Can I be charged 2 late fees for the same month?
I live in San Francisco, CA and was renting a garage space for my car. On the 6th of June I was told my check was filled out incorrectly and I would get a late fee, so I put another check in the mail on June 7th. After 3 weeks I noticed he hadn't cashed the check so I called in and asked why, and he said he never got it and was "too busy to call me". I sent another one and after a week he said he didn't get it again, and I sent a third check which he got and eventually cashed.
When I got my security deposit back I had 2 late fees, for the same month, I'm guessing because he deposited the second check over a month after the first one was due. The only thing in my lease about late fees says "Rent is due at the first of every month. If the rent is not paid by the 5th of the month, Tenant must pay a late fee of $30"
Can I be charged for 2 late fees on the same month of rent that was late?
No, that is not right. You should only have got one late fee. If he said he was too busy to call you, he probably meant that he was probably too busy to go to the bank and cash the check. I would write a letter to him disputing this and threatening to go to small claims court if he doesn't refund one late fee.
