Rent Arrears Help

Falling behind on your rent can feel overwhelming, but taking quick action can help you avoid losing your home.

The guide below explains how to communicate with your landlord, manage your budget and protect your tenancy.

What are rent arrears?

Rent arrears refers to the outstanding rent owed to a private landlord, housing association or local authority. They count as priority debts, which means the consequences of not dealing with them are serious and you risk eviction from your property. What happens if you have rent arrears?

Renting is a common expense for many people, but not keeping up with repayments can have consequences that many of us don’t consider when signing a tenancy.

Whether you rent your house privately, through a housing association or through the local authority, if you’re unable to pay your rent, you risk losing the roof over your head.

If you fall into rent arrears, you’ll also be chased for the money you owe and asked to pay additional fines.

How do you deal with rent arrears?

Don’t ignore the problem. Taking quick action is important to minimise long-term financial harm.

 If you’re behind with payments, get in touch with your landlord as soon as you can and be clear about your situation, for example, if not paying your rent is a temporary problem, or if you’re going to struggle long-term because of your circumstances.

There’s also some practical steps you can take to make the situation easier:

• Make a budget by writing down all your total monthly income and total outgoings, including essential household expenses, to see how much surplus income you have left.
• Show this budget to your landlord to prove exactly what you can afford to pay towards the arrears.
• If you can make a payment straight away, do so.

What if my landlord refuses to accept my offer?

If your landlord isn’t willing to accept your offer of payment, you’ll not automatically lose your home. You should:

• Keep paying your rent, including whatever you offered towards the arrears.
• Show your landlord your budget as proof that your offer is all you can afford.
• Make a note of all payments and correspondence with your landlord.

Can my landlord take me to court?

Yes, your landlord can take court action against you. This can happen if:

• You’re in arrears with your rent of more than two months (or eight weeks).
• You’ve persistently delayed paying your rent.
• You’ve got an assured shorthold tenancy that has lapsed.

Before your landlord can take court action, you should’ve received a formal letter called a notice seeking possession. You don’t have to leave your home at this point.

What happens if my landlord wants to evict me?

There’s a strict legal process your landlord must follow to evict you. They can’t simply ask you to leave and following the introduction of the Renters Rights Act (2026), the rules around eviction notices have changed.

Section 8 notices are now the primary route for landlords to regain possession of a property. If you’ve fallen behind on your payments, your landlord will likely use this notice.

With a section 8 eviction notice:

• They must state exactly why they are seeking possession, such as having serious rent arrears.
• They must give you the correct legal notice period before they can apply to the court for an eviction order.
• It doesn’t mean you have to leave immediately. You’ll still have time to seek advice, challenge the notice or try to reach a repayment agreement.

What happened to Section 21 (no-fault) evictions?

Section 21 (no-fault eviction) is abolished from 1 May 2026. This means landlords can no longer ask you to leave without giving a valid legal reason.

However, there’s a transitional window for historical notices. If your landlord issued a Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026, they may still be able to continue that process through the courts for a limited time.

They must act before 31 July 2026. If they miss that deadline, the Section 21 notice is invalid. To evict you after that point, they’d have to start the entire process again using the Section 8 route.

What are my rights as a tenant?

Your rights depend on your tenancy, specifically on when you moved in, whether your landlord is a private landlord or a housing association, and whether you are renting the whole property.

If you rent privately, you may have less legal protection. Landlords usually have the right to seek a court order to evict you for rent arrears. Check your tenancy agreement and seek specialist advice from Shelter if you have any concerns.

If your tenancy agreement has run out, the court can make you leave your home as long as you have had two months’ written notice. With assured tenancies, the court can usually decide if it is reasonable to make you leave, unless you have over two months or eight weeks of rent arrears and your landlord uses this reason to start court action.

What happens if I am taken to court over my rent arrears?

The most important thing is to attend the court hearing, as this will benefit your case more than not turning up at all. It’s your chance to explain to the judge the reason for your debts and propose an affordable and sustainable way to repay the arrears.

You need to complete an income and expenditure form to prove to the court what available surplus income you have. Your offer needs to be affordable and sustainable, so you don’t overspend.

If it’s unsustainable, it’ll be very difficult to persuade the court that you can stick to a second arrangement if you haven’t stuck to a previous one.

The judge will then make a decision. They may:

• Dismiss the case: This is likely if there’s no reason for you to be evicted, your landlord has not followed the correct procedure, or your landlord has not attended the hearing.
• Adjourn the hearing: Your hearing will be moved to another date if a decision can’t be made on the day.
• Grant an order: The judge decides which order should be granted.

What is a possession order?

If a possession order is granted against you, you’ll be given a specific date to leave the property. This is either 14 or 28 days from the date the order was granted.

If you don’t leave by that date, the court can issue a warrant for possession to a bailiff to evict you.

What is a suspended possession order?

If you receive a suspended possession order, the judge allows you to stay in your property, provided you make the payments offered on time or adhere to any conditions set by the court. If you don’t adhere to these terms, the landlord can evict you.

What can I do to help with my rent arrears?

If you’re on a low income, use our free online benefits calculator to check if you qualify for any benefits.

• If you already get Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, you can ask for part of these payments to be paid directly towards your rent arrears.
• If you’re waiting for Housing Benefit to be paid, contact your Housing Benefit office to explain that your claim is urgent and ask for an interim payment.
• You may also be able to get a Discretionary Housing Payment, which is an extra payment from your local authority to help cover outstanding costs.

Does having rent arrears affect my credit score?

Rent arrears will not affect your credit score until your landlord submits a court case against you. It is worth budgeting to pay your rent in full and speaking to your landlord before it gets to a court summons. If your credit score is affected, it will impact your ability to borrow credit at a competitive interest rate in the future.

Can I move house if I have rent arrears?

You may face difficulties moving into a new property. Some landlords, letting agents or council authorities may not grant your application if you have outstanding arrears, so it is best to clear these first if possible.

Get free debt help today.

If you’re dealing with rent arrears or facing eviction and are worried about your finances, we may be able to help you find a solution. Get free, confidential advice online or call 0800 316 1833 to speak to one of our experts. We’ll explain all the available solutions, check whether you may be eligible, and help you choose the option that best fits your situation.