On-time rent payments from independent landlords rose 58 bps to 83.1% in September 2025, later revised to 82.6%, per RentRedi and Chandan Economics.
Quick Answer
Rent collection started climbing back in September 2025. On-time rent payments among independent landlords rose 58 basis points (a bit over half a percentage point) to 83.1%, according to the Chandan Economics-RentRedi Independent Landlord Rental Performance Report. RentRedi’s data shows on-time payments still 227 bps below a year earlier, the 26th straight month of annual declines. The Chandan Economics-RentRedi forecast full-payment rate, the share of rent that eventually gets paid even when it’s late, rose 14 bps to 94.5%.
If you’ve been waiting for a sign that late rent is easing, this is the month the numbers start to move. Here is what RentRedi and Chandan Economics found for September 2025, and how it compares with the latest in our monthly rental performance reports.
Key Takeaways on Rental Performance for September 2025
The Chandan Economics-RentRedi report found five things:
- RentRedi’s data shows the on-time payment rate in independently operated units rose 58 bps to 83.1%.
- RentRedi’s data shows on-time payments have fallen year over year for 26 consecutive months.
- RentRedi’s data shows late payments rising in recent months while full payments held up better, which Chandan Economics read as tenants prioritizing catching up on rent when they fall behind.
- In RentRedi’s data, Western states led, with South Dakota (94.9%), Hawaii (94.6%), and Utah (94.1%) on the podium, followed by New Hampshire (91.4%) and Colorado (91.1%).
- By property type, RentRedi’s data shows 2-4 unit rentals led at 83.7%, ahead of single-family (83.3%) and multifamily (81.7%).
What the September 2025 Data Shows
RentRedi’s data shows 83.1% of units paid their full rent on time in September, so roughly 1 in 6 units in RentRedi’s data missed the due date. On a 10-unit portfolio, RentRedi’s numbers work out to about two tenants paying late in a typical month.
The month did not start from solid ground. Chandan Economics revised August from 83.2% to 82.6%, which turned what looked like a modest improvement into a slight dip. RentRedi’s data also shows the rate 511 bps below its April 2023 record of 88.3%, which Chandan Economics put in plain terms as an extra 1 in 20 units not paying on time.
The Chandan Economics-RentRedi data shows on-time payments 227 bps below a year earlier. That is still a deep hole, but Chandan Economics noted the annual declines had eased over the past two months.
Most of the missing rent does show up eventually. The Chandan Economics-RentRedi forecast full-payment rate, which counts on-time payments plus late payments expected to come in, rose to 94.5%, and the Chandan Economics-RentRedi data shows it down 88 bps from a year earlier, against 227 bps for on-time payments. RentRedi’s data shows the three-month average of late payments climbing from 8.4% to 12.5% in July 2025.
Where Rent Payments Were Strongest
The West led again. RentRedi’s data shows South Dakota, Hawaii, and Utah on the podium, and our Utah landlord tenant law guide covers the 2026 rules if you own there. Chandan Economics noted a few East Coast states were starting to climb the leaderboard, with New Hampshire just missing the podium in RentRedi’s data.
The Chandan Economics-RentRedi data shows 2-4 unit rentals leading at 83.7% while multifamily trailed at 81.7%. If you run a duplex or a fourplex, you’re in the group doing best.
Chandan Economics pointed to household strain behind the weakness, with credit card delinquencies at 8.6% in Q2 2025, more than double the 4.1% of Q4 2021, and student loan delinquencies at an all-time high of 13.0%. Translation: plenty of tenants are stretched thin, young renters most of all.
How September 2025 Compares With September 2026
Here’s the part nobody could see in September 2025: it ended up being the low. Chandan Economics’ October 2025 report revised RentRedi’s September reading from 83.1% to 82.6%, and its March 2026 report put on-time payments 163 bps above the September 2025 low. Late payments peaked then too: Chandan Economics’ January 2026 report puts the post-pandemic high for late payments at 13.4% in September 2025, above the 12.5% peak the September report showed for July.
The Chandan Economics-RentRedi September 2026 report put on-time payments at 83.2%, 91 bps above September 2025 and the strongest annual gain since May 2023, with a forecast full-payment rate of 96.2%. That 91 bp gain implies Chandan Economics revised September 2025 lower again since. First estimates keep moving, so treat any single month as a first draft.
For RentRedi’s read on that month, see September 2026 on-time rent data.
What Landlords Can Take From the Data
Here’s what you can control. Late payments peaked around this report, per Chandan Economics, so making on-time the easy path mattered most right here. RentRedi’s autopay and reminders survey found that units with tenants on autopay reach a 99% on-time rate, compared with 87% without it.
In the same RentRedi survey, tenants ranked automatic reminders highest for helping them pay on time, at 44%. A nudge before the due date is what tenants say helps most. Keeping a tenant ledger also shows you at a glance who pays on time and who drifts.
Read the full September 2025 report from Chandan Economics
Tired of chasing rent? See how RentRedi’s automated rent collection handles autopay, reminders, and late fees.