On January 26, 2018, the 200th Judicial District Court of Travis County, Texas granted final approval of a class action settlement brought by the Snell Law Firm, P.L.L.C and another law firm against South Lamar Apartments, L.P. and other associated entities. The Snell Firm represented a class consisting of 240 Austin tenants, who were previously charged excessive late fees by the apartment complex. As part of the settlement, all 240 tenants will receive three times all of the late fees they were previously charged.
It is a common practice for landlords to charge excessive late fees in Texas. The Texas Property Code places limits on the fees a landlord can assess to their tenants. In fact, a landlord may not charge a tenant a late fee for failing to pay rent unless: a) notice of the fee is included in a written lease, b) the fee is a reasonable estimate of uncertain damages to the landlord that are incapable of precise calculation and result from late payment of rent, and c) the rent has remained unpaid one full day after the date rent was originally due.
If you or someone you know has paid excessive late fees to an apartment complex, please contact the Snell Law Firm today.
Based in Austin, Texas, the Snell Law Firm has proudly been providing excellent legal services since 2007. With diverse strengths in many areas of law, the firm’s accomplished team provides strong legal counsel and fierce courtroom representation on a wide range of civil litigation matters, including business and commercial disputes, real estate litigation, construction matters, and class action litigation.