Rent payment plan agreement
Work out what a resident pays each month to clear back rent, and print the agreement. Rent plus a fixed catch-up amount, with the payoff worked out before anyone signs.
Run the number before you sign it
The reason to compute a plan rather than agree to one in conversation is that the payment count is the part people get wrong. A $2,400 balance at $50 a month is four years, which is not a payment plan, it is a way of never being paid. The same balance at $200 a month clears in a year. Both sound reasonable out loud; only one of them is.
The other half is the combined figure. A resident who owes back rent is being asked to pay their rent and a catch-up amount, and the number that matters to them is the single total leaving their account each month. Put that number on the agreement in one place, and the breakdown underneath it.
What makes a plan hold
- A specific balance, agreed on the day it is signed
- One combined monthly figure, not two numbers to add up
- A due date that matches the day rent is normally due
- A stated consequence if a payment is missed
- Signatures from both sides, and a copy each
If the resident has not been sent a demand yet, the past-due rent notice is the letter that comes first — the plan is what you offer when they answer it.
Common questions
How does a rent payment plan actually work?
The resident keeps paying the ordinary monthly rent and adds a fixed extra amount on top until the past-due balance is gone. So a $500 rent with $300 a month toward a $1,000 balance means $800 a month for four months, and the last payment is smaller because only $100 of the balance is left. Writing it down as one combined monthly figure is what makes it work — a resident who has to do the arithmetic every month will get it wrong.
Why not just accept partial payments without an agreement?
Because they are two different things. On ordinary rent many operators refuse partial payment as a matter of policy, since accepting part of a month can muddy the timeline if the tenancy later ends for nonpayment. On arrears, a structured partial payment is the whole point — but it is agreed in writing first, with an amount and a schedule. Same dollars, opposite handling, and the written plan is the switch between them.
What should the agreement say happens if a payment is missed?
State it plainly: the plan ends and the remaining balance becomes due at once. That single sentence is most of what makes a plan worth signing, because without it the plan is just a slower way of not being paid. Whether you can act on it, and how fast, is set by your state and your lease.
Should the resident propose the amount, or should I set it?
Some operators ask the resident to propose the highest amount they can manage, on the theory that a number someone chose themselves gets paid more reliably than one imposed on them. Others set it so the balance clears within a defined window. Either way, run the number before signing: a plan that takes three years to clear a balance is not a plan, and this tool shows the payment count before you commit to it.
Is this agreement legally binding?
It is a written agreement between you and the resident, and it is a drafting aid rather than a document prepared for your state. If the balance is large, if an eviction is already filed, or if your state regulates mobile-home-park agreements tightly, have a local attorney look at it. Court-supervised repayment arrangements in particular have their own requirements this tool does not attempt to meet.
This is a drafting aid, not legal advice. A payment plan can affect your options if the tenancy later ends for nonpayment, and some states regulate repayment agreements for mobile-home lots specifically. If an eviction is already filed or the balance is large, have a local attorney review the agreement before you use it.