ROCK HILL, S.C. — Some renters in Rock Hill are facing steep late fees if they’re unable to pay their rent on time because there’s currently no law or ordinance to protect them from excessive fees.
Veesa Taylor says she wasn’t in a position to buy a home so she rented one in a Rock Hill neighborhood. She signed a lease that gave her no grace period to pay rent and demanded a 25% late fee if she paid her rent late. That fee comes to about $525.
She thought she’d never have to pay her rent late, but it happened.
“I was a victim of identity theft, which fell on Nov. 1 which was the day my rent was due that Friday,” she said. “I called him, explained to him what happened and just asked him to work with me, not to charge the late fee of $525, and he said no he had to.”
Another renter reached out to Channel 9 complaining about the same landlord.
“Twenty-five percent sounds astronomical when you’re considering a late fee,” said York County Councilman William Bump Roddey. “This could lead to someone being homeless if they are having to pay exorbitant late fees that cause them to get evicted.”
Roddey says he’s working to find a way to keep tenants from having to pay such high fees.
“I spoke to the county attorney. He’s going to do some leg work to find out if and what we can do to take a look at this issue,” Roddey said.
A spokesman for the South Carolina Association of Realtors says while there is no law limiting late fees, any late fee has to be “reasonable,” and that’s something a judge would have to decide if a fee is challenged by a renter.
In North Carolina, the law is different stating rental late fees can’t exceed $15 or 5% of the monthly rent, whichever is higher.
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