Debt collection for past due rent: pros and cons

By on December 6th, 2018 in Industry Insights
TrueAccord Blog

Recovering rent from a tenant can be a headache for any landlord. You can try every play in the book but, sometimes, they just don’t want to pay up.

At this point you might be considering a debt collection agency to get paid for the rent owed to you. But is that a wise idea?

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of using debt collection for past due rent.

Pros

Reduces hassle

Whether you’re a full-time landlord or renting your house for extra cash, you’re bound to be extremely busy. Hiring a debt collection agency reduces the time put into chasing tenants. This will free you up to work on your other projects. Furthermore, landlord-tenant relationships can sour in these types of situations. Using an agency will limit the contact you have with them — saving you a load of stress.

Better expertise

There’s no one-size-fits-all process to debt collection. What might be effective for one debtor might not work for another. A debt collection agency should use the best method possible for getting the money from your renters. TrueAccord, for example, uses algorithmic machine learning to analyze consumer behaviour. This helps us to personalize our service leading to far higher debt collection rates than our competitors, and learn from consumer behaviour so we’ll get better over time, even if we start without any knowledge of your product or service.

Legally safer

Debt recovery is a complicated process and not one we are subjected to on a day-to-day basis. You may not know the laws inside out and you don’t want to put yourself into legal hot water by making demands you aren’t allowed to make. Collection agencies are in the business and will have a far greater knowledge of the ever changing rules on the topic. Remember to always pick a company that takes this part of the process seriously. Our machine-based approach provides much better collection compliance than others thanks to its predictability, real-time monitoring and easy auditability.

Collects money

Ultimately, the main benefit of hiring a debt collector is getting paid. It can be a tough decision to hire a debt collector, especially if you have come to know and like your tenants. But, at the end of the day, you have fulfilled your end of the contract and the tenants need to do the same. Using a debt collection service can be the least messy way around getting the money owed to you.

Cons

May damage reputation

As a landlord, your business could live or die on its reputation. If you hire the wrong collection agency you could do serious harm to your good name. It’s important to realize there are unscrupulous collectors out there and to mitigate for that. Do your research to find a company that delivers a great consumer experience. Remember, you are hiring a third party company to deal directly with your clients. You should always take you time to do background research whenever this is the situation.

May lose tenant

You should be prepared for the fact that if you work with a debt collector, you may lose your tenants. This could get pretty costly if you can’t find someone to fill the now empty accommodation. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Finding a debt collector, such as TrueAccord, that works with the consumer to help them out of financial difficulty could save you. We aim to make our communication informative, actionable, and compassionate. This reflects much better on you, and could help the tenant become financially stable.

Could be expensive

Debt collection agencies can be expensive, which is why many landlords choose to chase the payment themselves. However, this is rarely a cost-effective or productive use of your time. Instead, you should look for a debt collection agency that works for you. Furthermore, we can offer a lower fee than other companies with a better chance of retaining your tenant. Overall, it’s the easiest way to bring in the most amount of money for the lowest costs and much better priced than hiring your own accounts receivable clerk.

Bottom line: Using debt collection for past due rent

Using debt collection for past due rent is a tough decision for any landlord. There are plenty of positives, but you also need to consider the negatives.

Picking the right debt collection agency is the best way to reduce the negatives. Speak to TrueAccord today to find out how we can help you recover your past due rent.