Best money receipts & rent receipts according to redditors

That's so weird about it showing as deleted! I definitely didn't delete my post, not sure if a bot or what. Here's what I wrote, please let me know if you see this. (pls op haha)

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My husband and I have done this as long as we've been living together (almost 19 years). We have a 4/3 house and currently have 4 housemates (a married couple sharing a bedroom and 2 singles in the other 2 rooms).

Here are a few thoughts on the matter.

• You need a written lease with the tenant. It should specifically be month-to-month, with 30 days notice to vacate. Here is a good, basic example of what I mean. In the space where it says ___ days notice to vacate, the answer is 30. I know this will sound cold, but you don't want to be stuck with a tenant for more than 30 days if it turns out they suck as a tenant. You want a nice, clean way to get rid of deadbeats, druggies, rude/loud people and gross slobs. You can always give them longer notice if you want (for example, you want to remodel their room, you might give them 90-120 days notice for their convenience), but you always want that 30-day option.
  
• When your tenant pays rent, give them a receipt for it. This carbon copy rent receipt book is perfect for that. They get a copy, you keep a copy. I allow my tenants to pay me in cash if they want to, so I even go so far as to take a phone snap of the rent cash and the receipt, showing the date.
  
• You may be subject to paying taxes on your rental income. Check with your tax person, see this page for some basic info on that.
  
• Ideally you'd be renting to a friend, someone you've known for a long time. BUT - you have to be careful with that, too, because if you have to give a notice to vacate, it will likely damage the friendship. Only rent to friends that you have a reasonable expectation to be a good housemate/tenant.
  
• Be fairly strict with them meeting the terms of the lease. If they are total slobs, if they don't pay rent at least reasonably on time -- get rid of them. Remember, this is a financial transaction; if you keep a non-paying tenant they are costing you money, not easing your financial difficulties.
  
• Assuming you are sharing common areas (kitchen, etc.), lay out non-negotiable expectations for cleaning, doing your own dishes, use of common utensils/pots/pans, deep cleaning days, etc.
  
• Agree on 'quiet hours' when everyone is sleeping and needs quiet. In our house, everyone works swing shift/later shifts, so our quiet hours are 2AM to 9AM. Yours may be different, depending on work schedules, this has to be worked out in advance.
  
• You definitely have to feel comfortable with your tenant, especially if you share common areas. If I were in your shoes with my boyfriend traveling a lot, I'd be looking for a female, most likely, or a couple if there's enough room, or even a relative, if you get along well and trust that they'll pay the rent and not take advantage of you.
  
• ed: Advice on finding a roommate. I've always done mine with word of mouth, friends, friends of friends, etc. That said, I live in a town with an extremely tight rental market, so I've kind of had my pick all along. At this point, our tenants are my husband's adult daughter and her husband, their previous housemate of 3 years and another friend of mine. I haven't had to go looking for tenants as they usually find me. That said, if I had to search, I'd probably start with Craigslist. When you talk to a potential tenant, if they throw up any red flags, I'd move on. If you have a decently nice place, you can afford to be at least a little picky about your tenants. Positive verifiable references from former landlords are a major plus.
  
  Wow, this has turned into a wall of bullet points. I really hope this helps, feel free to reply and/or PM me if you want clarification or have more questions on this. Renting a spare room can work out great, you just have to know what you are getting yourself into.
  
  I wish you guys great luck and I have my fingers crossed for you finding a job you love soon. :)

Great solution

Here is a sample book of receipts for $7.99.

https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Receipt-Carbonless-Detached-SC1152/dp/B00006ICSJ

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Receipt book.

If money is changing hangs, you need a receipt book, at the very very least. So the payer has a copy and you can keep things straight.

http://www.amazon.com/Adams-Receipt-Carbonless-Detached-SC1152/dp/B00006ICSJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1453563112&sr=1-1&keywords=receipt+book

Everyone teaching has one and at the end of the month we put everything together in an excel sheet.

My teacher has the smartphone creditcard reader but no one else is tied to that account.

How reasonable is he?

You could go cashiers check or money order (should be functionally identical to check for his purposes), but those aren't free. If you're spending money anyway maybe gift him a receipt book?

https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Receipt-Carbonless-Receipts-SC1152/dp/B00006ICSJ/

$7 and he has no excuse for not giving you a receipt. Remind him that a receipt covers both you and him and should make doing his taxes at the end of the year a bit easier.

Typically, it's because small LLs just don't know the law. Non-legal advice, buy something like this, fill out everything except the LL's signature, and see if you can get the LL to just sign it when they get the Zelle confirmation.

(The goal is to try to make this process as fast and easy on the LL as possible so they stop being a wet turd about providing receipts)

For the future.... buy a receipt book for less than $4. Then, whenever paying cash for anything, do a receipt. If you bring your own receipt book, there are no excuses.

This is an old trick. Anyone that has ever been to spencer's gifts knows this one http://www.amazon.com/Fake-ATM-Receipts/dp/B0034TQ5LW

Square credit card readers.
https://www.amazon.com/Square-Credit-Reader-iPhone-Android/dp/B00PU4HR20/

When people say they have no cash, I offer to take a tip via credit card and let them know they would get a receipt.