Arkansas late rent fee: the legal maximum
Arkansas sets no statutory cap on late fees. The amount is whatever the lease says, subject to the general rule that it must not be an unconscionable penalty. There is no statutory grace period, so the lease controls when the fee starts.
Reference: 5% of rent at common rents
Arkansas has no cap. Five percent of monthly rent is the most common lease figure and the statutory cap in several other states; it is shown for comparison only.
| Monthly rent | 5% reference |
|---|---|
| $1,000.00 | $50.00 |
| $1,500.00 | $75.00 |
| $2,000.00 | $100.00 |
| $3,000.00 | $150.00 |
What the statute says
No statutory cap and no statutory grace period; no statute located. Arkansas landlord-tenant statutes are silent on late fees; the lease governs, subject to general reasonableness (confirmed via secondary sources only).
How this applies in practice
- A late fee must be written into the lease. The statute constrains what the lease may say; it does not create a fee on its own.
- With no statutory grace period, the lease decides when the fee starts; many leases allow three to five days.
- Courts treat a late fee as liquidated damages: it must approximate the landlord’s real cost of late payment. Fees far above 5% of rent, or that compound daily without limit, are the ones that get struck down.
- Late fees are separate from interest on unpaid rent and from eviction filing costs, which have their own rules.
Related Arkansas rules
- Pay-or-quit notice: 3 days. Notice periods in Arkansas.
- Security deposit: 2 months' rent (Arkansas Residential Security Deposit Act applies only to landlords who own 6 or more dwelling units, or who use a third-party manager; smaller landlords have no statutory cap); returned 60 days after termination of the tenancy (itemized written notice plus any balance; may be sent first-class mail to last known address). Deposit rules in Arkansas.
- All rules on one page: Arkansas landlord and tenant law.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum late fee for rent in Arkansas?
There is no statutory maximum in Arkansas. No statutory cap and no statutory grace period; no statute located. Arkansas landlord-tenant statutes are silent on late fees; the lease governs, subject to general reasonableness (confirmed via secondary sources only). The most common lease figure nationally is 5% of monthly rent, and courts in no-cap states generally accept fees in that range while rejecting ones that look like penalties.
Is there a grace period for rent in Arkansas?
Not by statute. The lease may set one; if it is silent, a fee can be charged the day after the due date.
Can a Arkansas landlord charge a daily late fee?
Nothing in state law forbids it, but the total must remain reasonable. A daily fee that quickly exceeds a few percent of rent risks being struck down as a penalty.
Can a landlord charge a late fee that is not in the lease in Arkansas?
No. A late fee is a contract term. If the lease does not provide for one, the landlord cannot impose it, and in Arkansas the statutory reasonableness standard applies on top of whatever the lease says.