Rent receipts in New York: when landlords must give one

In New York, your landlord must give you a written receipt whenever you pay rent in cash, by money order, by cashier’s check or by any method other than your own personal check. If you pay by personal check, you can ask in writing for receipts, and once you ask, the landlord must give you one for the rest of your tenancy.

When a receipt is required

The statute speaks of rent paid in cash or “any instrument other than the personal check of the tenant.” The NY Attorney General’s Tenants’ Rights Guide reads that to include money orders and cashier’s checks. If you pay through an app, an online portal or a bank transfer, you are not paying by personal check either, so it is reasonable to ask for a receipt; at minimum, save the confirmation and your bank record.

What the receipt must show

A receipt under § 235-e must include:

• The date of payment.
• The amount paid.
• The premises, which in practice means the building address and apartment number.
• The period the payment covers, such as “October 2026 rent.”
• The signature and title of the person who received the payment, such as owner, managing agent or superintendent.

Adding the payment method and a reference number, as in the example, isn’t required by the statute but makes the receipt far more useful if there is ever a dispute.

How to request receipts for check payments

1. 1

   Write a short letter or email

   Say: “Under NY Real Property Law § 235-e(b), I request a written receipt for each rent payment I make by personal check for the rest of my tenancy.” Include your name, address and apartment number.
2. 2

   Send it in a way you can prove

   Email to the managing agent’s address on your lease, or certified mail. Keep a copy and the proof of sending.
3. 3

   Keep every receipt

   Store receipts with your lease. A phone photo of each one, filed by month, takes a minute.
4. 4

   Follow up if they stop

   If receipts don’t arrive, send a polite reminder citing the law. Keep your own records in the meantime: canceled checks and bank statements.

Why receipts matter in Housing Court

In a nonpayment case, the landlord says rent wasn’t paid. Before suing, the landlord must serve a written demand giving you at least 14 days to pay (RPAPL § 711). Your best defense if you did pay is simple proof, and a signed receipt is the cleanest kind. Cash payments with no receipt are the hardest to prove, which is exactly why the law requires one.

• Notice of nonpayment. The same law, § 235-e(d), requires a landlord who hasn’t received rent within five days of the due date to send you a written notice of nonpayment by certified mail. If the landlord skipped that step, you can raise it as a defense in a nonpayment case. This also protects you if a payment got lost: you hear about it early.
• Only rent is at stake. In a residential nonpayment case, “rent” means only your regular monthly or weekly payment (RPAPL § 702). Receipts that clearly say “rent for October” help stop fees from being mixed into what the landlord claims you owe.
• Deposits and overcharges. Receipts also help in a security deposit case or a rent overcharge complaint, where you need to show what you actually paid.

Landlords: what you need to do

If you own or manage rentals, the rules are short:

• Issue a receipt with all five required elements for every non-personal-check payment, immediately if paid in person.
• Issue receipts for personal checks once a tenant asks in writing, for the rest of the tenancy.
• Keep records of cash rent receipts for at least three years.
• Send a certified-mail notice of nonpayment if rent hasn’t arrived within five days of the due date.

See also nonpayment cases in NYC Housing Court and the legal limit on late fees.