Late Rent Notice With Late Fee — Free Template for Landlords

A late fee generally has to be written into the lease, and many states regulate it. Some cap the amount, some require it to be reasonable, and some require a grace period of several days before any fee can be charged. Check your lease and your state's rules, and don't charge more than both allow.

Cite the lease section in the message box so the tenant can see where the fee comes from.

The notice lists the rent past due and the late fee separately, so the tenant can see both amounts. Give a pay-by date and payment instructions. If the lease adds daily fees, describe how they work rather than guessing a running total.

Apply payments the way your lease says. If it doesn't say, many landlords apply payments to rent first, which keeps the rent itself current.

Waiving a late fee once for a reliable tenant can build goodwill, but put the waiver in writing so it isn't seen as a change to the lease. If the rent stays unpaid and you later serve a formal notice to pay rent or quit, remember that many states only allow rent, not fees, in that notice.

Most late rent is resolved with a reminder and a conversation. If the tenant doesn't respond, try a phone call or a second notice, and ask whether a short payment plan would help. Put any arrangement in writing with dates and amounts.

If the rent remains unpaid, the formal next step in most states is a written notice to pay rent or quit, which has its own notice period and rules set by state and sometimes local law. That notice, not this reminder, is what usually comes before any court case. Our eviction notice template covers it.

Whatever happens, don't change locks, remove belongings or shut off utilities to pressure a tenant. Only a court can remove a tenant, and self-help measures are illegal in nearly every state.