Fast Expert Inc

Why asking for a rent receipt is an obligation apart from good sense to have a record of your financial transactions especially in those cases when you pay rent with cash or personal check.

There are plenty of reasons why you should request a receipt for every rent payment.

Why you should ask for rent receipt

To protect yourself from any disputes

You have cleared out strict screening test and done everything perfectly as a tenant but what safety measure you will take if your landlord will claim that you didn’t pay the rent. Written Proof of making timely cash payments is the rent receipt signed by the landlords which can protect you from any disputes by the bad landlords.

It’s better to be safe than sorry or penalty

If there is an option to the pay the rent through online say yes only when they can give you an email receipt.
 

To minimize the disputes

It does not matter how trustworthy is your landlord there is no harm in asking a rent receipt as per the words of a top realtor. it not only protect you from any disputes, gives proof you paid rent but also shows your clean rent history when you relocated to other city or home.

Monthly rent statement records are also beneficial when you will file taxes.

What precautions you should take while paying rent as cash

• Never use the mail option to pay the cash payments. As it’s not the good and secure way and chances to lose the money are very high. And also there is no way to prove that you have paid the full rent amount on time.

• On the front of cash rental payment always handover the cash only to the authorized person and it will good for you to declines another middleman who offers a help to deliver your rent to the landlord and the property manager.

• On other payment modes you can show the payment status but in cash payment, there is nothing except the rent receipt that can prove you delivered the rent. Take written a receipt on every payment which should mention the date, time, and paid the amount, any due amount, name, and signature of the person who has received the payment. According to the rental real estate experts never believe on the words “will mail you a receipt”. There may be chances when power can be cut, computers are down or landlord doesn’t have receipt forms. Ask for the handwritten receipt with all the necessary information on a piece of paper attested by the landlord.

• Keep safely all these rent payment records in some sensible place. You never know when you will require in the future. So better is to safe than sorry or penalty.

Rent payments through cash can be a headache but by following every precaution mentioned above you can protect yourself from any fault or risks if there is ever a dispute about your rent payments. Before renting as know your rights and even state laws also say that you can refuse rent payment until a receipt is produced. Top real estate agent in USA  highly recommends contacting your state’s housing bureau to see if your state has such a law.​​​