Can a landlord make me pay rent in cash?

We found no rule in Alberta's tenancy law that sets or limits how rent is paid. The lease should say where, when and how rent is paid, and the government's handbook says agreed terms cannot be changed unless both sides agree or the law allows it. Alberta's privacy commissioner says that if a tenant does not consent to giving the personal information a payment method needs, the landlord should consider another way to collect rent.

The Act does not require receipts that we found, but the government recommends them, so if you pay cash, get one each time or pay in a way that leaves a record.

The tenancy agreement must show the preferred payment method, and it can set the forms of payment, including postdated cheques if that is a term. We found no rule in the Act or regulation that lists allowed or banned methods. A landlord must give a receipt for rent paid in cash.

BC's privacy commissioner says a landlord cannot require your banking information before the tenancy is set up. After you are chosen, rent can be collected in many ways, including cash, automatic withdrawal, cheque, money order, pre-authorized payment, e-transfer or credit card. We found no BC rule that deals directly with a landlord changing the payment method partway through a tenancy, so if that happens, ask the Residential Tenancy Branch.

A Manitoba landlord can set rules on where and how it accepts rent and must give you the payment address in writing, but it cannot refuse cash at that address, because cash is legal tender. The landlord can say that a manager or caretaker is not allowed to take cash, for security reasons. A landlord cannot require postdated cheques, though you can give them if you choose.

If a cheque bounces, the landlord can then insist on cash, a certified cheque or a money order. You must get a written receipt for cash without asking, and the Residential Tenancies Branch treats automatic debit and pre-authorized payments as cash for this purpose.

Saskatchewan's Act does not say which payment methods a landlord can require or refuse, and no rule on cash only, e-transfer, postdated cheques or automatic withdrawal was found. Unless you and the landlord agree otherwise, you deliver or send rent to the landlord's address set out in the agreement.

A landlord must give a receipt for rent paid in cash. If your landlord insists on a method you did not agree to, contact the Office of Residential Tenancies.

Neither a landlord nor a lease can require you to give postdated cheques or allow automatic debits, though you can choose them. The standard lease records the agreed payment methods, and the Landlord and Tenant Board says that once a method is agreed, it cannot be changed unless both of you agree. We found no Ontario rule that deals with cash only.

A landlord must give a free receipt on request for any payment, whatever way you paid, and a former tenant can ask for one within 12 months after the tenancy ends.

We found no New Brunswick rule on requiring or changing a payment method. The Act does not require receipts that we found. A landlord cannot require or accept last month's rent in advance, or a single payment larger than your regular payments. Any payment you make is applied first to rent arrears.

A landlord cannot change lease terms without your agreement in an ordinary tenancy. The exception is a tenancy where you have lived in the unit for 5 consecutive years or more: the landlord can change a term other than the rent on at least 3 months' written notice if the change is reasonable and fair, and you can ask a residential tenancies officer to review it within 15 days. The government advises asking for a receipt for every rent payment.

The standard lease lets the landlord mark the payment methods it accepts (cash, pre-authorized withdrawal, postdated cheques, cheque or other) and say who to pay. The province's renting guide says a landlord can ask tenants to pay in various ways and that the accepted methods should be shown in the lease. No rule was found that bans a method or lets a landlord change it alone.

No receipt rule was found, so if you pay cash, get a signed receipt or pay in a way that leaves a record. For help, contact the Residential Tenancies Program.

The tenancy agreement states the rent, the due day and how often it is paid, and the standard form (Form 1) has a blank for the payment method, such as cheque or e-transfer. We found no rule that lets a landlord require a particular method. The Rental Office says an agreement can be changed after you move in only if both sides agree or with an order from the Rental Office.

A landlord must give a receipt for rent paid in cash. Rent is still due on time even if the landlord is not following the Act, so keep paying while you sort out the method.

We found nothing in the Act that allows or forbids a landlord to require a particular method. The rental agreement can provide for postdated cheques or another pre-authorized payment, and a landlord cannot require or accept last month's rent in advance, or a single payment larger than the regular one. If any rent is paid in something other than money, the landlord must give a signed written valuation of it.

A landlord must give a receipt for rent or other money when you ask, whatever way you paid. No rule on changing the payment method was found, so contact the Residential Tenancies office if there is a dispute.