A past due rent notice is a written reminder that rent is unpaid, stating the amount, any late fee and a date to pay. It is not a pay-or-quit notice. Enter your numbers below: the tool works out days late and the total, checks the fee against state limits, and writes the letter.
Free past due rent notice generator
Enter the tenant, rent, amount paid, due date, grace days and late fee. Choose a friendly reminder or a firmer notice, then copy or print it. If your fee is over a limit we confirmed, the notice uses the limit, and if your state's waiting period has not run, it leaves the fee out and tells you why.
Past due rent notice generator
Texas: Rent unpaid two full days after the due date. This is a safe harbor, not a hard ceiling, and a fee above it has to be justified. The fee must be in a written lease. Tex. Prop. Code 92.019
November 8, 2026 Jordan Lee 88 Birch Street, Unit 2 Re: Past due rent notice for 88 Birch Street, Unit 2 Dear Jordan Lee, The rent due on November 1, 2026 has not been paid in full. It is now 7 days past due. Rent due: $1,800.00 Paid so far: $1,000.00 Rent still unpaid: $800.00 Late fee under your lease: $90.00 Total owed as of today: $890.00 Please pay the total by November 13, 2026. You can pay by the tenant portal or a check to the office. If you have a question about this amount, or if you believe it is wrong, contact me at (512) 555-0188 before that date. This notice is a written request for payment. It is not a notice ending your tenancy. If the balance stays unpaid, I may take the next steps your lease and state law allow. Sincerely, ______________________________ Sam Ortiz Delivered by: ______________________ On: ______________
This is not a statutory pay-or-quit notice. If you are heading toward eviction, your state sets that form, wording and delivery, and this does not replace it.
The most a late fee can be on this rent and balance, by state
| State | Limit |
|---|---|
| New York | $50.00 |
| Texas (safe harbor, 4 or fewer units) | $216.00 |
| Colorado | $50.00 |
| Maine | $72.00 |
| Maryland | $40.00 |
| Nevada | $90.00 |
| Virginia | $80.00 |
Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent. Late fee rules were read from the statute in November 2026. This writes a reminder, not a pay-or-quit notice, and it is a drafting aid, not legal advice. The names here are samples.
Key takeaways
- A past due rent notice asks for payment. A pay-or-quit notice is the statutory step toward eviction, with its own form and timing in each state.
- The average late fee was 84 dollars in November 2024, per the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, among renters charged one that month.
- Fee limits vary widely. On 1,800 dollars of rent, New York allows 50 dollars and Virginia up to 180 dollars.
- New York asks for a certified mail notice once rent is more than 5 days late. Skipping it can be raised as a defense in a nonpayment eviction.
| State | Limit | When it can start | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $50 or 5% of monthly rent, whichever is less | Rent unpaid more than 5 days after the due date | N.Y. Real Property Law 238-a (fee) and 235-e (notice) |
| Texas | A fee is considered reasonable up to 12% of rent (4 or fewer units) or 10% (more than 4) | Rent unpaid two full days after the due date | Tex. Prop. Code 92.019 |
| Colorado | $50 or 5% of the past-due rent, whichever is greater | Rent late by at least 7 calendar days | C.R.S. 38-12-105 |
| Maine | 4% of one month's rent | Rent not paid within 15 days of the due date | 14 M.R.S. 6028 |
| Maryland | 5% of the unpaid rent due | No separate start day confirmed | Md. Real Prop. 8-208 |
| Nevada | 5% of the periodic rent | No separate start day confirmed | NRS 118A.210 |
| Virginia | 10% of the periodic rent or 10% of the unpaid balance, whichever is less | No separate start day confirmed | Va. Code 55.1-1204 |
| Massachusetts | No percent confirmed, but no penalty or interest early | 30 days after the rent was due | Mass. G.L. c. 186, section 15B |
| Oregon | A reasonable flat fee, or a daily or 5-day fee within set limits | Rent not received by the 4th day of the rental period | ORS 90.260 |
| Washington | No percent confirmed | No fee on rent paid within 5 days of the due date | RCW 59.18.170 |
What to put in a late rent notice
A late rent notice should state the date, the tenant, the rental address, the rent due, what has been paid, any late fee, the total, a date to pay, how to pay and how to reach you. It should be exact to the cent. A notice with the wrong number invites an argument about the number rather than the rent.
- Show the partial payment. If they paid 1,000 of 1,800 dollars, say so. It proves you are tracking the account.
- Charge only what the lease says. The statutes we read in Texas, Colorado and Oregon expressly require the fee in the agreement, and Maine requires written disclosure at signing.
- Leave threats out. Say what is owed and by when. The firm version in the tool mentions next steps once, and it carries no legal citation.
- Keep the record. Note how you delivered it and when, then log the fee in your rent ledger.
Timing and tone are one decision. A friendly reminder fits the first time a good tenant is a few days late. The firmer notice fits once your grace period has ended. The full sequence, from the reminder before the due date to the phone call after, is in how to collect rent, so we will not repeat it here.
Past due rent notice vs. pay-or-quit notice
A past due notice is a letter from you, and it usually starts no legal clock. A pay-or-quit notice is the document your state's eviction law describes, with its own wording, deadline and delivery rules. Send the wrong one, and an eviction case can be delayed or thrown out. That is why the tool will not write the second kind.
| State | Formal notice for unpaid rent | Source |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3 days in writing, excluding weekends and judicial holidays, stating the amount owed and how to pay | Code Civ. Proc. 1161 |
| Florida | 3 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, in a form set out in the statute | Fla. Stat. 83.56 |
| New York | A written demand of at least 14 days, offering to pay or give up the unit | RPAPL 711 |
| Texas | 3 days of written notice to vacate before filing, unless a written lease sets a different period | Prop. Code 24.005 |
What is the average late fee for rent?
The best figure we could find is 84 dollars, the average late fee in November 2024 among renters charged one that month, from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. That is up from just over 70 dollars in September 2021. About 14 percent of renters had incurred one in the prior 12 months.
We did not find a government source for an average percent. You will see "5 percent" quoted often, mostly on software sites, and we could not trace it to a data set. An average also does not tell you what is legal. Here is what the limits do to the same rent, using the tool's formulas.
| State | Limit in dollars | Share of rent |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $50 | 2.8% |
| Maine | $72 | 4% |
| Colorado, Maryland, Nevada | $90 | 5% |
| Virginia | $180 | 10% |
| Texas | $216 | 12% |
Grace matters as much as size. A fee can be legal in amount and still too early: Maine makes you wait past 15 days, Massachusetts 30, and New York and Washington past 5. Your lease may also give more time than the state requires, and the tool uses whichever comes later. For a broader look at late fee rules, the rent collection guide above has more.
How to collect unpaid rent after a tenant moves out
Start with the deposit, send an itemized statement on time, then ask in writing for the rest. If that fails, your options are small claims court or a collection agency. Whether either is worth it depends on the amount and whether you can find the person, so decide that before paying a filing fee.
- Apply the deposit first. Past-due rent is an allowed deduction in many states, including California. The deposit calculator gives the balance owed, the state deadline and the statement.
- Send a final demand. Attach the statement and your ledger, give a date, and offer a payment plan if you would really take one.
- Consider small claims. Limits differ by state. California's courts list 12,500 dollars for an individual and 6,250 dollars for a business. Check your own court's site.
- Or use a collection agency. Collection agencies fall under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The CFPB says the law generally does not cover the original creditor, though some state laws do.
Confirm the state-specific steps with a local attorney, especially if the amount is large or the tenant disputes it.
When the tenant calls about the notice
A notice that works makes the phone ring. It may be at 8pm on a Tuesday, from someone who has been dreading the call all day and would prefer to make it once. If they get voicemail, you may hear from them next week, or you may not.
Sample call: a tenant answering a past due notice, 8:10pm
That is the job of callflo.ai for property managers. It answers at any hour, handles what you have trained it on, and sends you a summary and transcript. It does not write or serve your notices, and it does not decide on a payment plan. Starter is 39 dollars a month on annual billing or 49 dollars monthly, with 120 minutes and 98 cents for each extra minute. On VIP it can also take a card payment during the call. With a few tenants who text you, you may not need either.
Hear how it takes that call
Call callflo.ai's own AI agent and ask it anything about your business. When you are ready, pick a plan: no setup fee, no contract, and you do not pay unless you are satisfied.
Starter is $39 a month on annual billing. Live on your line about 5 minutes after you sign up.