Rent arrears template letters

Introduction

Rent arrears are relatively rare in the private rented sector. According to the English Housing Survey data, less than 10% of tenants fell into arrears at any point in a 12 month period. Fewer still will have persistent rent arrears.

However, when it does happen it can be difficult to resolve for landlords as many will not have previously experienced this and will be unsure about how to approach their tenant in a positive manner that is likely to get results.

To assist with this, the NRLA has produced a number of template letters that you can send to your tenant. This covers everything from a friendly reminder letter to a letter informing the tenant that you be forced to take legal action if they don't pay off the arrears.

Renters' Rights Act update

From 1 May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act introduces significant changes to how landlords can end a tenancy. This has significant implications for the way you approach rent arrears and this page has been updated with these changes in mind. 

The end of Section 21

The most important change is the abolition of Section 21 notices. From 1 May 2026, landlords of assured tenancies must use a Section 8 notice to end a tenancy, and must specify one or more of the possession grounds set out in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988. 

Rent arrears and the relevant grounds

Where a tenant has fallen into rent arrears and the matter cannot be resolved, the relevant grounds to include on a Section 8 notice are Grounds 8, 10 and 11.

From 1 May 2026, Ground 8 can only be included on a notice where the tenant is three or more months in arrears (13 weeks if paying weekly). Ground 8 is a mandatory ground, meaning a judge will generally have to grant possession if the conditions are satisfied. Grounds 10 and 11 are discretionary, meaning the judge can decide whether or not to grant possession.

Strengthening your case

Including Ground 8 significantly strengthens your possession claim. Your case will also be stronger if you can demonstrate that you made every reasonable effort to contact the tenant and arrange repayment of the arrears before beginning proceedings.The letter templates below are aimed at helping you evidence these reasonable efforts.

Universal Credit delays

You should be aware that any rent arrears that are due to delays in paying Universal Credit will not be counted as arrears for the purposes of Ground 8. To avoid falling foul of this restriction, you should make every effort to ascertain whether the tenant is in receipt of Universal Credit, and whether the arrears are due to delays in paying the benefit.  

Guarantors

Given the loss of Section 21, it is likely that more landlords will use guarantors to manage the risk of tenants falling into arrears. With that in mind we have added new templates to help make payment requests from guarantors.