Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether rent-to-own and lease-to-own companies operating in Nebraska have charged consumers excessive late fees or assessed those fees before they were legally permitted to do so.
Consumers frequently use rent-to-own financing to obtain furniture, appliances, electronics, tires, and other household products. These arrangements often require weekly, biweekly, or monthly payments, and customers may be charged additional fees when a payment is late.
Nebraska’s Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act places specific limits on late fees for covered rental-purchase agreements. For agreements requiring payments more frequently than monthly, companies generally cannot charge more than $3 for a late payment and cannot impose the fee until the payment remains unpaid beyond a three-business-day grace period.
Migliaccio & Rathod is investigating whether rent-to-own companies have charged $5 or more for late weekly or biweekly payments, assessed late fees before the permitted grace period expired, or repeatedly imposed unauthorized charges on consumers.
Customers May Have Experienced:
- Being charged a $5 or higher late fee on weekly or biweekly payments;
- Having late fees assessed before the required grace period expired;
- Receiving repeated late charges during a rent-to-own agreement;
- Being charged more than Nebraska law permits for a missed payment;
- Having unauthorized fees added to an outstanding rental balance; or
- Paying substantial cumulative late fees over the life of an agreement.
Potential Claims May Include:
- Assessment of late fees exceeding applicable statutory limits;
- Imposition of late fees before the permitted grace period;
- Improper administration of consumer rental-purchase agreements;
- Collection of unauthorized charges; or
- Violations of Nebraska’s Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act.
Signs You May Be Affected:
- You entered into a rent-to-own or lease-to-own agreement in Nebraska;
- You obtained furniture, appliances, electronics, tires, or other merchandise;
- Your agreement required weekly, biweekly, or other more frequent than monthly payments;
- You were charged late fees exceeding $3;
- You were assessed a late fee before the applicable three-business-day grace period expired; or
- You have the rental agreement, billing statements, or payment history showing the fees.
If you believe you experienced this issue, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call.