Most landlords will get in touch with their renters if they do not pay on time. Most of them will even do repairs when asked or on a frequent basis. Some landlords, on the other hand, are not as careful about bills and upkeep. As a renter, it can be annoying and even scary to see money in your bank account that should have come out with your rent check just sitting there. It can be even worse to live in a place that is dangerous and your owner will not fix it. You can find some helpful advice here if your landlord is not cashing your checks or replying to your requests.
What you will find out:
Should renters worry if their owner does not cash their rent check?
What should I do if my owner refuses to take my rent?
If my owner does not fix problems, can I stop paying rent?
What can a renter do if the landlord will not answer their questions?
Should renters worry if their owner does not cash their rent check?
You should be worried about your owner not cashing your rent check for two reasons. One, you do not have proof that you paid. Two, the owner may use the fact that you have not paid as an excuse to kick you out. Most of the time, renters who do not cash rent checks are just putting things off or not being prepared. They might lose a check in a pile of papers or never go to the bank.
The first step is to make sure they received your check. By doing this by email or text, a written record of an attempt to pay can be made. If this keeps happening and you pay in person, always ask for a proof. If you do not want to write any checks, you could ask your owner to set up regular bank transfers or an online payment service. Do not forget that if your landlord takes too long to cash your check or even loses it and asks for a new one, that does not mean you do not have to pay that rent. You do not want your landlord to charge you late fees or try to kick you out even though you paid on time.
Even though it does not happen often, you might also find yourself in a situation where your owner is trying to kick you out but will not take your rent. This can happen when the lease is up and the landlord does not want to continue it. It can also happen in places with strong rights for tenants, where the landlord may not be able to kick out a tenant for no reason. In this last case, you should write down everything. Send your rent payments and other correspondence via certified mail or another way that can be tracked. Talking to a lawyer is also a good idea if you think your owner is trying to kick you out without a good reason.
What should I do if my owner refuses to take my rent?
If your owner will not take the rent, write down what you did to try to pay. Keep the money in your account or the money order. If a property manager will not take the rent, you should talk to your owner to find out why.
If your owner wants to get rid of you, they may refuse to take your rent. Some types of eviction, like when the owner does not want to continue the lease, may even be required by state or local law to include refusal to pay rent. In many places, owners need a good reason to kick out a tenant, and refusal to pay rent is usually not enough. But if an owner goes ahead with an eviction because you did not pay the rent, you will have to show proof that you tried to pay but were turned down. Tenants facing removal or an owner who will not take rent should talk to a lawyer as soon as possible to find out what their choices are. Most problems can be fixed.
If my owner does not fix problems, can I stop paying rent?
In many places, renters can stop paying rent if the landlord does not fix an upkeep problem, especially if it is a safety issue or a service that the lease says the landlord has to provide.
There are, however, steps you may need to take, such as writing a letter to the owner. Depending on the laws in your state or area, you may need to put the money in trust with a chosen authority or transfer agent. Depending on how bad the problem is, there may also be rules about how much you can keep back. If you do not follow the law perfectly or if you do not pay your rent for no good reason, the owner may be able to kick you out for not paying.
What can a renter do if the landlord will not answer their questions?
If a landlord does not react to problems or requests for repairs, write down each time you tried to reach them and make a Complaint to Landlord to send via certified mail or another way that can be tracked. If the owner does not answer your issue in a fair amount of time, you may want to talk to a lawyer. What is a fair amount of time can change based on the situation and the laws of the state or area. Some places may have deadlines for fixing things that make a place unlivable, like a broken heater in the winter.
If the owner does not fix problems that make the place unlivable, you may be able to get out of your lease without paying a fee or stop paying rent until the problem is fixed. If you can not live in your rental home because of problems, you may be able to sue the owner to get your money back or get your property fixed.
