My Wife and I were out of town due to a funeral. We called the apartment office to tell them that we were going to be late on our rent (for the first time ever, thirteen months, the entirety of our lease) because we were not in town. They said fine. When we got back, we went into the office and paid the amount that we were told with a check, which the office clerk said was okay. The person in the office took the check, gave us a receipt, and we left. We had already moved out of that apartment, as it was our last month there, but we had not cleared all of our stuff out. We came by a week later to find a note on the counter that said they were returning the check because they do not accept checks for late payments, and it was an insufficient amount (even though it was for the amount that they specified). The note said that the new amount was $300.00 more than the amount that we were told (which was already $200 more than our initial rent). We went to the office to find out what happened. We were obviously angry, and the apartment complex is just a rung higher than being a slum. The manager said that we wouldn't have to pay for someone else's mistake, so she went to figure out how much we should pay. At that point, I turned to my wife and said "This place has been one up after another". The manager immediately kicked us out of the office and refused to talk or deal with us.

I don't know what to do now. I would like to keep from defaulting on a rent contract, I would especially like to keep it off my credit report, but if she won't take the money, I don't know what else to do. In all honesty, at this point, it has turned to spite. I don't feel that I should have to chase her down and beg her to take my money, or to even tell us how much we owe. I have made two, very sincere, attempts to pay her, and she has not allowed me to. What do I do? What can I do without breaking the law?

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Originally Posted by fallenavalon

My Wife and I were out of town due to a funeral. We called the apartment office to tell them that we were going to be late on our rent (for the first time ever, thirteen months, the entirety of our lease) because we were not in town. They said fine. When we got back, we went into the office and paid the amount that we were told with a check, which the office clerk said was okay. The person in the office took the check, gave us a receipt, and we left. We had already moved out of that apartment, as it was our last month there, but we had not cleared all of our stuff out. We came by a week later to find a note on the counter that said they were returning the check because they do not accept checks for late payments, and it was an insufficient amount (even though it was for the amount that they specified). The note said that the new amount was $300.00 more than the amount that we were told (which was already $200 more than our initial rent). We went to the office to find out what happened. We were obviously angry, and the apartment complex is just a rung higher than being a slum. The manager said that we wouldn't have to pay for someone else's mistake, so she went to figure out how much we should pay. At that point, I turned to my wife and said "This place has been one up after another". The manager immediately kicked us out of the office and refused to talk or deal with us.

I don't know what to do now. I would like to keep from defaulting on a rent contract, I would especially like to keep it off of my credit report, but if she won't take the money, I don't know what else to do. In all honesty, at this point, it has turned to spite. I don't feel that I should have to chase her down and beg her to take my money, or to even tell us how much we owe. I have made two, very sincere, attempts to pay her, and she has not allowed me to. What do I do? What can I do without breaking the law?

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Oh yeah, I am in Tallahassee, Florida.

Record who you talked to and keep a copy of the check they returned and all the dates this has happened. Demand a detailed bill, send them a notice in writing demanding a detailed bill according to the terms of the contract as to what is due. You will owe exactly what is listed in the contract, not a penny more, but not a penny less.

They can charge you more than your rent if you are even 1 day late but that amount should be spelled out in your lease. They can not charge more than what is in the less. They don't have to accept your check if it is for less than the full rent and the late fee in the lease. What does your lease say about late payments and hang onto that receipt.

"This place has been one up after another". I don't even know what this means but obviously the managed knew. Why would you make a negative comment if the mangeger was trying to work with you?

And I have seen several rental contracts that state that late rent must be in the form of cash, money order, or cashier's check. They don't want to take the risk of a check bouncing. So they may be in their rights to demand payment in a form that suits them, not you.