Housing advocates warn ‘grace period’ in lease can be trap for renters. Florida law says you have to pay by due date

If you’re a renter and your lease includes a “grace period,” be careful!

While the option of paying a few days later than the due date without penalty might seem like a nice bonus from your property manager, it could also be a trap.

Mary DeVries, an attorney with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA), said tenants are often tripped up by deadlines, especially when leases mention a “grace period.”

“When tenants think about when rent is due, they might say there’s a grace period: It’s due on the 1st but not late until the 5th,” DeVries said.

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But grace periods don’t align with state law, she warned.

“Florida law requires you to deposit the rent on the due date,” DeV