Can we refuse personal checks?

A traditional way of paying rent, the personal check has lost its popularity. Many tenants no longer have (or have never had) a check-book. The payment of rent by technological means, mainly by bank transfers, has progressed quickly and offers advantages, including instantaneous access to the funds, proof of transfer date and especially the solvency of the payment. There is usually no fee for the tenant or the landlord, except for a larger volume of transactions.

A landlord has no obligation to accept an ordinary check. This type of check is not in itself a payment, but rather a promise of payment. It only has value if there is money in the account. The other disadvantage is that we must rely on the tenant to receive this check on time each month, which is why many homeowners insist that the tenant hand over a series of post-dated checks. It is true that the tenant can refuse, but the owner then has an argument to negotiate.

In fact, the landlord may require the tenant to pay by a means having a legal value: cash (the disadvantage is that it requires a meeting in person), certified check or money order (the latter include significant costs). If one wants to avoid these options, tenants should be conciliatory.