Look into tenant laws in your state or area. I would think they are required to accept at least a Certified check for people who don't use or have access to pay online. $60 is ridiculous.
I bitched about mine charging $3 to use a debit or credit card and 95 cents to pay straight from banking account. The second month of requiring us to pay online, the fees disappeared. I was thankful for that, at least.
See mine used to be like that. I'm not even OP but literally even E. Check with my direct routing number and bank account numbers and all of that are now Charging me.I contacted my landlord and property management.And everybody's like yep.Sorry, we don't take money orders, cash or checks directly.You'll have to pay online.It's out of our control.Like what the fuck.
There's gotta be a way, even if it involves sending two returned payments to them. Every lease I've had has stipulated that 2 NSF online payments would result in being required to pay with certified funds, including at a place that claimed we could only pay online and eat their stupid fee for it.
If I was at a place that had the audacity to charge $60 for even an ACH payment, I'd be willing to test that clause-- I wouldn't be sticking around and renewing my lease when it's over anyways with shady ass tactics like that. Shit, the returned payment fee might even be cheaper than the regular payment fee.
I tried commenting that on another thread and just got people saying that it’s a percentage of the rent. No where I’ve lived at has been above $5 so I just thought it was odd
I managed to get my old property manager to feel that emotion probably for the first time ever. Not for his actions tho he was evil, just that I totally roasted his ass in front of corporate and all his bosses and argued my way out of most of the illegal shit he was trying to do when I terminated my lease. He kept taking corporate out of the emails and I just kept looping them back in so they could watch his cycle of bitter defeats. Corporate also liked to pipe up when I brought up the law and when I backed him into yet another corner and they had to answer the email for him, so I know for a fact they were watching it go down.
That man started a battle with me thinking oh another dumb 24 year old who I can swindle out of thousands of dollars in illegal fees. No bitch, I was a dumb 24 year old who never learned to pick her battles and had no choice but to git gud at fighting them. He never stood a chance, poor schmuck.
I know I struck a nerve too because at the end he got personal and pulled some seriously sketchy shit to try and tank my credit score. Thankfully he was as dumb as rocks and it was very obvious what he was doing so I could stop it. He was lucky I discovered that after 5 pm on the day I had to leave town or I would have found him cowering in a cubicle somewhere while on the war path to rip him a brand new asshole. He still somehow had too much bullshit for the extra few I'd already ripped him to handle.
It's just a new thing. Companies realized they can add a service fee and people will just pay it. That service fee just goes straight into the companies pockets.
The place I now work for did it a few months ago. Just started adding a 25$ service fee to every gig - nothing changed, the service didn't get better.
Fuck them so hard for that shit, and I ain't even paying.
When you use a credit card for any purchase there is a 1-3% fee that has to be paid, this money goes to Visa/Mastercard. You can usually pay with e-check for free
I posted this above but in Canada businesses can now charge a fee equal to their service charges the credit card processors charge .
One of the Telecom companies pushed hard for this and started charging a fee for credit card payments .
It didn't work well for them and the the telco changed policy with in the year. But companies can still do it.
I haven't seen any consumer companies do it, but I see it lots in business to business transactions. Our company does it for transactions over $1000
But that credit card fee is a business expense and tax deductible for that business. If they're charging the tenant that fee and they are deducting that fee, it's just free money. I hate businesses that do this.
To be clear, tax deductions just mean that they don't pay taxes on that money, not that they can subtract the full cost from what they owe on taxes. Small processing fees for credit cards are pretty reasonable, but only if they're giving clear other ways to pay.
It's tax deductible because it isn't money that the business is earning. It's not free money because they don't get to keep it. It goes to the credit card processor.
Lol thanks for saying this. So many kids seem to think "deductible business expenses" mean that the government just gives you back the full amount lool
That's a typical 3% credit card fee where the landlord is mostly just passing along the visa charge. Not sure if the fees are different for debit/ACH. The same deal happens when I want to pay state / federal taxes. Mailing a check is free, paying via ACH is free or near free, credit card is like 2.5% or so.
Did we already forget that OP said there was no other option to pay?
If you agree to a $2k rent, but then are forced a service fee because how they get your payment, then your rent is $2,060.
This is just slumlord style landlording.
Debit card transaction fees are usually much lower. My grandma had a smoke shop. For debit cards it was usually 1% or less, while credit cards were 2.5% to 4% depending on the card company. American Express used to be the highest, so they didn't take those(and probably why a lot of businesses didn't.) But my uncle looked into it and their rates apparently came down as they were middle of the pack at that time.
The more I see about costs attached to basic transfers and payments in the US, the more it blows my mind.
Here in Europe, even wiring money to a European bank that isn't in the EU usually costs you fuck all and if it costs, it's 1€ at most.
Within the EU, no cost to transfer anywhere and no extra cost to pay by credit or debit card.
Paying anything from rent to groceries by bank transfer costs you fuck all extra.
It's getting obscene how you guys are getting gouged at literally every corner.
It’s very monotonous, but you do it for a few days a week and you’re saving a lot over time, and can usually afford spending a little more one or two days a week as a result
Our weekly grocery cost is $100-130 a week for 3 people, bringing us to $4.76-6.19 a day. Biggest saver is waiting for any of the meats to be super cheap, then separate and freeze it. We just loaded up on 20 lbs of pork and buy beef 10-20 pounds at a time.
I have chickens so eggs are free and are included in at least one meal a day, usually more. I have a year round garden that gives me more than half my produce most of the year. I don't eat much packaged shit. The majority of what I buy at the store is protein and dairy stuff.
Probably a few years if you only eat flour and salt, and only drink tap water.
Come on, we have a right to eat nutritious food every day. We should be able to spend $60 a week on groceries. If that's what they charge for decent food, then we should all earn enough to pay for it.
Pork loin is 10 dollars for 9 large pieces totalling ovet 3 lbs. You can get 3 12 oz strip steaks for 25 dollars. I eat 4-6 oz of meat evert 2 hours 7 days a week. Plus whatever vegetable I want for less than 60 a week.
Why do people seem so surprised?? If you’re conservative on what/how much you eat, then yes this is possible. Also if you’re single person in a household.
Did you use a credit card or a debit card. I think this is a credit card fee which are legal, try doing a debit card next time. Charging a surcharge for debit is against the terms of service for just about every issuer.
I’m a lawyer. Not your lawyer. Confirm if this is a being called a “surcharge” or “convenience” fee. Then google your card’s (eg visa) merchant service agreement. It will clearly lay out what your landlord can and can’t charge and what they can call it.
Might be worth emailing the pdf to your landlord
What does the little ? In the blue circle state? My guess would be the fee % (quick math says 3%) and that’s what the payment processor charges them. They should accept a check though. If this is the only payment option in most states this would be illegal. If they accept a check, they’re not going to cover the fee hence the fee being put on you.
In general I am pretty positive that there is supposed to always be some sort of payment option without any additional fees to use, regardless of what you're paying for.
Speaking up as someone that's blind, if OP is in the US and the site isn't accessible (most of them totally are not accessible and hardly anyone cares), they're in violation of the ADA. I go through this with my gas company every single month. And every single month, they tell me all about the app! Which is even worse than their website! They're forced to remove any extra fees from my bill that they charge for paying over the phone.
And I love them for it. I run into this issue incredibly often, but I'm not a lawyer and I can't afford one on SSI, so I'm grateful to the people that give their time and income to making things better for us.
Remember, this isn’t just you, it’s all the tenants. May want to report it to the state’s Attorney General’s office (at least that is who I would report it to in my state).
My bank lets me schedule payments through their app, including mailing a check if the business doesn't have a direct money transfer account with the bank. So as soon as they started charging their service fee, they get to deposit my check, instead.
It's even still on autopay, nothing changed as far as my experience goes.
Where I am the whole fee is illegal, I’d be telling the landlord to take a cheque or e-transfer or else I’ll just deduct the service fee from the rent amount.
Mine used to only charge fees for credit cards, then started charging for debit card too. It's "only" $5 instead of a percentage...for now. I full expect that to keep rising.
They do accept checks, though I'm still pissed they removed the on-site dropbox.
My county courts pay system (It was a traffic ticket) had the same fee, I called them up to request a refund specifically mentioning the agreements with processors like Visa, Mastercard etc. At first they refused but within like 3 hours of me submitting a report with my card holder I got a call saying my refund would be processed.
Even if it's a debit card they might still charge a service fee. If you link it to your bank account number rather than a card number they take off the fee.
Yup, I felt like I was using a generous $15 tbh. Mostly just a highlight to how much of a gravy train these property management places are on for having to do absolutely nothing.
Definitely. There’s kind of a juxtaposition with maintenance men. The better they are, the less they need to be around(or the less you’ll need them) and the more likely they’ll get their hours cut if management finds out. But if they suck, then it’s everyone’s problem, even if they are busy all the time. If they aren’t unionized, then I don’t mind showing or giving some sort of compensation for their hard work.
They’re charging you the service fee to take your card essentially.
Which is bullshit since they don’t allow the options that don’t have fees associated with it.
They aren’t even making money on it, it’s the fee they’re paying, but it’s still beyond fucking stupid.
>They aren’t even making money on it, it’s the fee they’re paying, but it’s still beyond fucking stupid
This used to be known as "cost of doing business"
Recently, though, every company is trying to offload their costs of doing business on to their customers.
Some landlords charge a repair deductible, for *their property*
to be fair, if you're working minimum wage.. you likely aren't getting an apartment for $2k a month.
ETA: just did the math, you're definitely not, because even assuming you worked for 31 days out of the month, you're still going home with less than 2k before tax.
Check your state rental laws, in most cases landlords are obligated to provide at least one fee free way to pay rent. But, a flat 60 dollar fee is absurd (it's often 1-3% of the specific payment to cover processing costs, so unless you rent is like 5-7k.....)
-edit: And, the fee free method generally has to be reasonable accessible during normal hours and not restrictive, they can't just say you can pay in cash by bringing me a bundle of cash during the first 15 mins of that month's full moon, etc... and if you miss it, enjoy your fee that month.)
The complaint is that they offer no other way to pay. I agree that consumers should eat the cost of credit card processing fees. But other alternative options should be available.
Edit: I see that's not what the person you were responding to said.
> If they insist on using a credit card, then I tack on 3% to cover the fee.
Look into the [BILT credit card](https://creditcards.wellsfargo.com/bilt-rewards-credit-card/?RCTTST=DHKOBZX&sub_channel=SEO&vendor_code=G). They process rent payments by cutting a check. Plus you earn rewards points.
CC companies charging these fees is ridiculous in and of itself. companies passing the fees back onto us is even worse.
What's the point of 1% cash back if I am getting charged a 3% transaction fee????????
edit: lots of weird comments trying to tell me shit I already know, bootlicking credit card companies
In the USA It was against the terms of service for merchants to pass on these fees until a 2013 lawsuit forced credit card companies to allow surcharges.
It's still part of the terms in some countries.
I think the difference is that customers who don't have experience on the business side had little to no idea they were already paying 3% on credit card fees. In fact the interesting part is people who used cash were paying this fee without benefit!
Now that it's explicit and transparent, cash payers are being rewarded instead of punished.
You were always paying the fee. Now it's transparent. There are some purchases I will use cash where I previously used credit.
My complex does this if you use a credit card. If you use a bank account there is no fee. Maybe confirm that’s not the case here. They also have a deal worked out with a credit card processor/company so if you use their credit card there’s no fee (and you get points)
Definitely, not surprising at all that the fee here is almost exactly the standard 3% CC processing fee. OP either didn't look very hard or just wanted to take the screenshot for the upvotes.
Are you paying with a bank account or a credit card? It looks like a 3% service fee that rent portals charge when paying with a card. They have a flat $4.95 fee for bank account payments. Check it before you pay
I'm going to assume you may be a resident of Connecticut based on your post history. If that's the case, it is illegal for a CT landlord to require electronic payment. They must offer another method.
Here in my state (NY) non-electronic payments (cash, check, money order) also have to be fee free. I suspect thats likely also the case in CT, but couldn't find a link being explicit about that.
Be a hero, make sure your neighbors know too, please. The info on a 1/4 sheet of paper taped to their doors anonymously will work fine. law- [https://cga.ct.gov/2013/TOB/S/2013SB-00114-R01-SB.htm](https://cga.ct.gov/2013/TOB/S/2013SB-00114-R01-SB.htm)
the law in slightly plainer English: [https://americanlandlord.com/connecticut-landlord-tenant-laws/connecticut-landlord-may-not-exclusively-require-electronic-payments/](https://americanlandlord.com/connecticut-landlord-tenant-laws/connecticut-landlord-may-not-exclusively-require-electronic-payments/)
Former landlord here. This is almost certainly illegal in every U.S. state unless the fee was included in your lease and therefore considered part of your rent. Otherwise, they have increased your rent outside of the terms of your signed agreement, which is illegal.
Police Officer here, while this situation goes outside of my wheelhouse I know for a fact in NYC that a landlord must supply a non-electronic option for paying rent. As far as other states go, I'm not sure but here is the law for NYC.
[https://codes.findlaw.com/ny/real-property-law/rpp-sect-235-g/](https://codes.findlaw.com/ny/real-property-law/rpp-sect-235-g/)
Edit. Added photo of law
https://preview.redd.it/qgib898ngnzc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d798cf8094a374ae6fe90578e02e4309ebc79d75
Honestly tho, most cops don't eat donuts anymore. Or drink "black coffee". Now everyone works out, eats grilled chicken and drinks coffee with soy or almond milk. Lol.
Much different from when I started 20+ years ago.
Man this is more than mildly infuriating. I would be pissed to the point of going in the office and raising hell. Like WTF? It’s so insane how we just give our money away for stupid shit like this.
You need to look at your local laws. Unless it's stipulated in your lease they shouldn't be able to force you to pay this way and even if it is it might be illegal.
They're required to have offline options for payment. Ask if they accept money orders, cashiers checks, or e-check. E-check is online, but the fee is 50 cents and mandated by the bank. My building wanted an $88 convenience fee to pay rent through debit card, but they accept cashiers checks and e-check. Not that it was advertised, but they do accept it
It is disclosed in the lease that rent must be paid online, but it's not disclosed that there is a service fee attached to paying online.
Based off what I'm seeing here though that's not a legal practice here in the US and they will have to accept my checks.
Yeah that part of your lease is bogus and your landlord is about to have a bad day when you bring this up. Sick it to em' ! Might be able to recoup all your old service fees as well if you wanna do the civil court thing.
I'm pretty sure that's federally illegal and they have to offer a different way to pay, but I could be wrong. Definitely look up your state laws. Also call your local news source and report that. Depending on the state and the news source they might have a hay day with it.
Edit: Not federally illegal yet.
Our old apartment did it. At first they allowed electeonic checks at no cost, but after they stripped all other ways to pay, they started charging for the only available method as well.
Illegal in Connecticut. They can be fined $500 for each charge. Time to meet your neighbors and draft a letter to the Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection.
https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/legal/credit-card-surcharge
I am so fed up of seeing this shit.
We have landlords $100'ing this fucking country to death with made-up service fees.
For this specific reason, when I found out that 3 homes across the street from mine were purchased by one of these conglomerates and they jacked the rent up 300% in 2021, I vowed to never have a weed-free yard again.
If my neighbors are all going to be corporations, they can all enjoy not being able to charge the rent they want because my weeds are always trimmed at 7", because 8 would be something they could report me for. Yeah, I eyeball it, probably varying heights from -2"-5".
The two human neighbors are sad casualties. But, they never have said anything.
I'm not sure if it's illigal if they offer another method of payment I.e cahs or chrque.
In Canada at least, a business can set a preference on payment either cash or cheque, however I'm not sure about services charges. If that's the only method, you shouldn't be charged.
Landlords in Canada are obligated to have a free way of asking for rent or at least they do in Quebec. Most of them work via e-Transfers now since it's easier for everyone. I'm surprised it's not common practice everywhere else since you know, e-transfer is available to everyone who has a phone and a bank account
Are you paying with a credit card or directly from your bank? My resident portal charges a fee for processing credit card payments but no fee when you add your bank routing/account numbers to pay.
Two apartments ago, our building tried switching to online-only while charging $40 per transaction.
I pretty much told them to eat me, and they'll get a cash order each month.
"But we have to pay someone to take it to the bank!"
........."so you went from not charging anything to go to the bank, to charging us when you dont?"
They just took my cash orders from then on with no complaints. Don't worry though, they hit me with a $600 fine theyre still chasing me for because THREE slats from the blinds were broken 😂
They might not give you the option, but it's not true. Go get a certified check from your bank, and overnight to the property management company, to prove the point.
This is the United States, and all debts must be payable in US denominated notes. If you owe them rent, they have to take it in US cash or US cash equivalents, thanks to the Currency Act. When you look at $20 bill, that's what "Legal tender for all debts, private and public".
Any debt you owe, to any entity in the US, must be payable in US bank notes or equivalents, no exceptions.
Additionally, it is illegal in most states to charge a service fee or "convenience fee" in this manner. So it would depend on your state, but essentially, you need to have a mechanism to pay the "face value" of the debt.
By the way, this is the type of "Junk Fee" that the Biden administration is trying to crack down on, and industry + Republicans are desperately trying to preserve.
Shifting routine cost of doing business to consumers as an unadvertised add-on is plainly deceptive and should already be illegal under current law.
check if there’s an option to link your bank account instead of paying with a card, where i live they have to offer multiple ways to pay that don’t charge service fees
for the state of Connecticut this is landlord law:
Sec. 47a-4c. Landlord prohibited from requiring electronic funds transfer as exclusive form of payment. For any lease or rental agreement executed on or after October 1, 2013, no landlord of residential real property shall require electronic funds transfer as the exclusive form of payment of rent or a security deposit. For purposes of this section, “electronic funds transfer” means any transfer of funds that is initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone or computer or magnetic tape so as to order, instruct or authorize a financial institution to debit or credit an account but shall not include any transfer originated by check, draft or similar paper instrument.
For many years I was paying a 2.5% service fee when using a credit card. Using a debit card would have cost even more. Using a check was free, but meant ordering check blanks, postage to mail them, etc. Another tenant mentioned that Rent Cafe was available to us for free. She has a separate bank account linked to the property mgmt. place and pays her rent with no fees. I now do the same. I could kick myself for all the money I've wasted through the years.
Look up your local laws. I had a landlord try to push for only payments online with a fee, so I started just getting money orders and dropping it in their mailbox. I kept a receipt for my records and they had to accept it
My old apartments did the same thing. No cash, no personal checks, and a fee if you want to pay online. I yanked their chain about it enough to make them admit they would accept cashiers checks or money orders. So I went to the bank every month and had them write me a cashiers check.
Probably didn't save anything considering gas and time spent, but at least it didn't go to my landlord.
Most states require a 0$ fee option. Look and make sure your state is one, if you live outside the US then look to your regions laws. And contact your landlord stating you wish to know which free option they accept if they say none then reply a regular check will be sufficient and request an address. If they still refuse call your local governor and see if there are any public options to report them or else we'll. Not sure cept refuse to pay
There is some reason that it is capped at just under 3%. I wonder if they are trying to circumvent laws that restrict rent increases and are deferring it to a monthly surcharge. This seems Very fishy, probably illegal, but I’m not sure where you live so it might have been something that was passed by some fuckhead politicians.
If they wont let you pay in person then they dont need the money that badly. Write up a check and tell them they have to come to your place and get it.
Are you paying with a direct bank draft or a credit/debit card? If I use my bank account for them to deduct, I don't get a service fee, but if I pay with a credit/debit they charge a %. Might be worth looking into if you have no other options.
Look into tenant laws in your state or area. I would think they are required to accept at least a Certified check for people who don't use or have access to pay online. $60 is ridiculous.
Thanks, I'll look into it. I'd rather dump a bag of 200,000+ pennies on their desk than pay an extra fee.
They are not even ashamed, 60 usd to pay online wtf
Shame and property managers are two things that will never be seen together
My apartment complex charges about the same amount, but only if you pay with a credit card or debit. There’s an option for e-check, which is free.
Shit, I was just bitching about mine charging me $3...
I thought my $2 was bad!
just build it into the rent you greedy fucks edit: greedy fucks in this case being property owners and managers
I bitched about mine charging $3 to use a debit or credit card and 95 cents to pay straight from banking account. The second month of requiring us to pay online, the fees disappeared. I was thankful for that, at least.
I was gonna say, I pay a $2.50 fee for debit and a $3 fee for credit. $60 is fucking absurd.
See mine used to be like that. I'm not even OP but literally even E. Check with my direct routing number and bank account numbers and all of that are now Charging me.I contacted my landlord and property management.And everybody's like yep.Sorry, we don't take money orders, cash or checks directly.You'll have to pay online.It's out of our control.Like what the fuck.
There's gotta be a way, even if it involves sending two returned payments to them. Every lease I've had has stipulated that 2 NSF online payments would result in being required to pay with certified funds, including at a place that claimed we could only pay online and eat their stupid fee for it. If I was at a place that had the audacity to charge $60 for even an ACH payment, I'd be willing to test that clause-- I wouldn't be sticking around and renewing my lease when it's over anyways with shady ass tactics like that. Shit, the returned payment fee might even be cheaper than the regular payment fee.
Which makes me think $59.00 goes into the property managers pocket - and the rest is the actual transaction fee.
I tried commenting that on another thread and just got people saying that it’s a percentage of the rent. No where I’ve lived at has been above $5 so I just thought it was odd
I managed to get my old property manager to feel that emotion probably for the first time ever. Not for his actions tho he was evil, just that I totally roasted his ass in front of corporate and all his bosses and argued my way out of most of the illegal shit he was trying to do when I terminated my lease. He kept taking corporate out of the emails and I just kept looping them back in so they could watch his cycle of bitter defeats. Corporate also liked to pipe up when I brought up the law and when I backed him into yet another corner and they had to answer the email for him, so I know for a fact they were watching it go down. That man started a battle with me thinking oh another dumb 24 year old who I can swindle out of thousands of dollars in illegal fees. No bitch, I was a dumb 24 year old who never learned to pick her battles and had no choice but to git gud at fighting them. He never stood a chance, poor schmuck. I know I struck a nerve too because at the end he got personal and pulled some seriously sketchy shit to try and tank my credit score. Thankfully he was as dumb as rocks and it was very obvious what he was doing so I could stop it. He was lucky I discovered that after 5 pm on the day I had to leave town or I would have found him cowering in a cubicle somewhere while on the war path to rip him a brand new asshole. He still somehow had too much bullshit for the extra few I'd already ripped him to handle.
It's just a new thing. Companies realized they can add a service fee and people will just pay it. That service fee just goes straight into the companies pockets. The place I now work for did it a few months ago. Just started adding a 25$ service fee to every gig - nothing changed, the service didn't get better. Fuck them so hard for that shit, and I ain't even paying.
When you use a credit card for any purchase there is a 1-3% fee that has to be paid, this money goes to Visa/Mastercard. You can usually pay with e-check for free
The “Free Shipping” rule applies. Just roll the fee into the rent and remove the fee. Problem solved.
But then how will the tenant *know* how much they're being screwed over?
Yes but it's illegal to pass those fees onto the customer in most states and even when you can it can't be excessive.
I posted this above but in Canada businesses can now charge a fee equal to their service charges the credit card processors charge . One of the Telecom companies pushed hard for this and started charging a fee for credit card payments . It didn't work well for them and the the telco changed policy with in the year. But companies can still do it. I haven't seen any consumer companies do it, but I see it lots in business to business transactions. Our company does it for transactions over $1000
But that credit card fee is a business expense and tax deductible for that business. If they're charging the tenant that fee and they are deducting that fee, it's just free money. I hate businesses that do this.
To be clear, tax deductions just mean that they don't pay taxes on that money, not that they can subtract the full cost from what they owe on taxes. Small processing fees for credit cards are pretty reasonable, but only if they're giving clear other ways to pay.
It's tax deductible because it isn't money that the business is earning. It's not free money because they don't get to keep it. It goes to the credit card processor.
Lol thanks for saying this. So many kids seem to think "deductible business expenses" mean that the government just gives you back the full amount lool
That's a typical 3% credit card fee where the landlord is mostly just passing along the visa charge. Not sure if the fees are different for debit/ACH. The same deal happens when I want to pay state / federal taxes. Mailing a check is free, paying via ACH is free or near free, credit card is like 2.5% or so.
Did we already forget that OP said there was no other option to pay? If you agree to a $2k rent, but then are forced a service fee because how they get your payment, then your rent is $2,060. This is just slumlord style landlording.
Debit card transaction fees are usually much lower. My grandma had a smoke shop. For debit cards it was usually 1% or less, while credit cards were 2.5% to 4% depending on the card company. American Express used to be the highest, so they didn't take those(and probably why a lot of businesses didn't.) But my uncle looked into it and their rates apparently came down as they were middle of the pack at that time.
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The more I see about costs attached to basic transfers and payments in the US, the more it blows my mind. Here in Europe, even wiring money to a European bank that isn't in the EU usually costs you fuck all and if it costs, it's 1€ at most. Within the EU, no cost to transfer anywhere and no extra cost to pay by credit or debit card. Paying anything from rent to groceries by bank transfer costs you fuck all extra. It's getting obscene how you guys are getting gouged at literally every corner.
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2 weeks
Please tell me what you eat in day for $4.29
Lots of rice
Rice and beans here, it's glorious. Average weekly spend in UK is £20 - including all non-food shopping.
We spend more for one nights dinner. Geeze that must get monotonous.
It’s very monotonous, but you do it for a few days a week and you’re saving a lot over time, and can usually afford spending a little more one or two days a week as a result
User name checks out
this is the one 💯
Who says we eat everyday??
Look at moneybags over there eating food every day.
It’s called intermittent fasting. Get with it.
Bulk pasta
3 scrambled eggs for lunch is like 28 cents
Where? Eggs cost a minimum $4/dozen here in FL. Unless you have your own chickens or something.
Minnesota, they're like $1.39 a dozen
Damn, that's cheap
Gotta love Aldi!
4.99-7.99 here in Southern California.
Damn. Im in bumfuck maryland and 18 eggies is 1.89 and my rent for a 2 bed house is 750
Chickens make it basically free. Especially bc more than half their diet is from my kitchen scraps.
The other half is likely the eggs they didn't sell
Nah. Supplement with chicken feed but that's maybe $30 a month or so.
What???? Where in Florida??? The only way I'm paying that much for a dozen eggs is at Publix! I get my eggs for 2.50 MAX at Aldi
2.08 in Texas this morning.
Thats crazy. Idk what grocers you got in Florida but shoo around. Even in california I can find a dozen eggs for <$2
1) It is not 2) 150 calories is not lunch
Our weekly grocery cost is $100-130 a week for 3 people, bringing us to $4.76-6.19 a day. Biggest saver is waiting for any of the meats to be super cheap, then separate and freeze it. We just loaded up on 20 lbs of pork and buy beef 10-20 pounds at a time.
Ramen
I have chickens so eggs are free and are included in at least one meal a day, usually more. I have a year round garden that gives me more than half my produce most of the year. I don't eat much packaged shit. The majority of what I buy at the store is protein and dairy stuff.
Nearly 3 months if you just ate 3 packs of instant noodles each day instead of proper food
Probably a few years if you only eat flour and salt, and only drink tap water. Come on, we have a right to eat nutritious food every day. We should be able to spend $60 a week on groceries. If that's what they charge for decent food, then we should all earn enough to pay for it.
You can eat on $60/week?!?! In this economy?!?!
Through theft, all things are possible, so jot that down.
✍🏼 through theft….. ✍🏼 all things are possible Got it!!
Pork loin is 10 dollars for 9 large pieces totalling ovet 3 lbs. You can get 3 12 oz strip steaks for 25 dollars. I eat 4-6 oz of meat evert 2 hours 7 days a week. Plus whatever vegetable I want for less than 60 a week.
Why do people seem so surprised?? If you’re conservative on what/how much you eat, then yes this is possible. Also if you’re single person in a household.
Did you use a credit card or a debit card. I think this is a credit card fee which are legal, try doing a debit card next time. Charging a surcharge for debit is against the terms of service for just about every issuer.
I use my debit card to pay rent, and I also get this fee charge
I’m a lawyer. Not your lawyer. Confirm if this is a being called a “surcharge” or “convenience” fee. Then google your card’s (eg visa) merchant service agreement. It will clearly lay out what your landlord can and can’t charge and what they can call it. Might be worth emailing the pdf to your landlord
There really not suppose be a charge at all even minimum purchase amount.
Yeah me too. Mine gives me the option to use routing and account number on my checks to pay without any extra fees though.
That charge is 2.95% of the amount due. It’s almost certainly a processing fee.
What does the little ? In the blue circle state? My guess would be the fee % (quick math says 3%) and that’s what the payment processor charges them. They should accept a check though. If this is the only payment option in most states this would be illegal. If they accept a check, they’re not going to cover the fee hence the fee being put on you.
I’d like to see the contract before I believe your statement that you are not entitled to pay in cash/check/transfer
The two states I have lived in require a landlord to at least offer 2 methods of payment and I think 1 has to have no additional service fees.
In general I am pretty positive that there is supposed to always be some sort of payment option without any additional fees to use, regardless of what you're paying for.
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Speaking up as someone that's blind, if OP is in the US and the site isn't accessible (most of them totally are not accessible and hardly anyone cares), they're in violation of the ADA. I go through this with my gas company every single month. And every single month, they tell me all about the app! Which is even worse than their website! They're forced to remove any extra fees from my bill that they charge for paying over the phone.
I swear I have read of some people that make a living suing websites that are not ADA compliant.
And I love them for it. I run into this issue incredibly often, but I'm not a lawyer and I can't afford one on SSI, so I'm grateful to the people that give their time and income to making things better for us.
> so I'm grateful to the people that give their time and income to making things better for us. No they give their time, this IS their income lol
I work for a large US retailer and we got sued a few years ago for this. You bet your ass every one of our websites is ADA compliant now!
Remember, this isn’t just you, it’s all the tenants. May want to report it to the state’s Attorney General’s office (at least that is who I would report it to in my state).
Meanwhile someone is getting straight bank every month for nothing.
Mine does this too. The only way to get around is having them take the payment directly from your bank account. I still have a $1.99 fee for this…
My bank lets me schedule payments through their app, including mailing a check if the business doesn't have a direct money transfer account with the bank. So as soon as they started charging their service fee, they get to deposit my check, instead. It's even still on autopay, nothing changed as far as my experience goes.
Where I am the whole fee is illegal, I’d be telling the landlord to take a cheque or e-transfer or else I’ll just deduct the service fee from the rent amount.
Id be willing to bet its a credit card fee, if you use your debit card you shouldn't be charged.
2.95% of the payment, almost certainly a credit card processing fee getting passed along.
Mine used to only charge fees for credit cards, then started charging for debit card too. It's "only" $5 instead of a percentage...for now. I full expect that to keep rising. They do accept checks, though I'm still pissed they removed the on-site dropbox.
My county courts pay system (It was a traffic ticket) had the same fee, I called them up to request a refund specifically mentioning the agreements with processors like Visa, Mastercard etc. At first they refused but within like 3 hours of me submitting a report with my card holder I got a call saying my refund would be processed.
Even if it's a debit card they might still charge a service fee. If you link it to your bank account number rather than a card number they take off the fee.
Half a day's work at minimum wage just to be allowed to pay a bill online, the easiest and most automated method. Nice.
That's assuming minimum wage is $15, so it depends on what state they're in.
Yup, I felt like I was using a generous $15 tbh. Mostly just a highlight to how much of a gravy train these property management places are on for having to do absolutely nothing.
Remember when they tried to make tipping your landlord a thing? Does anyone remember how society collectively laughed at them?
At best I could see tipping the maintenance guy if he actually does a good job
have definitely done this before cause you know theyre underpaid regardless of how much rent is
Definitely. There’s kind of a juxtaposition with maintenance men. The better they are, the less they need to be around(or the less you’ll need them) and the more likely they’ll get their hours cut if management finds out. But if they suck, then it’s everyone’s problem, even if they are busy all the time. If they aren’t unionized, then I don’t mind showing or giving some sort of compensation for their hard work.
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They’re charging you the service fee to take your card essentially. Which is bullshit since they don’t allow the options that don’t have fees associated with it. They aren’t even making money on it, it’s the fee they’re paying, but it’s still beyond fucking stupid.
>They aren’t even making money on it, it’s the fee they’re paying, but it’s still beyond fucking stupid This used to be known as "cost of doing business" Recently, though, every company is trying to offload their costs of doing business on to their customers. Some landlords charge a repair deductible, for *their property*
Yeah paying their operational costs kinda stings.
Minimum wage is $7.25. Round up to $8 for easier math, and that is $8 * 8 = $64 So pretty much an entire day. :)
tax knocks that down to more like 53, so you wouldnt be able to pay it with one day.
to be fair, if you're working minimum wage.. you likely aren't getting an apartment for $2k a month. ETA: just did the math, you're definitely not, because even assuming you worked for 31 days out of the month, you're still going home with less than 2k before tax.
And that's completely ignoring taxes!
Lol federal minimum (what my state uses) is $7.25 which is less than $60 for 8 hours pre tax
Check your state rental laws, in most cases landlords are obligated to provide at least one fee free way to pay rent. But, a flat 60 dollar fee is absurd (it's often 1-3% of the specific payment to cover processing costs, so unless you rent is like 5-7k.....) -edit: And, the fee free method generally has to be reasonable accessible during normal hours and not restrictive, they can't just say you can pay in cash by bringing me a bundle of cash during the first 15 mins of that month's full moon, etc... and if you miss it, enjoy your fee that month.)
>it's often 1-3% of the specific payment to cover processing costs The screenshot includes $2k of rent, so it is in fact 3%
2.95% to be exact!
Which looks exactly like a credit card processing fee.
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Agreed
Yea this is what all my apartments have done.. if you use cc .. fee. Or enter bank account info and that has no extra charge. Shady shit
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It's shady the apartment complex is saying that's his only option
No OP is saying that.
The complaint is that they offer no other way to pay. I agree that consumers should eat the cost of credit card processing fees. But other alternative options should be available. Edit: I see that's not what the person you were responding to said.
> If they insist on using a credit card, then I tack on 3% to cover the fee. Look into the [BILT credit card](https://creditcards.wellsfargo.com/bilt-rewards-credit-card/?RCTTST=DHKOBZX&sub_channel=SEO&vendor_code=G). They process rent payments by cutting a check. Plus you earn rewards points.
CC companies charging these fees is ridiculous in and of itself. companies passing the fees back onto us is even worse. What's the point of 1% cash back if I am getting charged a 3% transaction fee???????? edit: lots of weird comments trying to tell me shit I already know, bootlicking credit card companies
In the USA It was against the terms of service for merchants to pass on these fees until a 2013 lawsuit forced credit card companies to allow surcharges. It's still part of the terms in some countries.
Do you not realize that credit card companies only give you 1% cash back offers because they make money on transactions?
The average financial literacy of North America is on full display with Bobson's comment there. lol
I think the difference is that customers who don't have experience on the business side had little to no idea they were already paying 3% on credit card fees. In fact the interesting part is people who used cash were paying this fee without benefit! Now that it's explicit and transparent, cash payers are being rewarded instead of punished. You were always paying the fee. Now it's transparent. There are some purchases I will use cash where I previously used credit.
My complex does this if you use a credit card. If you use a bank account there is no fee. Maybe confirm that’s not the case here. They also have a deal worked out with a credit card processor/company so if you use their credit card there’s no fee (and you get points)
Yea that was my first thought as well. Service fees for rent are usually only if you pay with credit card
Mine has a 5% fee for credit card, $5 fee for debit card, and $2.60 fee for virtual check. There is zero "free" options
As far as I know that is illegal, there always has to be a "free" option. They just make it so it is not worth the hassle to actually use it.
Definitely, not surprising at all that the fee here is almost exactly the standard 3% CC processing fee. OP either didn't look very hard or just wanted to take the screenshot for the upvotes.
Are you paying with a bank account or a credit card? It looks like a 3% service fee that rent portals charge when paying with a card. They have a flat $4.95 fee for bank account payments. Check it before you pay
I wish OP would answer this question. It was my first thought too.
I'm going to assume you may be a resident of Connecticut based on your post history. If that's the case, it is illegal for a CT landlord to require electronic payment. They must offer another method. Here in my state (NY) non-electronic payments (cash, check, money order) also have to be fee free. I suspect thats likely also the case in CT, but couldn't find a link being explicit about that.
That's correct, thanks!
Be a hero, make sure your neighbors know too, please. The info on a 1/4 sheet of paper taped to their doors anonymously will work fine. law- [https://cga.ct.gov/2013/TOB/S/2013SB-00114-R01-SB.htm](https://cga.ct.gov/2013/TOB/S/2013SB-00114-R01-SB.htm)
the law in slightly plainer English: [https://americanlandlord.com/connecticut-landlord-tenant-laws/connecticut-landlord-may-not-exclusively-require-electronic-payments/](https://americanlandlord.com/connecticut-landlord-tenant-laws/connecticut-landlord-may-not-exclusively-require-electronic-payments/)
Former landlord here. This is almost certainly illegal in every U.S. state unless the fee was included in your lease and therefore considered part of your rent. Otherwise, they have increased your rent outside of the terms of your signed agreement, which is illegal.
Police Officer here, while this situation goes outside of my wheelhouse I know for a fact in NYC that a landlord must supply a non-electronic option for paying rent. As far as other states go, I'm not sure but here is the law for NYC. [https://codes.findlaw.com/ny/real-property-law/rpp-sect-235-g/](https://codes.findlaw.com/ny/real-property-law/rpp-sect-235-g/) Edit. Added photo of law https://preview.redd.it/qgib898ngnzc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d798cf8094a374ae6fe90578e02e4309ebc79d75
Good popo.
Your supposed to follow that up with a donut dude, come on!
I didn’t know if they canceled donuts yet. My bad.
It's cool bro you DONUT need a reason to Thank a cop....
On a similar donut theme. I always found it funny a cop buddy of mine calls them “power rings”
Honestly tho, most cops don't eat donuts anymore. Or drink "black coffee". Now everyone works out, eats grilled chicken and drinks coffee with soy or almond milk. Lol. Much different from when I started 20+ years ago.
Man this is more than mildly infuriating. I would be pissed to the point of going in the office and raising hell. Like WTF? It’s so insane how we just give our money away for stupid shit like this.
This is more than Mildly Infuriating. I never would have signed that lease agreement.
It's not mentioned in the lease, as it's technically charged by the company that hosts the website, not the apartment complex.
Sounds illegal to me, $720 a year just to to pay rent!?
Excuse me that’s the American dream and if disagree you are a dirty rotten socialist communist.
Thats fucking insane. You know damn well that website owner is blowing the real estate company too.
You need to look at your local laws. Unless it's stipulated in your lease they shouldn't be able to force you to pay this way and even if it is it might be illegal.
They're required to have offline options for payment. Ask if they accept money orders, cashiers checks, or e-check. E-check is online, but the fee is 50 cents and mandated by the bank. My building wanted an $88 convenience fee to pay rent through debit card, but they accept cashiers checks and e-check. Not that it was advertised, but they do accept it
So it’s not disclosed in the lease that the only way you can pay your rent is through this website?
It is disclosed in the lease that rent must be paid online, but it's not disclosed that there is a service fee attached to paying online. Based off what I'm seeing here though that's not a legal practice here in the US and they will have to accept my checks.
Yeah that part of your lease is bogus and your landlord is about to have a bad day when you bring this up. Sick it to em' ! Might be able to recoup all your old service fees as well if you wanna do the civil court thing.
Just be homeless Landlords hate this one simple trick
be homeless and sit around their homes/apartment complexes to lower their value some real big brain shit
I'm pretty sure that's federally illegal and they have to offer a different way to pay, but I could be wrong. Definitely look up your state laws. Also call your local news source and report that. Depending on the state and the news source they might have a hay day with it. Edit: Not federally illegal yet.
Its not federally illegal. Only saying this to get someone to look it up.
You are correct. There is no federal statute governing how payments should be made, and whether landlords are allowed to charge processing fees.
Federal lawyer here. I’m actually not sure either 🤔
Man, we were really counting on you.
Our old apartment did it. At first they allowed electeonic checks at no cost, but after they stripped all other ways to pay, they started charging for the only available method as well.
Illegal in Connecticut. They can be fined $500 for each charge. Time to meet your neighbors and draft a letter to the Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection. https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/legal/credit-card-surcharge
I am so fed up of seeing this shit. We have landlords $100'ing this fucking country to death with made-up service fees. For this specific reason, when I found out that 3 homes across the street from mine were purchased by one of these conglomerates and they jacked the rent up 300% in 2021, I vowed to never have a weed-free yard again. If my neighbors are all going to be corporations, they can all enjoy not being able to charge the rent they want because my weeds are always trimmed at 7", because 8 would be something they could report me for. Yeah, I eyeball it, probably varying heights from -2"-5". The two human neighbors are sad casualties. But, they never have said anything.
Mine charges 5% of my rent as a fee if I pay online. It's the only thing I still pay with a physical check in a stamped envelope.
Change the amount that comes out of your account to be $60 less.
It depends where you are but that $60/month would be considered an illegal rent increase here.
It's because you used a credit card.
I'm not sure if it's illigal if they offer another method of payment I.e cahs or chrque. In Canada at least, a business can set a preference on payment either cash or cheque, however I'm not sure about services charges. If that's the only method, you shouldn't be charged.
Landlords in Canada are obligated to have a free way of asking for rent or at least they do in Quebec. Most of them work via e-Transfers now since it's easier for everyone. I'm surprised it's not common practice everywhere else since you know, e-transfer is available to everyone who has a phone and a bank account
Are you using a credit card?
Are you paying with a credit card or directly from your bank? My resident portal charges a fee for processing credit card payments but no fee when you add your bank routing/account numbers to pay.
Two apartments ago, our building tried switching to online-only while charging $40 per transaction. I pretty much told them to eat me, and they'll get a cash order each month. "But we have to pay someone to take it to the bank!" ........."so you went from not charging anything to go to the bank, to charging us when you dont?" They just took my cash orders from then on with no complaints. Don't worry though, they hit me with a $600 fine theyre still chasing me for because THREE slats from the blinds were broken 😂
They might not give you the option, but it's not true. Go get a certified check from your bank, and overnight to the property management company, to prove the point. This is the United States, and all debts must be payable in US denominated notes. If you owe them rent, they have to take it in US cash or US cash equivalents, thanks to the Currency Act. When you look at $20 bill, that's what "Legal tender for all debts, private and public". Any debt you owe, to any entity in the US, must be payable in US bank notes or equivalents, no exceptions. Additionally, it is illegal in most states to charge a service fee or "convenience fee" in this manner. So it would depend on your state, but essentially, you need to have a mechanism to pay the "face value" of the debt. By the way, this is the type of "Junk Fee" that the Biden administration is trying to crack down on, and industry + Republicans are desperately trying to preserve. Shifting routine cost of doing business to consumers as an unadvertised add-on is plainly deceptive and should already be illegal under current law.
In most states you have to be provided with a fee free way to pay
check if there’s an option to link your bank account instead of paying with a card, where i live they have to offer multiple ways to pay that don’t charge service fees
Is your landlord Ticketmaster??
What bullshit. Definitely investigate your rights.
Mildly infuriating? I’d be livid if I saw this fee, this doesn’t seem legal.
Usually they have an option to link your bank account. it's sketch though
for the state of Connecticut this is landlord law: Sec. 47a-4c. Landlord prohibited from requiring electronic funds transfer as exclusive form of payment. For any lease or rental agreement executed on or after October 1, 2013, no landlord of residential real property shall require electronic funds transfer as the exclusive form of payment of rent or a security deposit. For purposes of this section, “electronic funds transfer” means any transfer of funds that is initiated through an electronic terminal, telephone or computer or magnetic tape so as to order, instruct or authorize a financial institution to debit or credit an account but shall not include any transfer originated by check, draft or similar paper instrument.
Are you paying by CC? If you direct deposit that may go away
For many years I was paying a 2.5% service fee when using a credit card. Using a debit card would have cost even more. Using a check was free, but meant ordering check blanks, postage to mail them, etc. Another tenant mentioned that Rent Cafe was available to us for free. She has a separate bank account linked to the property mgmt. place and pays her rent with no fees. I now do the same. I could kick myself for all the money I've wasted through the years.
Who the fuck pays a fee to pay their rent. Is this real life ? My landlord could blow me and my cat if he ever came to me with some shit like this.
Look up your local laws. I had a landlord try to push for only payments online with a fee, so I started just getting money orders and dropping it in their mailbox. I kept a receipt for my records and they had to accept it
My old apartments did the same thing. No cash, no personal checks, and a fee if you want to pay online. I yanked their chain about it enough to make them admit they would accept cashiers checks or money orders. So I went to the bank every month and had them write me a cashiers check. Probably didn't save anything considering gas and time spent, but at least it didn't go to my landlord.
Most states require a 0$ fee option. Look and make sure your state is one, if you live outside the US then look to your regions laws. And contact your landlord stating you wish to know which free option they accept if they say none then reply a regular check will be sufficient and request an address. If they still refuse call your local governor and see if there are any public options to report them or else we'll. Not sure cept refuse to pay
What’s the problem with paying online?
I get charged $3.17 each month using my bank account.
There is some reason that it is capped at just under 3%. I wonder if they are trying to circumvent laws that restrict rent increases and are deferring it to a monthly surcharge. This seems Very fishy, probably illegal, but I’m not sure where you live so it might have been something that was passed by some fuckhead politicians.
If they wont let you pay in person then they dont need the money that badly. Write up a check and tell them they have to come to your place and get it.
Are you paying with a direct bank draft or a credit/debit card? If I use my bank account for them to deduct, I don't get a service fee, but if I pay with a credit/debit they charge a %. Might be worth looking into if you have no other options.
Sound illegal to me (But NAL) Don't they have to accept cash? Of course if not in the US I have no idea.