Automated Overdue Payment Reminder Emails
Automated Overdue Payment Reminder Emails
Introduced in: v1.0.21
Severity: High — Core Functionality
Overview
The platform now automatically sends escalating reminder emails directly to owners whose service charge demands are overdue. This feature closes the gap between the daily arrears sweep (which marks demands as overdue) and the action required to prompt owners to pay.
No manual intervention from a property management agent is needed for reminders to go out. The sequence runs automatically as part of the existing scheduled arrears processing.
How It Works
1. Daily Arrears Sweep
The service-charge-arrears-sweep Inngest function runs on a daily schedule. It scans all active service charge demands and marks any that have passed their due date as overdue.
2. Escalating Reminder Sequence
Once a demand is marked overdue, the reminder sequence is triggered. Emails are sent to the owner's registered email address at three escalation points:
| Stage | Days After Due Date | Tone / Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| First Reminder | +7 days | Polite notice — informs the owner their payment is overdue and provides payment details |
| Second Reminder | +30 days | Firm notice — references the development's governing documents and the OMC's entitlement to collect charges |
| Third Reminder | +60 days | Escalation notice — advises the owner of potential enforcement options available to the OMC under Irish property legislation |
3. Recipient
Each email is sent directly to the overdue owner. This is distinct from the compliance-deadline-alerts function, which sends notifications to organisation admins, not individual owners.
Configuration
The reminder sequence is enabled automatically as part of the service-charge-arrears-sweep function. There is no additional scheduling or configuration required to activate it.
Note: Owner email addresses must be correctly registered against their unit in the platform for reminders to be delivered successfully. See the Owner Management documentation for details on maintaining owner contact records.
Relationship to Other Notification Features
| Feature | Recipient | Trigger | Automated? |
|---|---|---|---|
service-charge-arrears-sweep reminders (this feature) | Individual owner | Overdue demand (+7/+30/+60 days) | ✅ Yes |
compliance-deadline-alerts | Organisation admins | Upcoming compliance deadlines | ✅ Yes |
| Communications module broadcasts | Owners / custom segments | Manual agent action | ❌ No (manual) |
Irish Compliance Context
Under Irish property legislation, OMCs (Owners' Management Companies) are entitled to collect service charges from unit owners as set out in the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011. Timely, documented escalation of overdue accounts is consistent with best practice for OMC financial governance. The three-stage reminder sequence is designed to align with standard collection practices prior to formal legal escalation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will owners receive reminders if their demand was already overdue before v1.0.21 was deployed?
A: The reminder sequence is evaluated on each daily sweep run. Demands that are already in an overdue state will enter the sequence at the appropriate stage based on how many days have elapsed since their due date.
Q: Can agents disable reminders for a specific owner or demand?
A: Per-demand or per-owner suppression controls are not included in v1.0.21. If a payment arrangement is in place, ensure the demand status is updated accordingly to prevent reminders from firing.
Q: Are the reminder emails logged in the communications module?
A: Automated reminder emails are recorded against the owner and demand record for audit purposes.