Can a landlord refuse rent payment?

Owning property and deciding to become a landlord is a big decision. With it comes a host of questions and situations that could arise that you might never have expected. For example, “Can a landlord refuse rent payment?”

In this guide, we’ll review the circumstances in which a landlord can refuse a tenant’s rent.

Key Insights

• There are a few cases in which a landlord might refuse rent — partial payments, an ongoing eviction process, or unagreed-upon payment methods are a few examples.
• As a tenant, carefully review the lease agreement to stay compliant and avoid refused payments. Otherwise, attempt to communicate with the landlord to resolve the violation.
• TurboTenant provides access to many features that make rent collection, lease tracking, and landlord-tenant communication incredibly easy.

Understanding Rent Payment Refusal

A landlord refusing rent payment is a situation you might never expect when renting a property. Similarly, collecting rent is imperative for landlords, so why would they refuse?

Generally, a landlord is required to accept rent payments as long as the terms of the signed lease agreement are followed. A landlord can’t simply choose to stop collecting rent from a tenant if they want to find a new tenant or raise the rent, but instead would have to wait for the lease term to expire or arrange an alternative legal and negotiated agreement.

However, there are a few situations in which a landlord could refuse a rent payment from a tenant, which we’ll review in the following section.

Reasons a Landlord Might Refuse Rent Payment

Landlord-tenant laws are clear on what is and isn’t allowed regarding collecting rent or, for this specific guide, what might enable a landlord to refuse rent payments. Under what circumstances can a landlord refuse rent payment?

Reason 1: Partial Payments

Landlords may refuse payments that don’t cover the entire rent. Perhaps a tenant attempts to pay 75% of the rent on the first but won’t have the other 25% until the 15th, then the landlord can refuse the rent payment and insist it’s paid in full.

Tenants who cannot pay the full rent along with late fees can have their rent refused, as the payment may be considered a partial payment. Unless stated otherwise in the lease agreement, tenants must pay their rent in full by the due date to avoid payment refusal and potential complications in the future.

Reason 2: Eviction Process

In some states, it is legal for a landlord to refuse a rent payment if they’ve begun, or about to begin, eviction proceedings against a tenant. If a tenant has already been served with a legal eviction notice, a landlord may choose not to accept current or future rent payments.

Be sure to check with local laws to understand when you can and cannot deny rent payments. In some states, accepting rent payments stops the eviction process.

Additionally, if a lease has ended and the landlord has chosen not to renew the lease, refusing rent payments in this situation is legal.

Reason 3: Non-Standard Payment Methods

As in the previous two examples, the signed lease agreement will generally dictate how tenants must pay landlords. The landlord could legally refuse the payment if it’s not made according to the required method.

For example, a landlord could stipulate in the lease that rent can only be paid by check or electronically because cash payments could present a logistical challenge or security risk. As always, read your lease closely to understand how and when rent should be paid.

Tenant Rights When Landlord Refuses Rent Payment

As a tenant, it’s normal to ask, “Can a landlord refuse rent payment?” Most renters will never experience this situation, but what are your rights as a tenant when a landlord refuses rent payment?

• Request a written explanation. Make sure your landlord commits to writing the reasons for refusing rent payment. The document could provide practical or legal recourse to remedy the violation or be presented in your defense during an eviction proceeding.
• Review the lease agreement and correct the issue. After understanding the lease terms and what might have been violated, correcting the issue can often resolve the conflict with the landlord and compel them to accept payment as usual.
• Document everything. Keeping thorough written and visual evidence of the situation is a great way to protect yourself. It could be used in a legal proceeding to prevent confusing or misleading accounts.

How to Avoid Rent Payment Refusal

• Make sure you know what’s in your lease. Carefully reviewing a lease agreement is the best way to ensure you stay compliant as a tenant. Avoiding late fees or other penalties, paying rent on time, and not breaching contractual terms are crucial.
• For landlords, clear and open lines of communication can help avoid any potential bumps in a landlord-tenant relationship. Listening to and engaging with your tenant’s needs can help prevent potential misunderstandings.

How TurboTenant Can Help

TurboTenant’s tenant eviction history ensures landlords know if and when applicants have been evicted, giving them the knowledge to make informed renting decisions.

Then, after you’ve rented to the applicant, TurboTenant’s mobile app for tenants and landlords provides transparent and timely communication, which is especially useful for talking through instances when rent may be late a day or two.

Finally, TurboTenant’s rental accounting and financial reporting system allows landlords to stay fully up-to-date on the status of their tenant’s rent payments no matter how many units they manage.

It’s a great way to ensure that rent gets paid on time, every time, and if not, TurboTenant’s rent collection software makes it easy to send late payment reminders and apply automatic late fees.

Sign up for a free account today and see how TurboTenant makes rent payments easier than ever.