Landlord and Tenant Rights and Responsibilities

questions & answers

Question: can the landlord request only bank checks for rent due to his employee was stealing money orders? because it costs me $8.00 a check to make.

Answer: If your lease says you must pay by bank (cashier's) check, then you have to pay that way. If it's not in the lease, you can offer to pay (legally called a tender) with a money order or a personal check or even cash. It may not be worth the hassle to pay in a way different than the landlord requests, however, because you would need to prove that the money order was actually paid to the landlord and, if a money order or check, actually cashed, which might cost you more than the $8.00 you are concerned about. I'd explore other options, such as paying by check or money order IN PERSON to the landlord, which would protect you and assure he got the money. If paying in person, it might be worth it to take a witness or take a picture of the money transfer.