Paying rent and other costs

You should keep all records and receipts for rent in a safe place. They are proof you paid the rent.

Your tenancy agreement will set out how, when and where you should pay your rent.

You don't have to pay more than one rental period in advance.

Receipts

If you pay by:

• cash - the landlord must immediately give you a receipt
• cheque - the landlord must give a receipt within three days if you ask for one
• direct credit into the landlord's account - they don't have to give you a receipt.

Written records

The landlord must keep a written record of each instalment of rent received.

This can be in electronic form.

You can ask the landlord to see the record of rent received.

The landlord, or any other person, must not make false entry or falsify the record.

Rent increases

Rent can only be increased during a tenancy if the right to do so has been written into the tenancy agreement.

The agreement must also state the amount of the increase or the method of calculation.

The landlord must give at least 30 days notice in writing before increasing the rent.

The date your rent will be increased must be either:

• at least six months after the tenancy started
• or six months from the last increase.

If the original tenancy agreement does not provide for a rent increase and doesn't specify the amount of the increase or method of calculation, rent can be increased during the tenancy agreement or during any extension of the original term if you and the landlord agree.

Security deposit increase

If the rent is increased, the landlord can also increase the security deposit.

The notice to increase can only be issued two years after the security deposit was paid or last increased.

You must be given notice in writing, and the total security deposit held must not be more than four weeks rent.

Renewal and extensions

The landlord can't ask you to pay for the preparation, renewal or extension of a tenancy agreement.

Connect services

You usually have to pay to connect services to the property that you will be billed for, such as gas, electricity, telephone and water.

If you are moving into a new property you should check if a telephone line has been installed.

If it hasn't, you should ask the landlord to pay to have one installed, otherwise you may have to pay for it yourself.