Louisiana late fee calculator: is your rent late fee legal?
What the law says in Louisiana: No statewide cap, grace period or notice rule for residential late fees was found in Louisiana's lease law (Civil Code arts. 2668-2729, R.S. 9:3251-3261), so a late fee comes from the lease and is treated as stipulated damages under the Civil Code: the landlord need not prove actual loss (art. 2009), the fee applies only once the tenant is in default (art. 2010), and a court may modify it only if it is so manifestly unreasonable as to be contrary to public policy (art. 2012). The 5% / $25 limit in R.S. 9:3314 applies to leases of movable property such as vehicles, not homes. Other statutes were not searched.
Enter your rent and the fee you were charged to check it.
Enter your rent and the late fee to check it.
Source: La. Civ. Code arts. 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012; no residential late-fee provision in La. Civ. Code arts. 2668-2729 or La. R.S. 9:3251-3261 · All Louisiana renter rules
All Louisiana tenant law rules · Late fee limits in every state · Louisiana deposit deadline calculator
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Late fees, daily penalties and "additional rent" clauses are written into the lease. Our free scan flags fees and other clauses that may not hold up in Louisiana.
Scan my lease freeLate fee rules by state
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- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
General information only, not legal advice. Cities can add their own rules, and laws change; always check the linked source.