March 23, 2025 · 3 min read
Cash payments in the community: why to avoid them and how
"I'll give it to you in cash and you write it down" is a tradition in many buildings — and an inexhaustible source of trouble.
The problems with cash
- It leaves no trace: if there is a dispute, it is your word against theirs.
- Somebody has to hold it and pay it in (and banks charge for depositing third-party cash).
- A dangerous mix: the community's money in the chair's wallet.
The alternatives, in order
- Direct debit: the standard. It is issued, it is collected, it is on record.
- Bank transfer with a clear reference ("March dues, flat 2A"): for those who refuse a direct debit.
- Instant transfer to the community account (where the bank offers it for communities): useful for one-off payments.
If there really is no alternative
A receipt signed in duplicate, deposited in the account that same week, and the payment recorded immediately. Never "I'll pay it in along with next month's".
The argument that convinces
It is not distrust: it is protection for both sides. A recorded payment protects the neighbour (proof that they paid) just as much as the community.
Keep reading
The inherited flat: who pays the service charges when the owner dies
Heirs who never appear, charges piling up, and how the community should act with respect and firmness.
A neighbour is having work done: rights, hours and limits
Building work inside a flat: what the community can require, what the owner must notify, and how to handle the damage.
The community bylaws: what they are, where they are and when they matter
Your building's "small print": expense exemptions, prohibited uses, and why it pays to read them before arguing.
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