Did you pay the deposit for your rented home in cash without receiving a receipt? Then reclaiming it is not impossible from the outset. You must, however, be able to substantiate that you paid, how much you paid, to whom and for what. A bank transfer or a signed receipt makes that easier, but other documents and circumstances can also be relevant.
Nederlands: Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands: Borg contant betaald zonder kwitantie en uw bewijspositie
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Written by Ömür Arslan, attorney at Arslan Advocaten (social security law). Registered in the specialisation register of the Netherlands Bar for tenancy law and social security law. Last updated: 17 September 2026.
Start by securing the tenancy agreement, payment requests, messages and information about who was present. Ask the recipient in writing to confirm the payment. In doing so, distinguish between the agreement that you had to pay a deposit and the question of whether the money was actually received. This article is about proving a cash deposit for residential accommodation in the Netherlands. For the repayment periods and the first formal demand, you can also use our step-by-step plan for getting your deposit back.
Four questions determine what your evidence must address
A deposit dispute becomes easier to follow once you separate the facts. Sometimes the landlord acknowledges receiving money but says it was rent. Sometimes the amount is not in dispute, but the recipient’s authority is challenged. Simply saying that you paid in cash does not answer those questions.
| Question | Possible evidence |
|---|---|
| What amount was agreed as the deposit | Tenancy agreement, advertisement, payment instruction and messages |
| Was the money actually handed over | Receipt, acknowledgement, witness and related correspondence |
| Who received the amount | Name, role, appointment confirmation and contact details |
| Was payment to that person intended and permitted | Landlord’s instruction, power of attorney or other indications of representation |
Note which elements the other party acknowledges and which are disputed. A message that only confirms the amount of the deposit does not necessarily prove payment. A reply in which the landlord says he is withholding your deposit because of damage may, on the other hand, be relevant to whether receipt is still genuinely in dispute. Always read such messages in their full context.
What a receipt should record
A useful receipt states the date, the amount, the address of the rented property, the payer, the recipient and that the payment is a deposit. Also state on whose behalf the recipient is acting. A signature helps to link the statement to a person. Keep the original and make a clearly legible digital copy.
Article 6:48 of the Dutch Civil Code (BW) governs the provision of a receipt, subject to exceptions arising from the agreement, custom or reasonableness. So when paying in cash, ask for signed proof immediately. A receipt does not have to be a complicated form. Above all, it must make clear which specific payment is being confirmed.
If you received nothing at the time, you can still ask for a statement. On a later statement, include both the actual payment date and the date on which the statement is made. Do not let any document give the impression afterwards that it was drawn up on the day of payment. An honestly described later confirmation can be useful; incorrect dating, by contrast, undermines its reliability.
A tenancy agreement does not always prove payment
Read the deposit clause carefully. A clause stating that the tenant owes € 1,500 in principle records an obligation. It does not necessarily follow that the amount has been paid. A text in which the landlord declares that he has received € 1,500 has a different meaning. The difference between owed and received can be important in proceedings.
Check who signed the contract and whether later versions exist. A loose first page without signatures may provide less clarity than the complete agreement. Handwritten notes must also be assessed in context. If an amount has been crossed out, changed or confirmed with initials, make sure you keep the complete version.
Fictitious example: the contract states that the deposit must be paid before the keys are handed over. You received the keys and moved in. Together with other facts that may be relevant, but it does not automatically prove that payment was made in cash. Perhaps a postponement was granted or a different arrangement was made. So also look up the messages around the handover of the keys.
Messages may contain important confirmations
Search your emails and messages for the address, deposit, security deposit, keys, cash, receipt and the amount. Also search in the language in which you communicated with the landlord. For expats and labour migrants, arrangements are often made through different people and in several languages. Keep the original text alongside any translation.
Where possible, export the entire relevant conversation. A single screenshot without a date, sender or previous messages is more likely to raise questions. Make sure a telephone number or email address remains visible so that the other party can be linked to the conversation. Keep attachments and voice messages in their original form and make a separate working copy for your own overview.
A confirmation does not have to contain the word receipt. A message replying to your question about the deposit already paid may be relevant, depending on the wording. A vague agreement to several questions at once is less clear than an explicit confirmation of the amount and the payment. So try to obtain clarity without putting words into the other person’s mouth.
What a cash withdrawal does and does not show
A bank statement showing a cash withdrawal can support the fact that you had cash available around the alleged payment date. On its own, it does not prove that you then handed that money to the landlord. After all, the amount withdrawn may also have been used for something else. Its significance depends on how it fits with other documents.
Fictitious example: you withdraw € 1,200, have an appointment for the handover of the keys that same afternoon and receive a message that evening in which the landlord thanks you for the deposit. That combination is stronger than the withdrawal alone. Also include the contract and the appointment confirmation. Present the timeline without drawing conclusions that go further than the documents support.
If someone else advanced the money or handed it over on your behalf, explain that route as well. Keep the loan arrangement or the transfer to that person if there is one. State who was present and on whose behalf payment was made. This prevents a different name on a piece of evidence from causing unnecessary doubt about how it relates to your tenancy agreement.
A witness must be able to testify from their own observation
A housemate, family member or friend may have seen or heard something around the payment. Ask what that person remembers themselves: the place, the date, who was present, the handover and the words used. Someone who only heard from you later that you had paid a deposit has a different source of knowledge from someone who was present at the handover.
Have any written statement drawn up in the witness’s own words. Record the name, contact details and the date of the statement. State honestly whether the amount was actually seen or was only mentioned in conversation. A detailed statement does not become stronger by filling gaps in memory with assumptions.
The court assesses the evidence in accordance with the applicable rules of evidence and in the context of the file as a whole. A personal relationship does not automatically make a statement worthless. It may, however, form part of the assessment. In proceedings, discuss which witnesses can testify about which specific facts and how an appropriate offer of proof should be worded.
Payment to a property manager or letting agent requires extra attention
The person who physically received the money is not automatically the person who must ultimately repay the deposit. A property manager may have acted on behalf of the landlord. Conversely, someone without authority may have accepted money. Check the payment instruction, the contract, the contact details and earlier confirmations from the landlord.
A valid payment to an authorised representative may be assessed differently from a payment to an unknown intermediary. If the money was not passed on within the organisation, that is not automatically your risk. But the mere fact that someone called themselves a letting agent does not prove their authority either. In case of doubt, the representation must be examined specifically.
Ask the landlord in writing in what capacity the recipient acted. Enclose the instruction on the basis of which you paid. Do not accuse everyone involved of fraud without good reason. For a targeted assessment, you can read more about reclaiming the deposit from the landlord or letting agent.
Ask for confirmation while the evidence is still fresh
You do not necessarily have to wait until the end of the tenancy to remedy a missing receipt. Ask for confirmation of the deposit balance as soon as possible. A businesslike request often prevents a dispute arising on departure about a payment made years ago. Send the request through a channel you can keep a record of.
State the facts as you remember them and ask for correction if the recipient sees things differently. A lack of response is not automatically an acknowledgement. Nor does a later reminder of your message prove the payment. The value of the request lies mainly in the fact that you raise the issue specifically and may receive a clear response.
If only a lower amount is confirmed, ask where the difference comes from. Check whether, under the arrangement, part of the cash sum was first month’s rent, service charges or another item. A total amount paid at the start may comprise several components. Make that breakdown before you reclaim the full amount as a deposit.
Sample request for confirmation of receipt
Use this text as a factual request. Fill in only what you know and mention any uncertainties. The message is not a substitute for a formal demand if the tenancy has already ended and the repayment is due.
Subject: confirmation of deposit paid for [address]
Dear [name],
According to my records, at the start of the tenancy on [date] I paid € [amount] in cash to [name of recipient] at [place or occasion]. This amount was intended as the deposit for [address], in accordance with [contract or payment instruction].
I do not yet have a signed receipt. Could you confirm what amount you received and registered as the deposit for my tenancy agreement? I would also like to receive a receipt or written confirmation of receipt stating the payment date, the amount and the name of the recipient.
If your records differ from this, I would appreciate a specific explanation and the relevant details. I enclose [relevant documents] to help trace the payment.
Kind regards,
[Name and contact details]
If the landlord denies having received the deposit
First ask what exactly is being denied. Is it any payment at all, the amount, the purpose or receipt on behalf of the landlord? Compare this with earlier messages and ask for a response to specific contradictions. A dispute becomes easier to assess once you record the different positions point by point.
Put together a chronological file with numbered documents. For each document, state which factual question it supports. For example, write that a message of 3 May shows the arrangement for cash payment and that a message of 4 May confirms receipt. Do not leave the reader to reconstruct a timeline from dozens of loose screenshots.
If you claim repayment and payment is disputed with reasons, you must substantiate your claim in accordance with the applicable rules of evidence. The main rule of Article 150 of the Dutch Code of Civil Procedure (Rv) is relevant here. In principle, evidence can be provided by various means. The court decides how much weight to give it. A missing receipt therefore does not mean automatic rejection, but it can make the investigation more difficult.
Also check whether the deposit must already be repaid
Proof of payment is one part of the case. It must then be established whether the tenancy agreement has ended and what repayment obligation exists. During an ongoing tenancy, the deposit usually still serves as security. In joint tenancies or when occupants change, additional questions may arise. See renting together and settling the deposit.
After the tenancy ends, the main rule is repayment within fourteen days. Where a set-off is permitted, a period of thirty days applies to the remainder. A landlord who acknowledges receipt but sets off damage must substantiate and itemise that deduction separately. So treat the payment and the damage claim as separate parts of your file.
For a claim for repayment arising from a tenancy, you can go to the subdistrict court judge (kantonrechter). A lawyer is not mandatory there. Do discuss evidence, costs and the prospects of recovery in advance. The Rent Tribunal (Huurcommissie) does not decide on a stand-alone claim for the return of the deposit. A report to the municipality may be relevant to the landlord’s conduct, but does not automatically result in an order to pay.
Preserving evidence without altering it
Keep the original files and work with copies when you organise or annotate documents. Do not add a date, amount or signature to an old document as if it had always been there. Clearly mark your own explanation as an explanation. Keep a translation distinguishable from the original message so that the content remains verifiable.
For the initial assessment, send the relevant information. A complete bank statement may contain information that has nothing to do with the tenancy dispute. If necessary, make a legible working copy in which unnecessary transactions are redacted, while keeping the original version. Leave the account holder, the relevant date and the payment visible if they are needed for the assessment.
Also make a secure backup before you change phones or delete a chat account. A saved screenshot can be useful, but the original conversation often contains more context. Record which attachments belong to which message. Careful preservation prevents a substantively useful file from later becoming incomplete.
Legal help with a deposit paid in cash
Arslan Advocaten can assess the payment route, the evidence and a possible claim for repayment. Send the contract, the available messages, information about the recipient and a short timeline. Also state when the tenancy ended and what exactly the landlord is now disputing. This makes it possible to determine in a targeted way which information is still missing.
Discuss the cost of legal assistance and how it compares to the deposit amount in advance. For a small amount, a targeted letter may be more practical than extensive proceedings; where there are several tenancy problems, the combined interest may be greater. You can have your deposit dispute assessed or get in touch about the available approach.
Frequently asked questions
Is my cash deposit lost without a receipt
No. Other documents, statements and circumstances can provide relevant evidence. You must, however, substantiate that payment was made, how much, to whom and for what. The evidential value is assessed as a whole; the absence of a receipt often makes that assessment more difficult.
Does a cash withdrawal from the bank prove my deposit payment
Not on its own. A withdrawal shows that you took out money, not to whom you then gave it. Combine it with the payment arrangement, messages around the handover and, where available, a statement from someone who was present.
Can a WhatsApp message serve as evidence
A relevant message can provide evidence. Keep the full context, the date and the details that identify the sender. A single unclear reply is less convincing than an explicit confirmation of receipt of a specific deposit amount.
Can I ask for a receipt afterwards
Yes, you can ask for confirmation of receipt. Have it state the original payment date and the actual date of the statement. Do not create a document that wrongly appears to have been signed on the day of payment.
Does the person who received the money always have to repay it
No. That person may have received it on behalf of the landlord. Examine their instructions and authority. In the case of unauthorised receipt or deception, a different legal route may be needed. The payment instruction and the contractual roles are therefore important.
Is silence in response to my request for confirmation sufficient evidence
Silence is not automatically an acknowledgement of payment. A lack of response may form part of the context, but it is no substitute for substantiation. Also gather the contract, payment requests, earlier replies and any witness information.
Sources and legal basis
- Dutch central government on the deposit and proof of payment.
- Dutch Civil Code, Book 6: including Article 48 on receipts.
- Dutch Code of Civil Procedure: including Articles 150 and 152 on evidence.
- Dutch Civil Code, Book 7: Article 261b.
- Volkshuisvesting Nederland on deposit disputes.
- The Dutch judiciary on tenancy disputes.
