If the tenant falls into two months of rent arrears and has made no effort to communicate or remedy the situation, then you can begin the eviction process by serving a Section 8 Notice on the ground of rent arrears. Contact the tenancy deposit scheme to find out more. If the tenancy ends with rent payments outstanding, you can request to deduct any unpaid rent from the tenant’s deposit. Most landlord insurance will cover unpaid rent so your income is covered if your tenant falls into rent arrears. Get in touch with your insurance provider to see how to claim back the money you're owed. Contact your landlord insurance provider or tenancy deposit scheme A letter or email is best in this instance so that you can record your correspondence. If the rent still has not been paid after 14 days, contact the tenant and guarantor again requesting rent payment.

If the tenant has a guarantor listed who has signed the tenancy agreement or a Deed of Guarantee then you can request that they pay the rent arrears. Long-term, you may want to guide them towards applying for the housing element of Universal Credit to help them make up for the shortfall in rent. If the tenant is having money troubles, you may want to arrange a payment plan to ensure they can pay back what they can afford for the short term. Remember to be polite and courteous, issues such as this can be sensitive and any unreasonable behaviour could affect your position if you eventually go to court. If you notice that the rent has not been paid, you should first get in touch with your tenant. A phone call or text reminder, followed by a letter or email will usually suffice make sure you keep a record of written correspondence in case things escalate.

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