Your first stop for self-help is a review of our FAQs. Take a look at the ever increasing collection of questions asked by Ontario’s small-scale landlords as well as the actual answers provided by Landlord’s Self-Help Centre.
Tenants are entitled to receive receipts for rent regardless of the method of rent payment and the landlord must provide them.
You cannot refuse to give rent receipts to a former tenant. The landlord must provide rent receipts if the former tenant requests them within 12 months after the tenancy has ended. It is considered an offence under the Residential Tenancies Act for a landlord to refuse to provide a former tenant with rent receipts.
Section 109 of the Residential Tenancies Act states that “A landlord shall provide free of charge to a tenant or former tenant, on request, a receipt for the payment of any rent, rent deposit, arrears of rent or any other amount paid to the landlord”. It also states that a former tenant can request a receipt within 12 months after the tenancy terminated. It is actually considered an offence under the Residential Tenancies Act to refuse to give a tenant a receipt when they request it.
The Residential Tenancies Act addresses rent receipts in sections 109(1) and 109(2). Section 109 (1) says: “A landlord shall provide free of charge to a tenant or former tenant, on request, a receipt for the payment of any rent, rent deposit, arrears of rent or any other amount paid to the landlord.” Section 109 (2) says: “Subsection (1) applies to a request by a former tenant only if the request is made within 12 months after the tenancy terminated.” As such, there is no time limit for a current tenant to request rent receipts while there is only a time limit of 12 months after the tenancy terminated for former tenants.