The FTC has proposed a Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees. This rule is designed to address junk fees charged to consumers, including junk fees charged to renters.
Rental junk fees may include:
- Rental application fees
- Processing or administrative fees
- Notice fees
- Charges in lieu of a security deposit
- Pet fees or pet rent
- Pest control fees
- Fees to rent month-to-month instead of on an annual basis
- Roommate and guest-related fees
- Inspection fees
- Excessive late fees
- Convenience fees
- Fees charged by new corporate landlords
- Check cashing fees
- Trash fees
- Technology package/internet and cable-related fees
- Court costs and attorney’s fees
- Cleaning and repair fees
- Mail sorting fees
- Utilities-related fees
- Insurance fees
- High-risk fees
- Fees to report payment info to the credit bureaus
- Valet trash fees
- Fees to “hold” an apartment
- Common area and amenity-related fees
- Maintenance fees
- Fees charged each January
You can help the FTC create strong protections for renters by filing a comment, even if it’s just a few sentences. The questions below will help you tell them:
- What type of rental junk fees you are seeing,
- How they impact you and/or your clients, and
- Whether you think the FTC’s proposed rule would help.
Questions to consider answering in your comment:
- Are you a renter?
- Are you an advocate that works with renters? If yes, say more about where you work (e.g., location, type of organization, name of organization) and what your role is.
- What kind of rental junk fees do you see and how much are those fees?
- How have those rental junk fees impacted you or your clients? (e.g., increased housing costs or risk of eviction, limits on housing options, etc.)
- The FTC’s proposed rule would require landlords to display the total price, including mandatory fees. Do you think that would help address the rental junk fees that you see?
- The FTC’s proposed rule would also prohibit landlords from misrepresenting any amounts that renters must pay (e.g., charging a fee for a service not actually provided, listing a fee as optional but then making it difficult to opt-out, or misrepresenting the value of a service). Do you think that would help address the rental junk fees that you see?
NOTE: If you have examples of bills or a lease containing the rental junk fee(s) that you mention above, you can upload that and attach it to your comment.
Deadline for comments is February 7, 2024.
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