Q: Can my apartment complex refuse to accept payment by checks "due to Coronavirus"?
The lease states that payment by check is one of the accepted payments methods. The office states they are no longer accepting payment by check, citing concerns over Coronavirus. However, they are open by appointment to show you "in person" how to work the online payment system (where you must provide your banking info), and I suspect they are still accepting and opening regular USPS mail. Furthermore, the office has been putting paper flyers on all our doors outlining these new policies. Due to the fact they are still meeting people in person, and passing out paper flyers leads me to believe they have another motive for not accepting checks (other than preventing germs). Is this legal?
A: If your lease states that you are allowed to pay by check then the landlord must accept checks. However, there is really nothing you can do except pay a lawyer a bunch of money to sue the landlord--but what are your damages? Zero.
2 users found this answer helpful
A: If and when they seek to evict you for non-payment, you simply inform the court that you attempted to pay by check and the check was refused.
2 users found this answer helpful
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