Accrued rent could be the rent that a landlord has earned but has not been received from the tenant. Under the accrual method of accounting this would be reported by the landlord on the income statement as Rent Revenue or Accrued Rent Revenue and on the balance sheet as the asset Rent Receivable.
Accrued rent could also refer to the rent expense that the tenant has incurred but has not yet paid the landlord. Under the accrual method of accounting the tenant would report the accrued rent as Rent Expense on its income statement and on its balance sheet as the liability Accrued Expenses or Rent Payable.
If the rent is to be paid at the beginning of each month, there would be accrued rent only if the tenant fails to pay the rent when it was due.
