If you don’t pay Rent-A-Center, the outcome depends entirely on one choice: whether you return the merchandise or keep it. Return it, and you owe nothing further. Keep it and stop paying, and Rent-A-Center can repossess the items, sue you for what’s owed, or send the account to a third-party collector who can report the debt to the credit bureaus.
You Can Return the Items Anytime
The single most important fact about a Rent-A-Center agreement is that you can walk the merchandise back to the store at any point with no further payment obligation. Rent-A-Center’s own FAQ states that customers may return products at any time, no penalty. Because the company still owns the merchandise during the rental period, handing it back closes out the arrangement.
This is why non-payment at Rent-A-Center is rarely as damaging as people fear. The worst-case scenarios below almost all assume you kept the items. If you’re falling behind, the simplest move is to return what you rented before anything else happens.
Late Fees Kick in First
Missing a payment triggers a late fee spelled out in your agreement. The exact amount depends on your state, because rent-to-own transactions are regulated primarily at the state level. Roughly 47 states have laws specifically governing rent-to-own agreements, and these statutes set rules on maximum late charges, required disclosures, and other terms. Some states cap late fees at a percentage of the missed payment, others use a flat dollar limit, and some simply require the fee to be reasonable.
Many state laws also require a grace period of several days past the due date before any penalty applies. Your agreement will list the specific grace period and fee amount for your state. Rent-to-own agreements are not credit products, so interest does not accrue on overdue payments the way it would with a credit card or loan. The late fee itself is the penalty.
Repossession If You Keep the Merchandise
Stop paying without returning the items and Rent-A-Center can come get them. Because the company owns the merchandise throughout the rental period, recovering it is legally straightforward. Most states allow self-help repossession for property the creditor already owns, meaning no court order is needed as long as the repossession is peaceful.
The legal boundary is the “breach of peace” standard. A repossession agent cannot use or threaten force, enter a locked home or garage without permission, or create a confrontation. If the agent shows up and you tell them to leave, they have to leave. Depending on your state, Rent-A-Center may need to send written notice before attempting repossession, though many states don’t require advance notice for self-help recovery.
If an employee or agent crosses those lines, you may have a claim for wrongful repossession. Even so, the cleanest way to avoid the situation is to bring the items back yourself.
Lawsuits for the Balance
If you keep the merchandise and resist repossession, Rent-A-Center can file a civil lawsuit. The company has two main legal tools. A replevin action is a court process that orders the return of personal property to its rightful owner, and courts routinely grant these orders when the rental agreement is clear. A breach-of-contract claim recovers unpaid amounts, late fees, and any damages to the merchandise.
A breach-of-contract judgment can lead to wage garnishment or bank levies, depending on your state’s enforcement rules. The statute of limitations for filing such a lawsuit varies widely: for written contracts, the window runs from three years in some states to as long as 15 or 20 in others. The clock typically starts when you first miss a payment or breach the agreement.
Lawsuits over rent-to-own balances are relatively uncommon for low-value items, because the legal costs often exceed what’s owed. Rent-A-Center is more likely to pursue repossession. For expensive items or situations where the merchandise can’t be recovered, litigation is a real possibility.
If the Item Is Stolen, Damaged, or Destroyed
One scenario where non-payment gets complicated is when the rented item is stolen, destroyed in a fire, or damaged by a natural disaster. Without protection, you’re responsible for the cost to repair or replace the merchandise even though you no longer have it to return.
Rent-A-Center offers an optional Liability Damage Waiver that covers theft, fire, lightning, flooding, and similar events. With the waiver in place, you’ll need to file a police report if the item is stolen, but Rent-A-Center absorbs the loss. Without it, the company can hold you liable for the remaining balance. This is the one situation where “just return it” isn’t available, so if you’re renting expensive electronics or appliances, the waiver is worth serious consideration.
Credit Reporting and Collections
Rent-A-Center itself does not report payment history to the credit bureaus. Paying on time won’t build your credit, and missing payments won’t directly damage it through Rent-A-Center’s own reporting.
That changes if the account is sent to a third-party collection agency. A collector can report the debt to the credit bureaus, and once reported, that negative mark can remain on your credit report for up to seven years under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-party collectors are also bound by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Within five days of first contacting you, the collector must send a written notice stating the amount owed and the name of the creditor. You have 30 days to dispute the debt in writing, and if you do, the collector must stop all collection efforts until they provide verification. That right exists to make sure you’re not paying a balance that’s wrong or isn’t yours. The FDCPA applies to third-party collectors, not to Rent-A-Center collecting its own debts, though state consumer protection laws and the FTC Act’s general prohibition on unfair practices still apply to internal collections.
If you believe inaccurate information about a Rent-A-Center debt has landed on your credit report, you can dispute it directly with the credit bureau. Under the FCRA, the bureau must investigate and remove or correct inaccurate information, usually within 30 days.
Reinstatement If You Change Course
Returning merchandise doesn’t wipe out the payments you’ve already made. Rent-A-Center preserves your payment history for two years. Bring your last payment receipt back to the store within that window and you can reinstate the agreement on the same or a comparable item, picking up where you left off.
Customers more than six months into an agreement get an additional benefit called Lifetime Reinstatement, which lets you return the merchandise with no penalty and later resume the agreement with a valid new application. If cash flow is the reason you’re falling behind, returning the items and reinstating later is almost always a better outcome than letting the account slide into repossession or collections.