Is Mailing Your Rent As Reliable As It Once Was?

MAIL DELIVERY HAS ACTUALLY SLOWED IN RECENT YEARS…HOW CAN YOU COMBAT IT?

Although online and digital options for rent payment are pretty widespread these days, there are countless numbers of people who still rely on the U.S. Postal Service to ensure their rent payments reach their landlords on time. And in recent years, the delivery time has indeed grown. Case in point, our New Haven County office is currently waiting on a money order that has taken over 7 days to land! And these extended delivery times are becoming more and more common. So what’s going on? And what can tenants do about it?

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INSIDE THE NUMBERS: WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?

Like many issues today, the root of these delays can be attributed to the Covid Pandemic and government intervention. In 2020, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who resigned in March, 2025, began a 10 year plan (Delivering For America) aimed at decreasing the costs of mail delivery. This plan revolved around longer delivery times for some first-class mail, shorter hours and decreased overtime for staff, and more expensive postal rates. Added staff shortages during and since Covid have led to inefficiencies across the country and it’s likely that what we’re experiencing now is the new normal. In short, the government has prioritized cost-cutting over speed of delivery.

According to a January, 2024 U.S. Postal Service report, 82.7% of First-Class Mail arrives on time. Although it varies by location, current averages are stated as 2.1 days, vs. 1.8 prior to 2020 and unfortunately, nearly 8% of first class letters were more than five days late across the U.S. per a similar report in late 2023.

Then there’s the Amazon Effect, which also helps explain what’s going on here. With the advent and acceleration of online shopping, parcels (rather than letters) have become king. So where the post office of your childhood was a rockstar when it came to getting letters where they needed to go, the main game, and source of income today, is boxes…so let the letters fall where (and when) they may.

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THESE ARE NATIONAL NUMBERS…HOW ABOUT WHERE I LIVE?

With most common readership across the states we currently service, it’s difficult to zero in on all the locales for our Nexus family, but since we began with Connecticut, let’s use that area for a deeper dive. As noted, our New Haven County office has reported at least 5 instances where mail had taken close to or longer than a week and one instance where mail was lost. In CT, first class mail was only delivered on time 87.1 percent of the time, which is well below the Delivering for America goal of 95%. The likely reason? Cost cutting and regionalization that has been even more impactful to the state of Vermont. Green Mountain State residents have experienced delays of upwards of three weeks because their mail is now rerouted through Connecticut facilities. This is terrible for VT residents, but it also helps explain why CT has seen a slowdown as well. Added volume for facilities that are already understaffed leads to added congestion, like adding more cars (and somehow more traffic) to I-95, something CT residents know all too well :(

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SO WHAT’S THE SOLUTION?

If you’re a tenant and you prefer to pay your rent through the mail, you’ll need to be sure to mail your rent several days early, just to be safe. Some of our tenants also take photos of their checks or money orders and the envelope it’s going in and then text/email them to us to let us know the rent is on the way. This is helpful, but most leases and state laws mandate that rent is “received” by a certain date, not just mailed by then. This is a common misconception. In states in the Southwest, like Arizona, grace periods are not state mandated and instead will be housed in individual leases. To return to CT, the state mandates a grace period of at least 9 days, which all too often translates to the following comment from tenants, “Well my rent isn’t due until the 10th of the month”. It’s this line of thinking that is the main reason these post office delays are in play. If tenants were aiming for the 1st of month due date (which is best practice), a 5 to 7 day delay wouldn’t be a problem.

And even easier…avoid the mail altogether. Yes, there’s comfort in the way it’s been done for a long time, but as noted above, the good ole’ post office of Benjamin Franklin or the post-War years is not the post office of today. Nexus Property Management® offers a convenient online payment option where your rent is “paid” as soon as you click a button (note: it still takes 3-5 business days to clear your bank). If you work with a private landlord, there are also instant payment apps out there, but those can also come with other risks (see below). In short, it’s worth discussing with your landlord and exploring the options that are out there that you think will work best for you. Like anything in life, it’s about assessing the trade offs and limiting risk.

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CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS:

Nexus Property Management® has been partnering with rental property owners and tenants for over 12 years and now has franchise offices in four states with well over 1000 properties under management. We are committed to the principles that helped our Rhode Island office grow rapidly and the most essential is the focus on long term results. Our clients come to us with varying degrees of experience and the vast majority become effective investors in no time. Reach out to the Nexus team closest to you.

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Mick Lefort is the General Manager of Nexus' New Haven County Franchise Office and the Vice President of Operations for Nexus Property Management®, a National Property Management Franchise that manages all types of rental property from single family homes or condos to large apartment buildings and complexes.

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