Texas handles rent receipts through a single rule about cash. Property Code § 92.011 says when a landlord must accept cash rent, and what a landlord who accepts it has to do. Payments by check or electronic transfer are not covered by the receipt duty, though a lease can add one. This is general information, not legal advice.
Accepting cash rent
A landlord must accept a tenant's timely cash rent unless the written lease requires rent to be paid by check, money order or another traceable or negotiable payment method. In other words, if you do not want to handle cash, the lease has to say so. Many Texas leases do, precisely because of the record keeping that follows.
The receipt and the record book
A landlord who accepts rent in cash must give the tenant a written receipt and must record the date and amount of the payment in a record book kept for that purpose. Both are required: a receipt handed to the tenant without an entry in your own records does not satisfy the rule, and neither does a record without a receipt.
A good receipt also shows the rental period the cash covers, the property and unit, and the name of the person who took the payment, so that it settles which month was paid if there is ever a dispute.
What non-compliance costs
A tenant, or a government body or civic association acting for a tenant, can sue to stop the violation. A tenant who wins can recover the greater of one month's rent or $500 for each violation, plus court costs and reasonable attorney's fees. For a landlord who takes cash every month without receipts, the exposure grows with every payment.
Two clean ways to comply
Either write a payment-method clause into the lease that requires traceable payments, so the cash rule does not apply, or accept cash and issue a numbered receipt plus a record entry every time. If you accept cash, a system that records the payment against the tenant and period at the moment it is received does both jobs at once. Online rent collection keeps that record for every payment, and the rent receipt template covers cash taken by hand. For rent increases in Texas, see Texas rent increase laws; for other states, rent receipt laws by state.
Common questions
Do Texas landlords have to give rent receipts?
Yes, for cash payments. Under Property Code § 92.011 a landlord who accepts cash rent must give a written receipt and record the payment in a record book.
Can a Texas landlord refuse cash rent?
Only if the written lease requires payment by check, money order or another traceable method. Otherwise the landlord must accept timely cash rent.
What is the penalty for not giving a cash rent receipt in Texas?
A tenant who sues successfully can recover the greater of one month's rent or $500 per violation, plus court costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
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