I have to pay my rent this month and my complex (Polo Village Apartments in Columbia, SC) now requires me to allow direct electronic access to my checking account in order to automatically recover the rent and fees if my check isn’t honored.
On the online payment site (third party) reads the following notice: When you pay by check, you expressly authorize this merchant, if your check is dishonored or returned for any reason, to electronically debit your account for the amount of the check plus a $25 NSF fee and any other recovery fees allowed by the State of Your checking account and any applicable sales tax. The use of a check for payment and agreement to these terms is agreed to herein by pressing the I Agree / Send Payment by Check bar to complete your payment process. Your acknowledgment and acceptance of this policy and its terms are herby legally binding when processed. They also sent a notice (affixed to my door) with a form for me to sign, giving them this access or they would not accept any checks from me in the future. I have never bounced a check with them and I would understand if I had done so in the past. They aren’t singling me out, they are asking this of all their residents. I am rather annoyed that I am being assumed as a criminal when I haven’t done anything wrong. Polo Village should not rent to people they don’t trust — they already do a background and credit check (or at least I was charged for it). Currently my other methods of payment will required some degree of expense on my part — cashier’s check or multiple money orders – since they don’t take plastic or cash. Since this is a new policy, I may investigate this as a breach of contract.Posted via email from awesomejt’s posterous
