(a) The lessor may assess a late payment fee if the late payment fee is specified in the rental-purchase agreement and is permitted by this section.

(b) No fee shall be assessed for a payment which is less than three days late if the rental-purchase agreement specifies weekly periodic payments.

Terms Used In California Civil Code 1812.626

  • Fee: means any payment, charge, fee, cost, or expense, however denominated, other than a rental payment. See California Civil Code 1812.622
  • Lessor: means any person or entity that provides or offers to provide personal property for use by consumers pursuant to a rental-purchase agreement. See California Civil Code 1812.622
  • Rental-purchase agreement: except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, means an agreement between a lessor and a consumer pursuant to which the lessor rents or leases, for valuable consideration, personal property for use by a consumer for personal, family, or household purposes for an initial term not exceeding four months that may be renewed or otherwise extended, if under the terms of the agreement the consumer acquires an option or other legally enforceable right to become owner of the property. See California Civil Code 1812.622

(c) No fee shall be assessed for a payment which is less than 7 days late if the rental-purchase agreement specifies longer than weekly periodic payments.

(d) The lessor may assess more than one late fee for a particular late payment if the total of all fees assessed for that late payment does not exceed the maximum provided in subdivision (e). If the maximum total late payment fee has been imposed for a particular payment, no additional late payment fee may be imposed for that payment.

(e) The total of all fees for a late payment shall not exceed the lesser of 5 percent of the payment or five dollars ($5), except that a minimum total fee of two dollars ($2) may be required.

(Added by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1026, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1995.)