All you need to know about rent receipts

Have you just moved into rented accommodation? Are you about to make your first rent and service charge payment? Once the landlord(or the real estate agency representing the landlord) has received your payment, they may send you a rent receipt.

Are you a first-time tenant with no idea about this document?

Don't panic, we'll answer all your questions:

• What is it for?
• Does the landlord have to send it to you every month?
• Do you have to pay the landlord to receive this document?
• Do you have to keep it? And if so, for how long?

Definition: what is a rent receipt?

First and foremost, as a tenant, you need to understand what a rent receipt is, and what it isn't. Find out what it is, and what it doesn't mean.

Proof of payment of rent and utilities

A rent receipt is a document sent to the tenant by the landlord, either by post or electronically.

It is a proof of payment, certifying that the tenant has paid the rent and service charges as stipulated in the lease, for a given period equivalent to one month's rent.

Be careful not to confuse quittance and appel de loyer:

• A "appel de loyer " is a document sent to the tenant to remind him that he must pay his rent and service charges. To avoid delays, it must be issued and sent to the tenant before the rent due date.
• The receipt can only be issued if the tenant has paid the rent and service charges. It is sent once the landlord has received the sums due.

To be compliant, the rent receipt must include certain mandatory information:

• Tenant's identity and address;
• The name and address of the landlord or his representative(e.g. a property management agency);
• The month and year of the rent paid by the tenant;
• Total amount of rent paid;
• Details of charges;
• Date of payment;
• Lease number;
• The signature of the landlord or his representative.

An important document for both tenant and landlord

Whether you receive your rent receipt by post in your letterbox or digitally, keep it!

It' s a valuable document when you're a tenant:

• We wouldn't wish it on you, but if you ever have a dispute with your landlord, the receipt will help you prove that you've always paid your rent and utilities on time. It's proof that you're a good payer and that you can't be blamed for this: you've kept your end of the bargain.
• The day you want to change your rental property, they'll ask for your last rent receipt to prove that you're a good candidate. For a landlord, this is reassuring in view of the problem of unpaid rent.
• Finally, the receipt is a legal document that can be used as proof of address for certain administrative procedures. For example, you're entitled to use it the day you need to renew your identity card.

What about the landlord?

For the homeowner, receipts are less important, but they are still useful for tax purposes. They enable you to keep a written record of your rental income.

What are the landlord's obligations towards the tenant with regard to rent receipts?

As a tenant, your main obligation is to pay your rent and utilities on time.

But what about the landlord's obligations?

Is the landlord obliged to send a rent receipt to the tenant every month?

According to article 21 of the French law n°89-462 of July 6, 1989, landlords are not obliged to send a rent receipt to their tenants, unless the latter explicitly request it.

Although this is not an obligation, it is customary to issue tenants witha monthlyreceipt. However, if your landlord hasn't sent you anything, he's within his rights to do so as long as you haven't indicated that you'd like to receive a receipt each month.

What's more, if the tenant hasn't paid his rent and utilities, he can't expect to receive a rent receipt, which is, as we've already mentioned, proof of payment.

What about partial payment? In this case, the landlord must issue a receipt showing the amount actually paid by the tenant.

Can the landlord charge the tenant for issuing and sending rent receipts?

No, this is illegal!

The generation and dispatch of a rent receipt cannot be billed.

As a tenant, you should therefore receive this document free of charge.

What if there's a clause in the lease that charges the tenant for sending the rent receipt? This is quite simply an abusive clause, contrary to the law, which is why it's so important to read your lease carefully before signing it!

Can a former tenant ask the landlord for rent receipts?

A tenant who has vacated a property can ask his former landlord for a receipt for all the months spent in the rental property, and for which he has paid rent and service charges. The landlord is then obliged to issue the requested receipts , free of charge to the former tenant.