Can a New Brunswick Security Deposit Be Paid by e-Transfer?
If accepted, an e-Transfer works—but New Brunswick still requires a receipt, remittance within 15 days, a certificate, and the provincial claim process.
A New Brunswick tenant can pay a residential security deposit to a landlord by Interac e-Transfer when the landlord accepts that method. The e-Transfer does not replace the province's deposit process: the landlord should give a specific receipt, submit the money to the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office within 15 days, and reconcile the provincial Certificate of Deposit.
The province also lets a tenant pay a deposit directly at a Service New Brunswick service centre. Its published direct-payment methods do not list Interac e-Transfer. The province's e-Landlord service is a separate online remittance path for landlords—not the same transaction as the tenant's e-Transfer.
What New Brunswick Security-Deposit Rules Apply?
The payment method does not change the legal maximum, remittance deadline, or claim process.
| Rule or event | Current requirement | Record to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Week-to-week lease | Security deposit up to one week's rent | Signed lease and rent calculation |
| Monthly, yearly, or fixed-term lease | Security deposit up to one month's rent | Signed lease and rent calculation |
| Mobile-home-site lease | Security deposit up to three months' rent | Site lease and rent calculation |
| Landlord receives deposit | Submit it to the provincial office within 15 days | Tenant receipt, remittance confirmation, Certificate of Deposit |
| Landlord claims against deposit | Submit the provincial claim within seven days after the lease ends | Claim, condition evidence, invoices, rent or utility ledger |
The Government of New Brunswick says a landlord may request the first month's rent and a security deposit, but not first and last months' rent. Record rent and the deposit separately even if the tenant combines them in one e-Transfer.
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Is the e-Transfer Confirmation the Required Receipt?
No. The provincial guidance tells a tenant who pays the landlord to request a receipt showing:
- the amount paid;
- the rental-unit address; and
- that the payment is a security deposit.
The landlord should also identify the tenant, landlord, receipt date, payment method, and any allocation between rent and deposit. An e-Transfer notification or screenshot can support the payment trail, but it is not the landlord's receipt and it is not the province's Certificate of Deposit.
Keep these as three linked records:
- Tenant payment: the completed e-Transfer and matching bank deposit.
- Landlord remittance: the amount submitted to the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office.
- Provincial custody: the Certificate of Deposit and Tenancy Number.
Each record proves a different step. The tenant's e-Transfer does not prove that the landlord remitted the money, and the provincial certificate does not replace the record of who originally paid.
How Do You Record a New Brunswick Deposit Paid by e-Transfer?
1. Check the lease and maximum
Confirm the actual lease type before calculating the deposit. Do not use one month's rent for a week-to-week lease or apply the mobile-home-site maximum to an ordinary apartment.
Record the rent used in the calculation, required deposit, amount received, and any remaining balance. Preserve the signed lease rather than relying on the e-Transfer message field.
2. Verify that the transfer completed
Capture the displayed payer, amount, date, status, message, and reference. Then open the known banking app or website and confirm that the money reached the intended account.
A sent notice, reminder, cancellation, replacement, and deposit confirmation can describe one transfer lifecycle. Keep every relevant notice but count only the completed bank movement. If the transfer remains pending, declined, cancelled, or expired, use the e-Transfer status workflow and leave the deposit balance unpaid.
If a parent, roommate, employer, or other third party sends the money, retain that person's displayed name and document which tenant and unit the payment satisfies. Do not assume the payer is automatically entitled to the later refund.
3. Issue the tenant receipt
Give the receipt promptly and connect its number to the tenant ledger. If one e-Transfer contains first month's rent and the security deposit, preserve the original total and show the two supported allocations.
For the difference between a transfer notice, a receipt, and stronger payment evidence, see whether an e-Transfer counts as proof of payment.
4. Remit the deposit within 15 days
Create a second ledger event when the landlord submits the deposit to the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office. Record the submission date, tenant, unit, amount, method, and confirmation.
Use the province's current security-deposit page and forms before paying because service locations, forms, and accepted methods can change. The tenant's payment into the landlord's account and the landlord's payment into the provincial fund should reconcile to the same deposit amount; the second movement is not another rent payment or operating expense.
5. Reconcile the Certificate of Deposit
The province mails a Certificate of Deposit to the landlord and tenant. Compare its names, rental-unit address, amount, and Tenancy Number with the lease, receipt, and ledger.
If the certificate does not arrive or contains an error, follow the current provincial contact instructions. Keep any corrected certificate and explanation instead of overwriting the original payment record.
6. Preserve condition and tenancy evidence
The e-Transfer file shows how the deposit was paid. It does not prove the condition of the unit, unpaid rent, unpaid utilities, late fees, cleaning costs, or repair costs.
Keep signed move-in and move-out inspection reports, dated photographs, invoices, rent and utility ledgers, notices, and tenant correspondence. Track ordinary rent separately. The rent e-Transfer tracking guide explains how to match recurring payments to units and rental periods.
7. Close the deposit through the provincial process
After the lease ends, the tenant can apply to the province for the return. Every tenant named on the certificate applies for their own portion.
If the landlord seeks an amount for permitted unpaid obligations, cleaning, or repairs, the provincial claim must be submitted within seven days after the lease ends. Record the application, landlord release or agreement, claim, supporting evidence, decision, and final amount released as separate events. Do not edit the original incoming e-Transfer to make it appear refunded or retained.
What Should the Deposit Ledger Include?
Use one tenant-level record that connects:
- every tenant's legal name and the rental-unit address;
- lease type, start date, end date, and rent used for the maximum;
- required deposit, received amount, and balance;
- displayed e-Transfer payer, notification date, final status, and reference;
- bank-settlement date and receiving account label;
- tenant receipt number and date;
- provincial submission date, method, amount, and confirmation;
- Certificate of Deposit date and Tenancy Number;
- any approved transfer to another unit or tenant;
- return application, landlord release, refund agreement, or claim details; and
- final provincial release and closing date.
Keep the lease, bank evidence, receipt, remittance confirmation, certificate, inspections, and claim documents linked to that row. A spreadsheet total without the source records is not the full deposit file.
Which e-Transfer Deposit Edge Cases Need Extra Care?
Several tenants or several payments
Keep each completed e-Transfer with its own payer, amount, date, and reference. Allocate the combined amount to the deposit balance, and make sure the names sent to the province agree with the lease.
One payment includes rent and the deposit
Preserve the actual payment total, document the rent and deposit portions, submit only the deposit portion to the province, and apply the rent portion to the correct rental period.
The deposit moves to another unit or tenant
Use the province's transfer process. Keep the old certificate, signed transfer application, confirmation, new unit or tenant information, and replacement certificate. A note in the property ledger does not complete the provincial transfer.
The landlord and tenant agree on a deduction
Use the current Security Deposit Refund Agreement process when applicable and keep the signed agreement. An informal text message or a changed spreadsheet row does not replace the provincial closing record.
A payment notice looks suspicious
Verify the deposit in known online banking without following an unexpected message link. Contact the financial institution through a trusted channel if the payment is missing or disputed. TransferLog organizes supported notification details; it cannot establish whether a payment or tenancy claim is genuine.
How Does TransferLog Help With Deposit Records?
TransferLog organizes details found in supported incoming and outgoing Interac e-Transfer notification emails from connected Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud inboxes. Property managers can search and filter those records, add categories, and export CSV or PDF on the Pro plan.
Use the export for the notification side of the file, then reconcile it with the bank deposit, tenant receipt, provincial remittance, Certificate of Deposit, and tenancy documents.
TransferLog does not access bank accounts, submit money to New Brunswick, calculate deposit limits, issue receipts or certificates, prepare claims, or decide who receives the deposit.
Official Sources
- Government of New Brunswick: Security deposits
- Government of New Brunswick: Security-deposit forms and processes
- Government of New Brunswick: Inspections and deposit claims
- New Brunswick Residential Tenancies Act
- Interac e-Transfer help
This article provides general record-keeping information, not legal advice. Check the current provincial pages or obtain legal advice for a specific tenancy.
Organize supported rent and deposit e-Transfer notifications with TransferLog. Start free, then reconcile the export with the provincial deposit file and bank records.