Tenant not paying rent? What to do, step by step

If your tenant is not paying rent, start by finding out why, then put the arrears in writing, keep a rent schedule and offer a realistic payment plan. If the arrears keep growing, you can serve a Section 8 notice on Grounds 8, 10 and 11, which needs 4 weeks' notice, and then go to court. Whatever happens, never change the locks or remove the tenant yourself.

This page covers private landlords in England. For the full picture, see the rent arrears guide.

Tenant not paying rent: what to do week by week

The timings are a practical rhythm, not legal deadlines.

When	What to do	Why it helps
Days 1 to 3	Check your bank and the standing order. Contact the tenant by phone or message	Many missed payments are mistakes or timing problems
Week 1	Send a written reminder or a rent arrears letter	Creates a record and sets out what is owed
From week 1	Start a rent schedule: dates due, payments and running balance	You'll need it for any court claim
Weeks 2 to 4	Agree a payment plan if the tenant can pay something. Check Universal Credit and any guarantor	Gets money coming in without court
When arrears persist	Decide whether to serve Form 3A on Grounds 8, 10 and 11	Starts the 4-week notice clock
After the notice ends	Start a possession claim and claim the arrears	The court route to possession and a money order

Find out why the rent hasn't been paid

The reason shapes what you do next:

• A missed standing order or bank change. Ask the tenant to put it right and pay the missed amount.
• Universal Credit timing. Rent can be missed while a tenant waits for their first UC payment after the monthly assessment period, which can arrive up to 7 days after it ends. For Ground 8, amounts unpaid only for that reason are ignored. See Universal Credit and rent arrears.
• Job loss, illness or a change in the household. A payment plan, and perhaps help from a debt adviser, may be the realistic answer.
• A dispute about repairs. Fix what needs fixing. In court, a disrepair counterclaim can be set against the arrears.
• The tenant has stopped engaging. Keep everything in writing and move towards a notice.

Keep a short note of every conversation: the date, what was said and any promise to pay.

Put the arrears in writing

A letter does three things: it tells the tenant exactly what is owed, it shows you tried to sort it out, and it gives the court a record of the "steps taken to recover the arrears", which Form N119 asks for. Keep it factual and calm:

• the amount owed and the rent periods it covers;
• how and when to pay;
• an invitation to contact you to agree a plan;
• where to get free debt advice.

Use the rent arrears letter template. If you're told the tenant has entered a Breathing Space, stop contacting them about the debt; see Breathing Space and rent arrears.

Offer a realistic payment plan

If the tenant can pay something, a written plan to clear the arrears alongside the normal rent is often the quickest way to get paid. Keep it simple and within these limits:

• no interest;
• no fees or charges;
• no more than 12 instalments, paid within 12 months.

Plans outside those limits can count as regulated credit for an individual tenant. See agreeing a rent arrears payment plan and the payment plan agreement template.

When to serve a Section 8 notice

You can serve a notice on the arrears grounds once rent is owed, but which grounds are available depends on how much:

Arrears at the date you serve	Grounds you can rely on
Some rent owed	Ground 10 (discretionary)
A history of late payment	Ground 11 (discretionary)
At least 3 months' rent (monthly) or 13 weeks' rent (weekly or fortnightly)	Ground 8 (mandatory), plus 10 and 11

Ground 8 must also be met on the day of the hearing. Landlords usually include all three grounds, so that if the tenant pays some of the arrears, the claim can still go ahead on Grounds 10 and 11. Check the threshold with the rent arrears calculator. The notice itself is explained in Section 8 notice for rent arrears.

Worked example

Rent is £900 a month, due on the 1st. The tenant misses the August 2026 payment.

• Monday 3 August: you call the tenant; they say their hours have been cut.
• Friday 7 August: you send a rent arrears letter offering a plan of £150 a month on top of the rent.
• 1 September and 1 October: no rent arrives, and no plan is agreed.
• 1 October: the arrears reach £2,700, which is 3 months' rent, so the Ground 8 threshold is met.
• Monday 5 October 2026: you serve Form 3A on Grounds 8, 10 and 11. Four weeks beginning with 5 October end on 1 November, so the earliest date to go to court is Monday 2 November 2026.

If the tenant pays down below £2,700 before the hearing, Ground 8 fails, but Grounds 10 and 11 remain.

What you must not do

Watch out: changing the locks, or getting anyone other than court bailiffs or High Court enforcement officers to remove the tenant, is illegal eviction. Since 1 May 2026, councils can impose a civil penalty of up to £40,000 for unlawful eviction or harassment, and prosecution is also possible. See illegal eviction.

Also avoid:

• serving a landlord's notice to quit: it has no effect on an assured tenancy since 1 May 2026;
• using the old Form 3, or a home-made notice: private landlords must use Form 3A;
• adding interest or charges to a payment plan, or adding anything at all during a Breathing Space;
• contacting the tenant about the debt during a Breathing Space.

What to do next

If talking and a plan haven't worked, the Section 8 notice works out your dates for Grounds 8, 10 and 11 and fills in Form 3A with the full ground wording, plus a certificate of service. Read evicting a tenant for rent arrears for the full route to court.