How to Create a Rent Receipt

As a landlord, you want to maintain clear communication with your renters while making sure your own records are always up to date. A house or apartment rent receipt provides a useful tool for tracking rent payments. Not only is providing a rent receipt helpful for both you and your renters, but it’s also required in some states.

What is a rent receipt?

A rent receipt is a remittance slip you give to your renter whenever that renter makes a rent payment. You may also hear rent receipts referred to as:

• Rental invoices
• Rental fee invoices
• Rent proof of payment slips
• Rent remittance vouchers

No matter what you call them, rent receipts help you as the landlord (as well as your renter) keep records of all rent payments that the tenant makes. You can think of a rent receipt like a sales receipt you’d receive after purchasing clothes, groceries, or anything else. As with that sales receipt, a rent receipt serves as proof that the transaction listed indeed took place.

All in all, a rent receipt offers an official acknowledgment that a renter has made a payment. Landlords usually use rent receipts for cash payments, but you can use them for physical checks or credit card payments to show that a renter paid their rent on time.

When can you use a rent receipt?

Any landlord of a residential property with tenants making rent payments can use rental receipts, for example, an apartment building where renters make rent payments on a monthly basis. You might also use a rent receipt to document a one-time fee, such as when you rent a vacation property.

Different rules and regulations exist in different states governing the use of rental receipts. Many states require landlords to give their tenants rent receipts for free whenever a renter requests a receipt. You may even need to give requested rent receipts to previous renters who have moved within the past year, depending on the laws where you live. Regardless, it’s always good practice to provide rent receipts to your tenants as it helps everyone keep track of payments.

Depending on your state, laws may require you to provide rent receipts on an ongoing basis. Other states may require you to provide a receipt only when a tenant requests it. You should look into the laws where you live to make sure you know when you’ll need to give a renter a rent receipt, as a renter may file a complaint against you (leaving you open to fines) if you don’t provide rental receipts when the law requires it.

Why are rent receipts important?

Again, depending on where you live, an accurate rent receipt might be a legal requirement. Even if you don’t have to give rent receipts every time a tenant pays rent, these documents offer a useful tool for providing proof that renters have paid rent fully and on time.

Several key reasons exist for you to have a blank rent receipt on hand to use whenever needed:

• Maintaining professionalism: If your renters know you’re organized and on top of your tasks, you’ll earn their respect. Professionalism helps you build strong relationships with your renters.
• Tracking missing payments: By keeping a file of all your rent receipts, you can easily see which renters have already paid for a given month — and which ones have not paid. Keep in mind that a receipt does not prove a check has actually cleared if you use it for payments made by check, and you can still give a renter notice for non-payment if there’s a problem with the check.
• Empowering tenants: If you give a renter a rent receipt every time they pay rent, they’ll have a record that they have paid rent consistently. The renter knows they have proof in case you claim they haven’t paid for a specific month and ask for a late fee, and that they can present proof to a court should you try to evict them for nonpayment. While your rent receipt records will ensure this kind of situation doesn’t arise, providing your renters with proof of payment will give them confidence and help build trust with you, again creating a stronger relationship.

What information should you include on a rent receipt?

Whether you’re using a rent receipt template for Word, find a free rent receipt PDF, or simply make your own rent receipt, you’ll want to make sure the final document you use contains a few key pieces of information. All rent receipts should include:

• The renter’s full name
• The renter’s telephone number/email address
• The landlord or property manager’s full name
• The rental property address
• The rental unit number (if applicable)
• The rental period to which the payment applies, for example, May 1 – May 31
• The amount of the payment
• The date the renter made the payment
• How the renter made the payment, for example, cash or personal check
• If the renter makes a partial payment, their remaining balance, and any applicable late fees

You must also make sure to sign and date the receipt to indicate that you received and processed a rent payment.

Rent Receipt Template

You can use a simple rent receipt template, building in any additional details as needed. You can use this sample as a cash rent receipt template or for other payment methods:

Date: ___

Receipt Number: ___

From:

[Your Name/Your Company Name]
[Your Company Address]
[Your Phone Number]
[Your Email]

To:

[Tenant Name]
[Rental Property Address]
[Tenant Phone Number]
[Tenant Email]

[Payment Description]: [Payment Total]

[Balance Due]

Payment received as: [cash/check/electronic transfer/etc.]

[Your Signature]
[Your Name]
[Date Signed]

Once you have a rent receipt template set up, you can tweak it as needed without feeling overwhelmed with the process. Providing a clear and concise rent receipt every time a tenant pays their rent will help both you and your renter keep track of payments.