I.G. from Middlesex County, Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Our By-Laws stipulate a late fee of interest plus prime rate if a payment is 30 days past due. The Rules and Regulations stipulate a $100 fee after 15 Days. Which prevails? One or both?
Mister Condo replies:
I.G., hopefully, every unit owner pays on time and you don’t have to implement late fees. It is not uncommon for governing documents to have conflicting terms. It is up to the Board to correct the documents and implement a proper late fee policy. Since one dictates a fee after 15 days and the other dictates a fee after 30 days, you could make the argument for both being applicable. However, it would make more sense to have just one fee and a detailed collection strategy for what happens at 30 days and what happens at 60 days, with 60 days being the time the matter is turned over to the association’s collection agent or attorney. I hope you never need to do that. Good luck!
Generally, there is a hierarchy of documents, with the Declaration above the Bylaws and the Bylaws above Rules and Regulations. In those cases, what I have heard is that your R and R cannot contradict the Bylaws. You may need to consult legal counsel to straighten this out, particularly if your association has charged the fees in the R and R.