Скачать или смотреть Judge Slams Excessive Late Fees: ‘This Is Punishment — Not Rent Collection’

A routine rent dispute turned into a sharp lesson on illegal late fees.

The landlord claimed a tenant owed $865 in late fees — on a monthly rent portion of just $520 — based on a lease charging $50 plus $5 per day. As the numbers were broken down in court, the judge stopped the hearing cold.

Late fees, the court explained, must reflect the actual cost of collecting rent, not act as punishment or “liquidated damages.” Charging more than a month’s rent in penalties — especially when part of the rent is subsidized — crossed the line.

Despite repeated attempts to justify the fees by pointing to the lease, the judge made it clear: illegal terms don’t become legal just because they’re written down. The landlord was ordered to recalculate a reasonable amount or risk the court setting one — possibly exposing the landlord to liability instead.

The message was unmistakable: eviction court is not a tool to teach tenants a lesson.