You may be renting from:
- a private landlord
- your council in England, Scotland or Wales, or the Housing Executive in Northern Ireland
- an organisation that rents to people with a low income or who have certain needs (a housing association).
If you think you might miss a rent payment or have missed one already, it’s important to speak to whoever you rent from as soon as possible. They may be willing to make an arrangement with you where you gradually pay off what you owe.
Make sure this arrangement is affordable, so you can continue with it. Explain your situation to your landlord if you can. This is likely to delay or prevent them trying to remove you from the property (evict you). It’s often in their own interests to keep you renting. Finding someone new could take time and be expensive for them.
Make sure you agree with your landlord about how much you owe. You can ask your landlord for a statement of your rent. Their statement and your records should show the same thing.
If you are eligible for any benefits that could help cover your rent costs, such as Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, you should apply as soon as possible. Benefits can only be backdated to cover up to one month before you applied.