<div dir="ltr">I think part of the problem is that when the tenant does these things and an Association or Vendor contacts the Landlord because of non-compliance with rules there is a real cost to Landlords (many if not most of whom do not have management companies on flat fees to handle this.) And, as noted in prior response, sometimes there is a real cost such as a missed appointment fee or an Association fine- but even if it is responding to the Association letter that response is because the tenant breached the terms of their lease so the question is who pays for that- the tenant that breached or the Landlord who has to expend time (which is money) and sometimes money to deal with it.<div><br></div><div>Most leases have the ability to fee shift if an attorney is involved in any form of enforcement. If there is nothing that allows for a more minor charge to be made, then the Landlord is going to end up sending each one of these to legal and billing the tenants for the necessity of handling these issues which are not "no foul" if they take up Landlord time.</div><div><br></div><div>A piece of me likes having the Tenant know that if they do something specific that the wrong will be met with a fine or a fee and set out what that is. It makes it less subjective and enforces the seriousness of following rules. If it is always "no harm no foul" then the tenant can just ignore the rules and inconvenience the landlord repeatedly. I do not see the concept of specific fines or fees as impermissible or illegal so long as they bear a reasonable and rational relationship to the costs incurred from the breaches.</div><div><br></div><div>My client's will ALWAYS bill out of pocket things like Association fines that were levied or missed appointment fees. Where it comes to the other, there is usually a warning letter the first time with included language that the next letter will come with the legal responsibility for the costs. I may talk to them about a schedule of fines/fees to be applied.... hadn't considered that before! Ultimately, the likelihood is that they will just erode security deposits.</div><div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div>Deborah Marks, PLLC<br></div>18495 S. Dixie Highway<br>Ste 134<br></div>Miami, FL 33157<br>305-372-9400<br></div><a href="mailto:deborahmarkslaw@gmail.com" target="_blank">deborahmarkslaw@gmail.com</a></div><div dir="ltr"><a href="mailto:deborah@deborahmarks.law" target="_blank">deborah@deborahmarks.law</a><br><a href="mailto:synergy928@aol.com" target="_blank">synergy928@aol.com</a><br></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Jan 27, 2021 at 6:20 PM RPPTL Real Estate Leasing Committee <<a href="mailto:landten@lists.flabarrpptl.org">landten@lists.flabarrpptl.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div lang="EN-US"><div class="gmail-m_698019337962094770WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)">There’s a big move nationwide to put all kinds of fines and fees in a residential lease.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)">Don’t pick up your dog’s poop, a fine. Miss an appointment with a repair person, a fee. Tamper with the smoke detectors, a fine. Leave your garbage cans out, a fine. HOA writes a letter to the owner, a fine. Parking violation, a fine. Bring a pet on the property, a fine. We have to serve you a Three Day, a fee. <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)">What do you all feel about the legality of fees and fines?<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)">Florida law does not really address them and rarely have I seen them in residential leases except for late fees and bad check fees.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)">There are a few states that specifically disallow fees and fines. The whole property management industry seems to be pushing the envelope and clients ask me WHY something is not legal and I’m basically at a loss.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)">How would you argue for or against a fee or fine in court? I can’t stand them but the clients really push it. <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14pt;color:rgb(31,73,125)">Harry</span><b><span style="font-size:14pt;color:red"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u><u></u></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">LAW OFFICES OF <br>HEIST, WEISSE & WOLK P.A.<br>PH: 1 800 253 8428<br>FAX: 1 800 367 9038<br>"Serving the Property Management Professional"<br>Website: </span></b><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><a href="http://www.evict.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">www.evict.com</span></b></a></span><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"> <br>Email: </span></b><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><a href="mailto:harry@evict.com" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif">harry@evict.com</span></b></a></span><b><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u><u></u></span></b></p><table border="0" cellpadding="0" align="left" width="100%" style="width:100%;margin-left:6.75pt;margin-right:6.75pt;margin-bottom:7.75pt"><tbody><tr style="height:19.9pt"><td width="16%" rowspan="2" style="width:16.3%;padding:1.5pt;height:19.9pt"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="360" style="width:3.75in;border-collapse:collapse;border:none"><tbody><tr><td width="64" valign="top" style="width:48.3pt;padding:0in 5.4pt"><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heist-Weisse-Wolk-PA/343965575625870" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10pt;color:rgb(31,73,125);text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="37" height="37" style="width: 0.3854in; height: 0.3854in;" id="gmail-m_698019337962094770Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:177495aad4e692e331"></span></a><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u><u></u></span></p></td><td width="296" valign="top" style="width:221.7pt;padding:0in 5.4pt"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><br></span></b><b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">Visit us on Facebook</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u><u></u></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td><td width="82%" valign="bottom" style="width:82.74%;padding:1.5pt;height:19.9pt"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:19.85pt"><td width="82%" valign="bottom" style="width:82.74%;padding:1.5pt;height:19.85pt"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></b></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">THIS E-MAIL MESSAGE IS CONFIDENTIAL, ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGED, AND INTENDED FOR THE PERSONS NAMED ABOVE ONLY. 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