District of Columbia Rent receipts, payment methods & cash

Rent receipts, payment methods & cash in District of Columbia

A full-text search of D.C. Code title 42, chapters 32 (Landlord and Tenant) and 35 (Rental Housing Generally), official text on the D.C. Law Library, fetched 2026-11-12, found no District-wide rule requiring a landlord to give a rent receipt, and no rule requiring or banning payment of rent in cash, by check, or by electronic funds transfer. Chapter 35 does include § 42-3505.31, which allows a late fee of no more than 5 percent of the full rent due only if the written lease tells the tenant the maximum fee and the tenant has not paid the full rent within five days after it is due, or any longer grace period in the lease. That section is a late-fee rule, not a payment-method or receipt rule. The official chapter 35 text also includes § 42-3505.71 (a rent-payment reporting program), added by emergency legislation (D.C. Act 26-416, Aug. 13, 2026) and flagged in the official text as expiring on November 11, 2026; that section is not treated here as current law. The lease terms control the method of payment unless another law outside those chapters applies.

Verified Source: D.C. Code tit. 42, chs. 32 and 35; §§ 42–3201, 42–3505.31 (full-text search) · last checked 2026-11-12