A late notice is a short, polite letter that tells a tenant the amount past due, the late fee and the date to pay by. This page gives you a copy-and-paste template. It is general information, not legal advice, so have your attorney review it for your state.
When to use it
Send a late notice the first business day after your grace period ends. It is the step before any formal lien notice. Its job is to get paid, not to threaten. Most tenants who get a clear, calm note pay within a few days.
Keep it separate from the pre-lien notice. A late notice is a courtesy under your lease. A pre-lien or lien notice is a legal document with required contents.
What the law usually requires
Most states do not require a late notice at all. What states do regulate is the late fee you put in it.
- Fee must be in the lease. Alabama says a late fee must be stated in the rental agreement, and a monthly fee of $20 or 20% of monthly rent, whichever is greater, is treated as reasonable (Ala. Code 8-15-40 et seq.).
- Waiting period. Illinois allows a late fee only after rent is five days past the due date (770 ILCS 95). Pennsylvania bars a fee if the tenant pays in full by the fifth day, so the earliest fee is day 6 (12 Pa.C.S. 5605).
- No statute. Texas chapter 59 has no late fee provision, so your lease controls. See Texas.
Say a tenant rents a unit at $95 a month in Alabama. Twenty percent is $19, and $20 is greater, so $20 is the presumptively reasonable fee. At $180 a month, 20% is $36, which is greater than $20, so $36 is the figure. Use the late fee calculator to check yours, and read how to set late fees before you pick a number. Find your state on the lien laws by state hub.
How to fill it in
- Tenant and unit. Use the name and unit number on the lease.
- Amount past due. List rent by month, then the late fee on its own line. Add no other charges.
- Late fee. State the fee exactly as the lease states it.
- Pay-by date. Give a real date, usually 5 to 10 days out.
- Ways to pay. List every method you accept: online portal, card, ACH, in person.
- Contact. Give a phone number that gets answered.
- Keep a record. Save a copy and note the date and method of sending.
Common mistakes
- Charging a fee before your state allows it.
- Adding a fee the lease does not mention.
- Rolling in other charges, so the number is wrong and the notice is easy to dispute.
- Threatening a sale date in a late notice. Only a lien notice that follows your statute should do that.
- Skipping the record. If the tenant later disputes the date, a saved copy settles it.
The template
Template only, general information, not legal advice. Have your attorney review it for your state.
[FACILITY NAME]
[FACILITY ADDRESS] | [PHONE] | [EMAIL]
Date: [DATE SENT]
To: [TENANT FULL NAME]
Unit: [UNIT NUMBER]
Address on file: [TENANT ADDRESS]
SUBJECT: Past due balance on your storage unit
Dear [TENANT FIRST NAME],
Our records show your rent for unit [UNIT NUMBER] is past due.
Rent due [DUE DATE]: $[RENT AMOUNT]
Rent due [DUE DATE, IF MORE THAN ONE]: $[RENT AMOUNT]
Late fee (per your rental agreement, section [SECTION]): $[LATE FEE]
------------------------------------------------
TOTAL DUE: $[TOTAL]
Please pay the total by [PAY-BY DATE].
Ways to pay:
- Online: [PAYMENT LINK]
- In person at the office: [OFFICE HOURS]
- By phone: [PHONE]
If you already paid, thank you. Please call us so we can fix our records.
If you are having trouble paying, call us before [PAY-BY DATE] and we will
work with you where we can.
Under your rental agreement, unpaid rent may lead to loss of gate access
and, if the balance stays unpaid, enforcement of the owner's lien under
state law. You will get a separate written notice before any such step.
Sincerely,
[MANAGER NAME OR "Management"]
[FACILITY NAME]