Go back
Back to Private tenants

Problems paying your rent

If you can't pay your rent, don't ignore the problem. You need to talk to your landlord as soon as possible.

We can also help by giving you advice and information that may prevent you from losing your home.

You can take a look at the advice on this page first and if you've any more questions you can either fill in our online form or give us a call.

Benefits to help you pay your rent

You may be able to get Housing Benefit or Universal Credit to help you pay your rent if you're on a low income. These benefits can pay for all or part of your rent.

How much you get from these benefits will depend on how much money you get at the moment and your circumstances. You can apply whether you are working or unemployed.

You can find more information about how to claim Housing Benefit.

Rent arrears

If you don't pay your rent, your landlord can evict you and this could mean that you lose your home. If you can't pay your rent you need to get help as soon as you can.

If you already get help with paying your rent, but you are still struggling to pay a shortfall you can submit an application for Discretionary Housing Payment. If your claim is successful and discretionary housing payment is awarded this will only be for a short period of time and you should still seek further advice.

You can get free advice from:

We can also give you advice if you're behind paying your rent. Fill in our online form or call us.

How to manage debt

There are lots of services to help if you're struggling to manage your money or debts. Here are some of the services that may be able to help.