What fees can a rent-to-own store charge me?
Short answer: Many states cap the fees that hurt most: late charges and reinstatement fees are often limited to about $5. Some states also cap delivery, in-home collection, and processing fees, while a few leave fees to your contract.
Fees are where a rent-to-own deal can quietly get more expensive. The reassuring news is that many states cap the charges that come up most often when you fall behind.
The $5 pattern
Across many rent-to-own laws, the two fees that bite hardest, the late charge and the reinstatement fee (the fee to get the item back after you’ve missed a payment), are each capped at around $5. Among the states reviewed here, Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. §42-243), Illinois (815 ILCS 655/2), Minnesota (Minn. Stat. §325F.90), Missouri (Mo. Rev. Stat. §§407.662, 407.664), and Ohio (Ohio Rev. Code §1351.05) all cap one or both of those at $5. California (Cal. Civ. Code §1812.626) limits a late fee to the lesser of 5% of the payment or $5.
Other fees some states limit
A few states go further and cap additional charges:
- Delivery / redelivery: Minnesota limits a delivery charge to $15 for five items or fewer (or $30 for more) (Minn. Stat. §325F.90).
- In-home collection: Connecticut caps an in-home collection fee at $5 (Conn. Gen. Stat. §42-243).
- Processing / application: Connecticut caps an application/processing fee at $10 (§42-243).
- One charge per payment: New York (N.Y. Pers. Prop. Law §501) and Florida (Fla. Stat. §559.9237) allow only one late or reinstatement charge per delinquent payment, no matter how long it stays unpaid.
Where fees are left to the contract
Not every state sets dollar caps. Washington (RCW 63.19.050) and Virginia (Va. Code §59.1-207.23), for example, don’t fix late or reinstatement fees by statute; those come from your specific agreement. In those states it’s especially worth reading the fee terms closely before you sign, and again if you fall behind.
What to watch for
- Compare any fee a store charges against your state’s cap below.
- Remember that reinstating usually costs only your past-due payments plus the capped fee, not a fresh “price.”
Find your state below for the exact limits.
Fee caps, state by state
The exact rule depends on where you live. Find your state for the full details.
| State | Fee caps | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | The Act does not set a dollar cap on late charges or reinstatement fees; §8-25-4 expressly leaves them to the agreement. It does cap one thing: if the store sells you insurance or a waiver of liability, that charge can't exceed 15 percent of the rental payment, and it must be disclosed as optional (§8-25-3). | Alabama rent-to-own laws |
| Alaska | A store may not charge more than $5 for each late payment, and it can't count any time the item was repossessed or voluntarily surrendered when deciding whether a payment is late (Alaska Stat. §45.35.030). To reinstate, you pay the past-due and next scheduled payments, pickup and redelivery costs if applicable, and any late fee. There is no separate reinstatement fee on top (§45.35.050). | Alaska rent-to-own laws |
| Arizona | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Arizona rent-to-own laws |
| Arkansas | The Rental-Purchase Agreements law does not set a dollar cap on late charges or reinstatement fees; it expressly says nothing in the reinstatement section prevents the lessor from charging accrued late charges or reinstatement fees (§4-92-106(b)). The agreement must disclose the amount and purpose of any charge or fee beyond the regular rental payment (§4-92-105(b)(4)). | Arkansas rent-to-own laws |
| California | California charges no reinstatement fee. A late fee can't exceed the lesser of 5% of the payment or $5 (a $2 minimum may apply), and a security deposit can't exceed one month's rent (Cal. Civ. Code §§1812.624, 1812.626, 1812.625). | California rent-to-own laws |
| Colorado | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Colorado rent-to-own laws |
| Connecticut | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Connecticut rent-to-own laws |
| Delaware | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Delaware rent-to-own laws |
| Florida | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Florida rent-to-own laws |
| Georgia | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 per missed payment | Georgia rent-to-own laws |
| Hawaii | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Hawaii rent-to-own laws |
| Idaho | Idaho requires late, default, pickup, and reinstatement fees to be separately disclosed in the agreement (Idaho Code §28-36-105); the act doesn't set fixed dollar caps, so read your contract's fee terms closely. | Idaho rent-to-own laws |
| Illinois | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Illinois rent-to-own laws |
| Indiana | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Indiana rent-to-own laws |
| Iowa | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Iowa rent-to-own laws |
| Kansas | Kansas's act doesn't set a fixed reinstatement-fee dollar cap in the sections reviewed; a reinstatement requires past-due charges, the reasonable costs of pickup and redelivery, and any applicable late fee (Kan. Stat. Ann. §50-686). | Kansas rent-to-own laws |
| Kentucky | Kentucky's rental-purchase law doesn't set a fixed dollar cap on late or reinstatement fees; to reinstate you pay the past-due rental charges, the reasonable costs of pickup, redelivery and any refurbishing, plus any applicable late fee (Ky. Rev. Stat. §367.980). | Kentucky rent-to-own laws |
| Louisiana | Louisiana requires late, default, pickup, and reinstatement fees to be separately disclosed in the contract (La. R.S. §9:3355); the sections reviewed don't set a single fixed dollar cap, so read your agreement's fee terms closely. | Louisiana rent-to-own laws |
| Maine | Late fee capped at the greater of 5% of the payment or $3, once per payment (§11-110); initial administrative fee no more than $15; delivery no more than $30 for three or fewer items (or $60 for four or more); payment pickup fee no more than $7.50 (§11-111). | Maine rent-to-own laws |
| Maryland | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Maryland rent-to-own laws |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts's consumer-lease law doesn't set fixed dollar caps on late or reinstatement fees; those come from your agreement. A reinstatement requires past-due payments, the renewal payment, any late fee, and pickup/redelivery costs (§92B). | Massachusetts rent-to-own laws |
| Michigan | Michigan doesn't add a separate flat reinstatement fee, but it caps the late fee at the greater of $10 or 5% of the missed payment, charged only after a payment is 5 days late (monthly or less frequent) or 2 days late (more frequent) (Mich. Comp. Laws §445.958). | Michigan rent-to-own laws |
| Minnesota | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Minnesota rent-to-own laws |
| Mississippi | Mississippi's Rental-Purchase Agreement Act does not set a dollar cap on the reinstatement fee, but it limits how fees can stack: an agreement can't impose a late charge or any other penalty for reinstating beyond the reinstatement fee itself, and only one reinstatement fee may be charged per periodic payment, no matter how long it stays unpaid (Miss. Code §75-24-161). The store must disclose any reinstatement, delivery, and pickup fees up front (§75-24-159). | Mississippi rent-to-own laws |
| Missouri | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Missouri rent-to-own laws |
| Montana | Montana's act requires charges to be disclosed in your agreement; the sections reviewed don't set a single fixed dollar cap, so read your contract's fee terms closely. | Montana rent-to-own laws |
| Nebraska | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Nebraska rent-to-own laws |
| Nevada | Nevada's lease-purchase law doesn't set fixed dollar caps on late or reinstatement fees in the sections reviewed; reinstatement requires past-due charges, the reasonable costs of returning and redelivering the property, and any applicable late fee (Nev. Rev. Stat. §597.070). | Nevada rent-to-own laws |
| New Hampshire | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | New Hampshire rent-to-own laws |
| New Jersey | New Jersey sets no statutory cap on rent-to-own reinstatement fees, late fees, or other charges, because it has no rental-purchase statute imposing one. Charges are governed by the contract. A charge or practice that is unconscionable or deceptive in connection with the sale or advertisement of merchandise could still be challenged under the Consumer Fraud Act (N.J.S.A. 56:8-2). | New Jersey rent-to-own laws |
| New Mexico | New Mexico's act doesn't set a fixed dollar reinstatement-fee cap, but it bars more than one reinstatement fee on any single payment, and it bars any late charge or other penalty for reinstating beyond a single reinstatement fee (NMSA 1978, §57-26-6). A store also can't require you to buy insurance or a damage waiver from it. | New Mexico rent-to-own laws |
| New York | Reinstatement fee capped at Greater of 10% of the late amount or $3 (weekly) / $5 (monthly) | New York rent-to-own laws |
| North Carolina | North Carolina sets no statutory cap on rent-to-own reinstatement fees, late fees, or other charges, because it has no rental-purchase statute imposing one. Charges are governed by the contract. A charge that is unfair or deceptive in or affecting commerce could still be challenged under the Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act (N.C.G.S. §75-1.1). | North Carolina rent-to-own laws |
| North Dakota | A late fee can't exceed the greater of $3 or 5% of the delinquent lease payment (N.D. Cent. Code §47-15.1-05). | North Dakota rent-to-own laws |
| Ohio | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Ohio rent-to-own laws |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma's act doesn't set fixed dollar caps on late or reinstatement fees, but a rental-purchase agreement may not require a fee that exceeds the range usually or customarily charged for similar products or services (Okla. Stat. tit. 59, §1954(C)). Any insurance or liability-damage waiver the store offers has to be optional and clearly disclosed as optional. | Oklahoma rent-to-own laws |
| Oregon | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Oregon rent-to-own laws |
| Pennsylvania | A late fee can only be charged once a payment is 5+ days late (monthly) or 2+ days late (more frequent), and it can't exceed the greater of $5 or 10% of the past-due payment (42 Pa.C.S. §6904). A store also can't charge you a fee for retrieving the property or for terminating or rescinding the agreement, and an in-home payment-collection fee is allowed only if it was disclosed and you agreed to it. | Pennsylvania rent-to-own laws |
| Rhode Island | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | Rhode Island rent-to-own laws |
| South Carolina | South Carolina caps the charges in a rental-purchase deal: a delinquency charge of no more than $4 (monthly or less often, after 5 business days) or $2 (more frequent, after 3 business days); an initial nonrefundable fee of no more than $5; a delivery charge of no more than $15 (or $45 for more than five items); and a pickup charge of no more than $7, limited in how often it can be assessed (S.C. Code §§37-2-705, 37-2-706). Apart from these, an agreement can't charge you for a default (§37-2-707). | South Carolina rent-to-own laws |
| South Dakota | South Dakota requires late, default, pickup, and reinstatement fees to be separately disclosed in the contract (S.D. Codified Laws §54-6A-5); the chapter doesn't set fixed dollar caps, so read your contract's fee terms closely. | South Dakota rent-to-own laws |
| Tennessee | Tennessee does not set a fixed dollar cap on the reinstatement or late fee. Instead, on reinstatement the most a store may charge is all past-due rental charges, the reasonable costs of pickup, redelivery, and any refurbishing, and any applicable late fee (§47-18-607). Late-payment, default, pickup, and reinstatement fees have to be disclosed separately from the total of payments (§47-18-604). | Tennessee rent-to-own laws |
| Texas | Reinstatement fee capped at $10 | Texas rent-to-own laws |
| Utah | Utah requires late, default, pickup, and reinstatement fees to be separately disclosed in the agreement (Utah Code §15-8-6); the act doesn't set fixed dollar caps, so read your contract's fee terms closely. | Utah rent-to-own laws |
| Vermont | Beyond fee limits, Vermont focuses heavily on collection conduct (see repossession), capping how a merchant can contact you about an overdue account. | Vermont rent-to-own laws |
| Virginia | Virginia's act doesn't set fixed dollar caps on late or reinstatement fees; those come from your agreement. A reinstatement requires past-due charges, reasonable pickup/redelivery costs, and any applicable late fee (Va. Code §59.1-207.23). | Virginia rent-to-own laws |
| Washington | Washington's lease-purchase law doesn't set fixed dollar caps on late or reinstatement fees; those are set in your agreement. It does limit what a reinstatement can require to past-due charges, reasonable pickup/redelivery costs, and any applicable late fee (RCW 63.19.060). | Washington rent-to-own laws |
| West Virginia | Reinstatement fee capped at $5 | West Virginia rent-to-own laws |
| Wisconsin | The Wisconsin Consumer Act does not set a fixed dollar cap on a reinstatement or cure fee the way a dedicated RTO act does. To cure a default you tender the unpaid installments due plus any unpaid delinquency or deferral charges the agreement lawfully imposes (Wis. Stat. §425.105(2)); delinquency charges themselves are limited by the Act (see ch. 422). No acceleration is allowed as part of a cure (§425.105(2)). | Wisconsin rent-to-own laws |
| Wyoming | A reinstatement fee can only be charged if a payment is more than 5 days late on a monthly agreement (or more than 2 days on a more frequent one), and reinstatement and pickup/redelivery fees can't exceed the maximum set by state rule (Wyo. Stat. §40-19-108). No extra late charge or penalty may be added for reinstating, beyond that reinstatement fee. | Wyoming rent-to-own laws |
Consumer information, not legal advice. For your situation, consider speaking with a licensed attorney or a local legal-aid office. Last reviewed .