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Get help if you cannot pay your rent

When you miss rent payments, you are in ‘rent arrears’. Out of all your household payments, your rent is one of the most important. You might lose your home if you are not able to catch up and pay what you owe. This is why we always treat rent arrears as a priority debt.

Struggling to keep up with important payments? We are here to help you work out what to pay first.

Start debt advice online.

What will happen if I cannot pay my rent arrears?


  • You can be evicted
  • Court action can be taken to collect the money you owe
  • If you get benefits, money can be taken off these to pay back your rent arrears
  • Payments you miss towards your rent will show on your credit file. This can make it harder to get credit and future rental agreements

How can I deal with rent arrears?

The most important thing is to act quickly:


  1. Speak to your landlord or housing provider as soon as possible. Tell them why you are having trouble paying your rent
  2. Work out how much you can afford to pay and share your budget with them. We can help you create a budget
  3. Ask if you can make smaller payments for a while, based on what you can afford
  4. If you expect your situation to improve soon: Ask if you can take a short break from payments or pay less for a short time
  5. Make sure you know your rights. These can be different depending on the type of tenancy you have, like private renting, social housing, or a local council tenancy. In Wales, tenancies are called Occupation Contracts

You will need to make sure you keep to any new payment arrangement that is agreed

I am worried about rent arrears. Can you help me?

To help you get back on track, we can help you with our free debt advice and support service. We will:


  • Learn about your income, spending and debts
  • Look into ways to reduce your spending and increase your income, spend less and get more money coming in
  • Suggest ways to turn your life around, including debt solutions

We might suggest Breathing Space if it is right for you. The Breathing Space scheme can offer you short help you short term protection by:


  • Pausing most enforcement action
  • Freezing most interest and charges

Whilst you are on Breathing Space:


  • You cannot be evicted for rent arrears
  • Your landlord could still evict you for things like anti-social behaviour or criminal damage
  • You can be evicted at the end of the 60-day period if you still have rent arrears

What if I receive an eviction notice?

The rules about evictions from private rentals depend on where you live.


England

  • You will receive a Section 8 notice of eviction if your landlord wants to take back the property. This is called "seeking possession"
  • The notice will explain why your landlord is asking for possession. These reasons are called "grounds"
  • Ground 8 is one of the reasons a landlord can use. It applies when you have rent arrears of three months or more
  • If your landlord uses Ground 8, they will usually have to give you at least 2 weeks' notice to leave, before they can apply to the court for a possession order
  • This could be extended to 6 weeks if there are exceptional circumstances.
  • This notice will say why your landlord wants to evict you and when they can apply to court

Wales

  • You will receive a written notice of eviction
  • This will be followed by a possession order issued by the court, and if necessary, bailiff action

Scotland

  • You will get a ‘notice to leave’ listing the reasons why you have to leave and how long you have to move out
  • The notice period depends on how long you have lived there. It will either be 28 days or 84 days

Northern Ireland

  • You will receive a ‘notice to quit’ followed by a court order. Your notice period depends on how long you have lived there, ranging from 4 weeks to 12 weeks
  • If you are in a social tenancy, you will receive a ‘notice seeking possession.’ This gives you 28 days to leave the property before court action

Are you worried about being evicted? Read our eviction section for more help and support.

County Court judgments (CCJs) and rent arrears

England and Wales only

If your landlord or housing provider takes court action, you will receive a County Court Judgment.

What is a CCJ?

A CCJ is a court order telling you to pay your debt. The order will set out how much you must pay and by when. Payments are usually made monthly. Before getting a CCJ, these things will usually happen:


  • Charges for late payments
  • Notice of late payments and arrears
  • Deduction from benefits (if you receive benefits)
  • Eviction

If you are evicted because of rent arrears, you still need to pay the arrears you owe.

What do I need to do if I receive a CCJ claim?

You must respond within 14 days.

You have the chance to work out a payment plan with the court. But if you do not respond:


  • The court could set repayments at an amount you cannot afford
  • Further enforcement action may be taken

Read our guide to dealing with County Court Judgments.

Decrees and rent arrears

Scotland only

You must respond within 21 days.

You have the chance to work out a payment plan with the court. But if you do not respond:


  • The court could set repayments at an amount you cannot afford
  • Further enforcement action might be taken

Read our guide to dealing with decrees.

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Need advice on rent arrears?

We can help. It is easiest to get started online.

Get help now

Changes to the law

The law has changed in England and Wales meaning landlords can no longer evict you without a valid reason. Renters now have more protection.


  • If you received a Section 21 'No fault' eviction notice before 1st May: Your landlord can still evict you
  • For Section 21 notices sent before 1 May 2026: Landlords have until have until 30 July 2026 to move proceedings to a possession order. If they do not act by then they cannot evict you with this notice

Do you live in Social Housing or a Council property?

These changes will not affect you. They do not apply to assured or secure tenancies, which is what you have. If you have rent arrears, speak to your council or housing provider now. They should help if you ask for support.

What if I have rent arrears and I get benefits?

If you owe at last two month’s rent:


  • Your landlord can ask the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to take money from your Universal Credit allowance or other benefits you receive
  • Universal Credit: Between 10% and 15% can be deducted
  • For other benefits: £4.80 a week will be deducted

You can find out more about deductions at Gov.UK.

Extra money to help with rent arrears

If you receive the Housing Benefit part of Universal Credit, you might be able to get a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP). This is extra money from your local council to help towards housing costs.

To apply for DHP, visit Gov.UK to find your local council and request a DHP claim form.

What if my circumstances change?

If something changes in your life, such as losing your job or a family emergency, you may find it harder to pay your rent. Tell your landlord or housing provider straight away if this happens. When you get debt advice from us, we can work out your budget with you so can show what you can afford to pay.

What if I have rent arrears from where I lived before?

Try to repay these as soon as possible. Action can still be taken to collect the money you owe. Having arrears from an old home can make it harder for you to rent in the future.

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