questions & answers

Question: My ex wife is late on rent. The attorney fee is $450.00 , is this considered "reasonable"? My understanding is she is being charged for the filing and un-filing with the court for an eviction. Additionally, she was not able to pay her rent and late fees at one point because the website they require her to pay through didn't have the updated information... The website listed a total amount due, but wouldn't accept the payment. This caused her to be several more days late while the office figured out the issue. This increased late fees and attorney fees. Is this acceptable? Or reasonable?

Answer: If the tenant were to speak with a legal professional about her late rent payment and associated late fees, the legal professional would probably ask the tenant whether she notified the landlord right away about the problem with the website. As for the attorneys’ fees, unfortunately the question of what is “reasonable” tends to be subjective (different judges have different opinions). If she would like to speak directly with a legal professional about this situation, there are links to free and low-cost legal services on this website (at http://www.azlawhelp.org/accessToJustice).