Quote Originally Posted by Inspired by Reggio View Post
Do you take a security deposit when you START the relationship to apply to the notice period at the end? IMO your security deposit should be equal to the notice you require them to give ~ so if it is THREE WEEKS than your deposit is equal to 3 weeks of fees that are applied when the notice is given ... if they do not give proper notice they FORFEIT the security deposit and you at least have X money to use while trying to find a replacement client!.
Yes, I do take a security deposit but it's only for one week and is for their last week. In my mind, the way it would work would be that the family would give their three weeks notice on pay day, so then they pay for the next two weeks and then have the last one paid.

I'm glad you guys are saying all this because this is how I feel. She should pay me, the money is owed to me, and she is playing her sympathy card. I just don't know how to say it without sounding like a mean person. And, I'm afraid that if I do say "you owe the money, too bad" (not in so many words) she just won't show up tomorrow. Since she's not working, she doesn't have to take time off. She can just yank her. But, I will threaten to take her to court if it escalates, and hopefully just the threat will get her off her ass. This is something she knew would happen. When she paid last week, she said there was a possibility she would take her out. I told her THAT day she had to give 3 weeks notice. If she'd done it that day, none of this would be an issue. But she was waited a whole week before giving notice, and now she owes.

This is what I am going to say:

Dear _____,

I sympathize with your situation, however, the fact remains that payment of $400 is still due on Monday, July 30th. If you had given notice a week earlier, this would not be an issue, however, notice as of Monday, July 23rd, was not sufficient notice as per stated in our signed agreement. This is a business, and if I allowed everyone to bend the rules, my business would be sunk.

That being said, your daughter has a place here until August 10th, and $400 is due Monday, July 30th.

Have a great day

It's going to make it really awkward for early morning drop offs, but whatever.

Is there another way that I should word this? I really struggled with that lol trying to keep emotion out of these things is very difficult for me lol