Payments

Post the pay or quit notice immediately after rent becomes late. This signals to tenants that you take payment deadlines seriously. Without consistency from you, tenants won’t develop consistent payment habits.

When deciding whether to proceed with eviction, consider this fact: if a tenant passes the mid-point of the month without paying, about 80% won’t catch up financially. While some tenants might eventually pay back rent plus next month’s payment, statistics show most won’t recover.

The Eviction Process

Once payments stop, take these steps:

1. Contact the tenant immediately
2. If they don’t respond, move forward with eviction
3. Work with an attorney who specializes in evictions
4. Let the attorney handle the legal process efficiently

Evictions aren’t pleasant, but with clear processes and consistent enforcement, they become more manageable.

Remember that consistency is your most powerful tool for collecting rent and preventing the need for evictions. For questions about handling late payments or navigating the eviction process, contact us at Advanced Solutions Property Management.

For property management in Salt Lake City, few decisions impact your rental business more than utility arrangements. Your lease agreement must clearly state who pays for utilities in your rental property. At Advanced Solutions, we guide landlords through these important decisions to protect both owner and tenant interests. Here’s a complete guide to handling utility payments.

Understanding rental property utilities

Each rental utility needs clear payment responsibility in your lease, including:

• Electricity for lights, appliances, and climate control
• Gas for heating, water heating, and cooking
• Water and sewer services
• Trash and recycling collection
• Internet and cable television services

What the experts recommend

City officials and conservation groups recommend tenants pay 100% of utilities directly. This approach makes sense – people tend to use fewer resources when they’re responsible for the cost.

Payment options

You have three main payment options. You can include utilities in monthly rent, keep them separate, or split them between landlord and tenant.

At Advanced Solutions Property Management, we recommend keeping utilities separate from rent. Here’s why:

When prospective tenants compare rental prices, they focus on the base rental amount first. Even if your all-inclusive rent (with utilities) offers better value, tenants often skip over higher-priced listings without reading the details.

For example: A tenant sees two similar units – one at $1,200 including utilities, another at $1,000 plus utilities. Most tenants will contact the $1,000 listing first, even though total costs might be comparable.

Managing multiple tenants

For properties with multiple tenants, you can split costs several ways. The most common approaches are equal splits between roommates, dividing by square footage of living space, splitting by number of occupants, or basing it on actual usage through sub-meters.

Legal requirements in Utah

Utah law requires specific handling of utilities. Landlords must disclose all utility arrangements in the lease agreement. If utilities stay in the landlord’s name, you need clear billing procedures. Any sub-metering must follow state regulations. Security deposits cannot cover unpaid utility bills unless your lease specifically allows it.

Best management practices

To handle utilities effectively, advertise your base rental price clearly and list utility responsibilities separately in listings. Your lease should detail all utility requirements. Document meter readings when tenants move in and out, and maintain records of all utility payments and arrangements. You might consider a separate utility fee if needed.

Our leases require tenants to handle all utility payments directly. This creates transparency in pricing and helps avoid confusion about total housing costs.

Advanced Solutions provides Property Management in Salt Lake City, helping landlords navigate utility agreements and other rental challenges. Contact us with your questions.

Utah law requires landlords to handle security deposits within specific timeframes and follow clear procedures. Here are the key requirements:

You now have 30 days to return the security deposit to your tenant. If they aren’t getting the security deposit back, you’ll need to send a letter explaining why. The deposit or the letter has to go to the last known address. In the past, you had to wait for the tenant to provide you with a forwarding address, but now you cannot wait.

When your tenants move out without giving you a forwarding address, the last known address you’ll be sending the deposit to is probably the address of your property or unit where they had been living. You might send it and get it returned to you. If that happens, just file it until you do get a forwarding address.

There are essentially three types of letters you can send, and your tenant will get one of these three. The first type of letter says “congratulations, you’re getting your whole security deposit back.” You’ll include the check with that letter. The second type of letter will say “congratulations, you’re getting most of your security deposit back, but there was some damage to the property, and this is what we kept.”

The third type of letter will explain that the charges for damage exceeded the amount of the security deposit and you’ll be pursuing legal action to recover the rest of what is owed.

If tenants don’t receive their deposit back, they have to send you a notification in writing. This is also a change. They have to give you a forwarding address and let you know they are requesting their security deposit. Once they notify you, get that deposit back right away. In the state of Utah, you will be penalized for not getting that deposit back to them. You’ll need to refund their full deposit plus a $100 fee.

Also, if they take you to court and win, you’ll be responsible for their legal costs. That’s not something you want to deal with, so send back that deposit on time.

The changes in laws regarding security deposits can be hard to keep up with. Contact our SLC Property Management office today, and let us help you with security deposits in your rental property.