You were supposed to pay your rent on the 1st of the month, but you forgot because you were travelling for work. Today is the 5th.

**Question:**
You rent an apartment from your landlord, Mr. Harris. You were supposed to pay your rent on the 1st of the month, but you forgot because you were travelling for work. Today is the 5th. Write an email to Mr. Harris. In your email:
– Apologize for the late payment
– Explain why you forgot
– Confirm when you will pay and offer a late fee if required

**Model Answer:**

**To:** mr.harris@rentals.com
**Subject:** Apology – late rent payment (Apartment 4B)

Dear Mr. Harris,

I am writing to sincerely apologize for the late payment of this month’s rent. The payment was due on July 1st, and I realize that today is already July 5th. I am very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

The reason I forgot is that I was on a last-minute business trip all of last week, and with the time zone changes and back-to-back meetings, I completely lost track of the date. This is not an excuse, but I wanted to be transparent with you about what happened. I should have set up an automatic payment long ago, and I regret that I did not.

I have just transferred the full amount of $1,200 via online banking. You should receive it within one business day. I am also more than willing to pay any late fee specified in our lease agreement. Please let me know the amount, and I will add it to next month’s payment.

Thank you for your understanding and patience. This will not happen again. I have now set up a calendar reminder for the 28th of each month.

Best regards,
Michael Wong