Providing W-9 to tenant

Hi All,

Newbie landlord here with a few questions on W-9s.

I rented out my townhouse when I purchased another primary residence earlier in 2017. Part of the total rent is paid to me directly by the tenant and the rest is paid by his employer (I get a check from his employer every month). The tenant has asked me to provide a W-9 for the rent paid in 2017. A few questions:

  1. Do all tenants expect to receive W9s from their landlords?
  2. Since a part of the rent was paid by his employer, should I also expect a 1099 from them?
  3. Too late to ask, but in general are there any cons to renting to a tenant where the rent comes from their employer?

Thanks!

  1. No W9.
  2. Received 1099 from property manager.
  3. Have never done that before.

Never given out w9 to tenants. First time I ever heard about this.

Why does the tenant needs a w9 from the landlord? Maybe the tenant is not knowledgable or misled by a lousy accountant

I’ve given out W9 to the Non-profit organization which was paying part of the rent for the tenant as scholarship. I didn’t give it to tenant, I gave directly to the organization. I don’t know I’ll get 1099 from them or not, it was first for me last year.

They ask for your W9 because they want to issue you a 1099 and they need your SS#

If you deny it, they can put in their 1099 “payee refused to provide tax id” (there is actually a check box on the 1099 for this)

1 Like

Thanks all!

@myo in your case, is your lease with the non-profit or directly with the tenant? I’m just trying to figure out if that makes any difference.

My lease is directly with the tenant. If the organization refused to pay or stop paying, tenant is responsible for full payment.

Got it, thanks!