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Landlord’s letter to a tenant about rent arrears (England)
England · in English · for landlords
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For a private landlord or letting agent in England whose tenant has fallen behind with the rent. The letter sets out the arrears period by period, asks the tenant to pay or propose a repayment plan by a set date, and points to free debt advice. It says plainly that if the arrears are not resolved the landlord may serve a notice seeking possession on Form 3A under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 — four weeks’ notice on the rent arrears grounds — and apply to the court. It never threatens to change the locks or remove belongings, which would be unlawful.
- Made for use in England
- Last updated October 28, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- Your tenant in England has missed two rent payments and you want to raise it in writing.
- Your tenant keeps paying part of the rent and the arrears are growing.
- You want to offer your tenant a repayment plan before things go further.
- You want a firm but lawful letter to a tenant who is behind with the rent.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Landlord
- Landlord's address
- Town or city
- Landlord's postcode
- Date
- Tenant
- Address of the property
- Amount of rent
- Rent is paid every
- Amount of arrears
- Months in arrears and the amount owed for each
- Date by which the tenant is asked to pay or reply
Common questions
- When can a landlord in England use the mandatory rent arrears ground?
- Ground 8 applies when at least three months’ rent (13 weeks’ if the rent is weekly) is unpaid both when the notice on Form 3A is served and at the court hearing. The notice period on the arrears grounds is four weeks. Grounds 10 and 11 are discretionary: the court decides whether possession is reasonable. Form 3A is free on GOV.UK.
- Where can a tenant in rent arrears in England get free help?
- From Citizens Advice, Shelter, National Debtline and StepChange, all free. A debt adviser can apply for Breathing Space, which pauses most action by creditors on the debt for 60 days; a landlord told of it must stop chasing the arrears during that time. A tenant on Universal Credit can ask for the housing costs to be paid straight to the landlord.
- Can a landlord in England change the locks if the tenant does not pay the rent?
- No. Evicting a tenant without a court order, or harassing them to leave, is a criminal offence under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, and the tenant can also claim damages. Only a possession order from the court, enforced by court bailiffs or enforcement agents, ends a tenant’s right to live in the home.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
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