I finally learned to cap notices in contracts after a client in Tucson

Last month I had a client in Tucson who refused to pay a $450 late fee because my contract just said 'late payment' without any time window. I thought a verbal warning was enough but I learned the hard way that terms with exact days matter, like 10 days after invoice. Does anyone else put specific late fee windows in writing, or do you rely on state law to cover it?

2 comments

2 Comments

bell.jessica1d ago

Wait, did you end up putting a specific timeline in there or did you just rely on the state's default rules after that? I'm curious because I've seen people get burned both ways, like one side says 10 days is standard while the other thinks 30 days is fair, and nobody wins without it written down. Also, were you charging that fee per month or just once, because I've had clients argue they can ignore a single late fee but suddenly care when it stacks. Honestly, I'm surprised you even got pushback on $450, that's a solid chunk of change, and I bet the contract wording alone would've saved you a week of back and forth emails. Do you think a simple line like 'late fee applies if payment is over 10 days past due' would've been enough, or did your client need the full legal jargon to take it seriously?

kellyallen1d ago

Isn't it funny how we assume common sense will carry us through until one bad experience proves otherwise? I've seen the same thing happen with service contracts and even simple rental agreements, where people just expect the law to fill in the blanks. Getting the exact number of days written down saves everyone the headache of arguing later, even if it feels overly formal at the time.