What's happening
This bill requires landlords to provide written rent receipts, imposes penalties for noncompliance, and mandates tenant notification of these rights.
Why it matters
Strengthens documentation for tenants. By requiring detailed, written rent receipts (including recipient’s contact info and payment specifics), the bill makes it easier for tenants to prove payment and resolve disputes with landlords, social services, or courts.
Creates financial consequences for noncompliance. Landlords who fail to provide the required receipts can face automatic rent reductions of $25 per violation, incentivizing compliance and offering tenants a tangible remedy.
Expands tenant awareness. The bill mandates that the Office of Court Administration actively inform tenants about their right to a receipt, empowering tenants to assert this right and increasing accountability among landlords.
Includes payments via social services. If rent is paid by government agencies on a tenant’s behalf, the tenant themselves must still receive a written receipt, ensuring vulnerable tenants have proof of payment.
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Require Rent Payment Receipts
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to housing
- Referred to housing
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Require Written Rent Receipts
In Senate Committee · Judiciary · Sponsor Velmanette Montgomery
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7550
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 2, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ORTIZ -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing
AN ACT to amend the real property law, in relation to the duty of a landlord to provide a written receipt of rent paid
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 235-e of the real property law, as amended by chapter 848 of the laws of 1986, is amended to read as follows:
§ 235-e. Duty of landlord to provide written receipt. (a) Upon the receipt of rent for residential premises in the form of cash or any instrument other than the personal check of the tenant, it shall be the duty of the landlord to provide the payor or if paid in whole or part by a social services district or the office of temporary and disability assistance, then the tenant, with a written receipt containing the following:
1. The date;
2. The amount;
3. The identity of the premises and period for which paid; and
4. The signature and title of the person receiving the rent or the printed name, address and telephone number of the licensed real estate broker or firm in charge of the dwelling or the printed name, New York city address and telephone number of the managing agent or designee described in paragraph five of subdivision a of section 27-2098 of the administrative code of the city of New York.
(b) Where a tenant, in writing, requests that a landlord provide a receipt for rent paid by personal check, it shall be the duty of the landlord to provide the payor with the receipt described in subdivision (a) of this section for each such request made in writing.
(c) In addition to any other remedy authorized by law, a court may impose a twenty-five dollar reduction in the rent for each failure to
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09641-01-7
A. 7550 2
comply with the provisions of this section in any proceeding commenced under article seven of the real property actions and proceedings law.
(d) The office of court administration shall develop, distribute and where necessary provide tenants with an explanation of the written receipt each landlord must present to a tenant upon payment of rent. Such office shall take such steps as are necessary to inform tenants of their right to receive such receipt and a landlord's obligation to provide such receipt.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.