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What to Do if You Can’t Pay Your Rent

If you can’t pay your rent, tell your landlord straight away, check whether you can get help with housing costs, and get free debt advice before the arrears grow. In England, your landlord cannot evict you without a court order, and the mandatory rent arrears ground needs you to owe at least 3 months’ rent, with 4 weeks’ notice.

Missing a rent payment is frightening, but you have more time and more options than it may feel like. The steps below are in the order that usually helps most. The eviction rules in this guide are for England.

1. Talk to your landlord early

Shelter’s advice is to speak to your landlord as soon as you can. Tell them why you are behind and what you are doing to sort it out. Many landlords would rather agree a plan than go to court.

  • Keep a written record of every contact: emails, texts and letters.
  • Only offer what you can afford. Shelter warns that agreeing to payments you can’t keep up with could make things worse.
  • If you claim Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, GOV.UK says your landlord may be able to have the rent paid straight to them instead of evicting you.

2. Check what help you can claim

A drop in income can change what you are entitled to. Check these first.

  • Universal Credit housing costs. GOV.UK says Universal Credit can include money to help pay your housing costs, covering rent and some service charges. Our guide to renting on Universal Credit explains how it works.
  • Help from your council (England). Discretionary Housing Payments ended in England on 31 March 2026. Councils now give Housing Payments through the Crisis and Resilience Fund instead. These help with a shortfall in housing costs. You must be entitled to Housing Benefit or to Universal Credit with housing costs. Apply to your local council.
  • A benefits check. Shelter says benefits advisers can check what you are entitled to, help you apply and fix mistakes by the DWP or council.

If you live in Scotland or Wales, ask your council what help it offers with rent shortfalls. The Crisis and Resilience Fund guidance applies to England only.

3. Get free debt advice and treat rent as a priority

MoneyHelper lists rent as a priority debt, because the consequence of not paying it is losing your home. That means rent, and any arrears, should be paid before credit cards, loans and other non-priority debts.

Shelter says to get debt advice as soon as you miss a rent payment, or if you think you might miss one. Free, confidential help is available from:

  • MoneyHelper, which has a debt advice locator to find free help online, by phone or near you.
  • StepChange, a debt charity whose advice is free and covers all four UK nations.
  • National Debtline, which has an online budgeting tool.

A debt adviser may also be able to put you in the Breathing Space scheme. Shelter says this can pause some court action, including eviction for rent arrears.

4. Make a repayment plan you can keep

Shelter says a repayment plan needs to show you can afford your normal rent plus a regular amount towards the arrears. Write down all your income and monthly spending, including rent, energy, Council Tax and food. For costs you pay once a year, divide by 12. Send the plan and budget to your landlord and keep copies.

Smaller payments over a longer time are better than a plan you can’t stick to.

Worked example (fictional)

Sam rents a flat for £950 a month. After losing shifts, Sam missed one month’s rent and now owes £950. A budget shows Sam can manage £100 a month on top of the rent.

Item Amount
Arrears owed £950
Normal monthly rent £950
Extra towards arrears £100 a month
Total paid each month £1,050
Time to clear the arrears 9 payments of £100, then £50 in month 10

£950 ÷ £100 = 9.5, so the arrears are cleared in the tenth month. If Sam could only afford £75 a month, it would take 12 payments of £75 plus £50 in month 13. Both plans are fine if they are realistic.

Use the rent affordability calculator to see how much rent your income can support now, and whether the home is still affordable over the longer term.

5. Know your rights if your landlord wants you to leave (England)

Since 1 May 2026, the rules for private tenants in England are:

  • Ground 8 (mandatory): you owe at least 3 months’ rent. Before 1 May 2026 this was 2 months.
  • Ground 10: you owe some rent.
  • Ground 11: you often pay rent late.
  • Notice: 4 weeks’ notice for rent arrears or paying late. This is the earliest date your landlord can start court action, not the date you must leave.

In the example, Sam owes one month’s rent of £950. Ground 8 would need arrears of at least £2,850 (3 × £950).

Your landlord must apply to court for a possession order. If you stay past the date in that order, they must apply for a warrant, and only bailiffs can then evict you. Shelter says you cannot be forced to leave straight away because you are behind with rent, and pressure to leave over arrears could be harassment.

If you get written notice, GOV.UK says you can get free legal advice from the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different eviction rules.

6. Cut costs while you catch up

Look at your other housing costs too. Our guide to bills when renting covers which bills you pay and where you may be able to save. Do not stop paying Council Tax or energy to clear rent, as these are priority debts too. A debt adviser can help you balance them.

Related: Can a landlord still evict you without a reason?

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Report a possible error.