If the lease said you owe her $40/day in late fees, and it legitimately adds-up to $2600, you may owe her the money. But, you can look for some way out of it. I would read the lease in its entirety to find out if there is some sort of waiver provision. If she waived the late fees each month, and she waived them when you moved out, and if the lease doesn't prohibit it, I would argue she has waived her rights to the late fees all together. You also did not say how long ago this was, which makes a difference.

It may be worth a few hundred to have an attorney look into the matter if 2600 is at stake.

Well, she did not think to charge you late fees until after she gave back most of your deposit, so that's good. If you have anything in writing from her that would support what you've said here, then I would hold onto it as well as the lease. Reviewing the lease, as my colleague has mentioned, is a good idea. I really wouldn't worry about hiring an attorney until you are served with court papers or have some indication that she is going to take further action. Regards,

First, like Ms. Longa said, she's not suing you (at least not so far), so you probably shouldn't worry about it. I'd probably drop the whole thing. I think she's pretty clearly waived her right to collect late fees, especially because she collected normal rent every month after late fees from the previous would have been allegedly due. Besides, you have a pretty good excuse for being late. You could probably even get the rest of your security deposit back if you pushed it and went to court. The statute says that, when a landlord claims any part of a deposit, she has to tell you, in writing by certified mail, why she is making the claim. If you don't receive a written list as to why any money is being withheld, you get all the money back.