Hey all, new to this — just got my lease renewal and management added a line saying rent must be paid through their online portal. There’s a convenience fee if I use a card, and even e-check has a small fee. They said no paper checks or money orders will be accepted starting next month. My old lease said 'pay by check or money order.' Can they actually make me pay this fee now? I don't mind paying rent, but an extra charge every month bugs me, especially when I already have to buy money orders sometimes.

If it ain’t in the lease you signed, I’d push back. My landlord tried the same portal-only thing after we were already in year two. I told them I’d keep sending a check unless they wanted to amend the lease. They backed off. They can’t just invent a new fee because the office doesn’t want to open envelopes. Check your rider too—sometimes there’s language like 'payment methods may change with notice.'

A few things to separate here: (1) requiring electronic payment and (2) charging a convenience fee.

If your current lease says you may pay by personal check or money order, the landlord generally cannot unilaterally change that mid-lease. A renewal is a new lease, though, so if they put it in the renewal you have to decide whether to accept it.

The fee is the more questionable part. If the fee is charged by a third-party processor, not the landlord, and you have a real no-fee option like an ACH or e-check that costs nothing, it may be allowed. But if every payment method through the portal carries a fee, that starts to look like a rent surcharge dressed up as a convenience fee.

For rent-stabilized tenants, adding a mandatory payment fee can be treated as an unlawful rent increase if it is not part of the legal regulated rent. For market-rate tenants, there is less protection, but the lease language still controls. I’d ask them in writing: 'Can you confirm the no-fee payment method available to me under the renewal, and confirm the fee is not collected by the owner?' Also, do not rely on what the managing agent says in an email; check the actual rider before signing. There has been more attention on junk fees in leases lately, but the practical answer is usually to negotiate language giving you a no-fee method.

Wait, following this because my building switched to 'resident portal only' in March and my e-check fee is a couple dollars. I didn’t even question it, just assumed it was another online service charge and I was stuck. My lease still says 'checks payable to owner' can be mailed. Should I just start mailing a paper check to the office again? I’m worried they’ll say it’s late if I don’t use the portal.

Thanks astoria_arch, that's really helpful. I looked at the renewal more carefully and it actually says 'Tenant shall pay all rents and additional rent through third-party payment portal; fees may apply.' No mention of a free ACH option. So it sounds like they are trying to bake a fee into the rent? I’m going to email them and ask for a rider with a no-fee method. big_city_beth if your lease still says checks, I’d try mailing one too, maybe with certified mail so there’s a record.