Rent Receipt Form

Create My Document

A rent receipt form is a template that landlords or property management companies can use to quickly and easily create rent receipts for their tenants. The rent receipt documents the date of the rental period and includes a space for the name of the person making the payment and the name of the person who receives it. Both parties should keep a copy of the rent receipt for their records.

What is a Rent Receipt?

A rent receipt is a way for a landlord to provide a tenant with a receipt for paying their rent. It usually contains the dates of the transaction, the rental period, and the amount of the transaction.

Alternate Names for a Rent Receipt

Other names for this form include rent payment receipt, rental payment receipt, rent receipt letter, rent receipt form rent invoice letter, and rental receipt letter.

When and Why Should You Use a Rent Receipt? 

The Importance of Using a Rent Receipt Template:

  • Protection -- Providing as much documentation as possible protects both parties from potential legal problems. Once a lease is signed, the renter becomes locked to those terms. Rent receipts prove the lessee is paying for their rental on time and in full.
  • Proof -- Rent receipts provide proof of payment should legal disputes arise. Should a landlord claim that a tenant has been late on rent payments, or has neglected to pay rent, the tenant can pull out receipts that prove otherwise.
  • Good Business -- In addition to providing peace of mind, providing a rent receipt is simply a good business practice. As a landlord, good record keeping eliminates guesswork and allows you to quickly recall previous payments should you need to go back to your records. It’s also important to note that in many states, the landlord is required to provide a rent receipt upon payment, either every month or upon request. To be safe, make sure you obtain a rent receipt every month. In a court of law, “he said, she said” stands nowhere against documented proof.

Though rent receipts are legal documents, you don't need to seek legal advice or speak to an attorney to draft one. Examples of rent receipts can easily be found online. Some websites provide printable rent receipt templates that landlords can simply fill in the blank information and print for their tenants. However, a rent receipt is comprised of such basic, and straightforward information that one can easily create a printable rent receipt in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Pages (for Mac users). The components of a rent receipt are listed below so you can create your own.

What are the Components of a Rent Receipt Template?

Receipts are an often unwitting part of everyday purchases. They are handed over by grocery store cashiers and retail clerks only to form wads in purses, or accumulate in car cup-holders, eventually making their way into the garbage. However, the function of a receipt is an important one. Receipts provide proof that a payment has been made. For large or easily disputed transactions, receipts should be saved in both the payer and the recipient’s personal records. A rent receipt, for instance, is an important legal document that can be used as evidence of a tenant’s payment to their landlord in accordance with the terms of their rental agreement. Rent receipts should include the following:

  • The name of the payer
  • The recipient
  • The address and phone numbers of both parties
  • The amount of money being exchanged
  • The form of payment (whether cash, check, money order, or credit card)
  • A receipt number and date issued

Receipts make all transactions more comfortable. Both the payer and the recipient can be assured that their interests in the transaction are protected. In the case that the tenant’s payment is made via cash or a money order, a rent receipt may be the only record of the transaction. Furnishing the tenant with a receipt in such instances acknowledges that his or her payment has been received and will not be disputed in the future. Some states even require by law that landlords provide their tenants with free rent receipts. The documentation protects both parties from false claims that the transaction did or did not take place. Using a receipt maker is a simple measure to ensure that a rental agreement proceeds professionally and without dispute.

What Can You Do if the Landlord Refuses to Make Repairs?

If the landlord refuses to make repairs to the rental unit, landlord/tenant law in your state gives you rights that you may exercise.

  • First, reach out to the landlord or property management company again. Make sure that it wasn’t a case of someone simply forgetting or losing a work order. Mistakes can and do happen. However, if the property management company or contracted maintenance company refuses to complete needed repairs, you should contact the property owner. If you do not hear back or they refuse to fix the problem, send a certified letter requesting repairs. Make sure that you keep a log of every time you’ve contacted them (include the method: calling, mail, or in person). Your log should include the date, the time, and the response that you received (if any). Make a copy of any letter you will send. This can serve as vital evidence if you end up in front of a judge.
  • In some jurisdictions and depending on the type of repair that needs to be made, tenants have the option to make the repair and deduct the amount of the repair from their rent during the following month. If the problem makes the property unlivable, tenants may be entitled to break their lease and move out without any financial consequences.
  • You may also have the right to sue the landlord or property management company over the need for repairs. Depending on the state you live in, you may need to file your lawsuit in small claims court because not all states have a separate court for private housing[8]. Before you file a lawsuit against your landlord or the property management company, you should consider any future legal repercussions. For instance, if you are a tenant in a month-to-month lease or rental agreement, you could be given notice to move.

Lease Renewal Law

Many people want to renew their lease for the place they are living. The landlord or property management company must renew your lease between 90 and 150 days before your current lease ends. If the landlord or property management company does not offer to renew your lease during that period, you can offer to extend the lease. Your renewal date may be the day after your original lease expires or 90 days after you offer to extend the lease.

It is important for you to keep in mind that there are some issues that can affect the legality of renewing your lease:

  • If a renewal lease is offered late, it may have an unlawful renewal date
  • It may be retroactive. That could require you to pay additional rent because of a rent hike
  • It may include unlawful riders or request information that is legally not their concern
  • It may cause the misapplication of rent adjustments or use the wrong rent base

Under landlord/tenant law, there are only two provisions that may be added to a lease renewal. The first is the right to adjust the lease terms or rent by order of a Rent Guidelines Board. The second is the imposition of the subsequently adopted rent guideline when the lease is executed while that new guideline is still pending.

Termination or Eviction

Eviction is a legal process, but there are many inexperienced landlords and property managers (and some who are unscrupulous) who do not follow the laws. Sometimes, they just don’t know the law. Other times, they simply don’t think that tenants know about the legal process of eviction.

If you are given a notice for failure to pay rent and you decide to pay it, you should contact the landlord or the property management company immediately to pay it. However, they cannot request that you pay in cash. Sometimes, these notices have the wrong amount listed. If you believe that you’re being asked to pay an amount that is incorrect, you should call the landlord or property management company and offer to pay the correct amount. You should also send an offer to pay the correct amount in writing. Make sure that you keep a copy of what you send to them in writing.  

The Eviction Process

There are things that must be done by the landlord or property management company for the eviction process to be legal. The exact legal process will depend on the state where you live. The eviction process starts with being served the proper notice under your state law.

Eviction lawsuits are often referred to by the courts as unlawful detainers. The eviction notice that you may receive is often called a Notice to Pay or a Notice to Quit. If you are served with an unlawful detainer complaint, you should immediately contact a landlord/tenant attorney in your area. These complaints have very short timelines for a response, usually between one to five days.

Common defenses to an unlawful detainer include:

  • The Notice to Pay or Quit (sometimes called a 3 or 5-day notice) requested more rent than what you owe
  • The unit was uninhabitable or violated the implied warranty of habitability
  • The unlawful detainer was filed against you in retaliation of you electing to assert your rights as a tenant

Retaliation is a very serious issue to assert. It means that the landlord or property management company is looking to get you off the property because you enforced your rights as a tenant in some way. If you’ve performed any of the following and received an eviction notice within six months following, it may be retaliatory:

  • You used the repair and deduct remedy or you told the landlord or property management company that you intended to make repairs on your own and you would deduct the reasonable expenses from the rent
  • You complained about the condition of the rental property
  • You filed a lawsuit or a complaint with the appropriate agency regarding the conditions of the rental property
  • Your report to the appropriate agency caused the landlord or property management company to be placed under investigation or caused the agency to come and inspect the property
  • The appropriate agency issued a citation to the landlord or property management company

In Conclusion

Rent receipts are an extremely important aspect of renting a house or apartment. In addition to being a good business practice, rent receipts protect both the landlord and tenant should any legal disputes arise. However, rent receipts are only small parts of the rental process. Throughout this article, we’ve explored the various types of rentals, the laws surrounding them as well as the aspect of eviction. In addition to learning about rent receipts, you should now have a well-rounded idea of the basic elements of a lease, as well as your rights as a tenant.  

Sources:
[1] Rent Control FAQ (2016, September 23). Retrieved April 18, 2017, from http://www.nycrgb.org/html/resources/faq/rentcontrol.html Published, updated, and maintained by New York City Rent Guidelines Board.
[2] #30 Fact Sheet (2011, November). Retrieved April 18, 2017, from http://www.nyshcr.org/Rent/FactSheets/orafac30.pdf Published, updated, and maintained by the New York Governor’s Office.
[3] Schneiderman, E.T. (n.d.) Tenants’ Rights Guide (Pamphlet) New York City, NY: Attorney General’s Office. PDF copy available from: https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/pdfs/publications/Tenants_Rights.pdf
[4] Fighting Rental Housing Discrimination FAQ. (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2017 from http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/fighting-rental-housing-discrimination-faq.html
[5] Tenant Rights, Laws, and Protections: California. (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2017 from https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/states/california/renting/tenantrights
[6] Id.
[7] FAQ: Tenant Security Deposits. (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2017 from http://www.tenantstogether.org/resources/faq-tenant-security-deposits
[8] Stewart, M. (n.d.). Can I Sue My Landlord for Refusing to Make Repairs? Retrieved from May 4, 2017 from http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/can-i-sue-landlord-refusing-repairs.html
Disclosure:
After you read this guide, try to speak with a licensed attorney in your state who has experience in landlord / tenant law. This guide is meant as an educational resource only and does not provide legal advice.

Download a PDF or Word Template

Rent Receipt

A Rent Receipt is a document which can be used as proof of payment of rental fees. It is important for both landlords and tenants.

Read More

Receipt Template

A Receipt Template provides the basic, essential information that a retailer or business wants set out in a receipt, which when details are added by the cashier, becomes evidence of details of any particular sale, at any time.

Read More

Residential Lease Agreement

A Residential Lease may be a legally binding agreement negotiated between landlord and the potential tenant. The Lease includes address of the property, duration, tenant and landlord contact details, an inventory of fixtures and fittings and agreed terms of the lease.

Read More

Eviction Notice

An Eviction Notice is a legally enforceable notification to a tenant that they must vacate a landlord's property. It generally applies where a breach of terms of a tenancy agreement occur.

Read More

Sample Rent Receipt

+

Sample Rent Receipt

Create Rent Receipt Read Full Document