Rent Arrears Repayment Plan Letter (UK)

Work out an offer you can keep to

The most common reason repayment plans fail is that the offer was too high. Start with your household budget: income, including every benefit you are entitled to, then essential spending. What is left after the rent is the most you can offer towards the arrears — often it is less than you would like, and a smaller amount paid every month is worth more to a landlord than a large promise that breaks in month two. Citizens Advice suggests paying something towards the arrears each month even if you cannot clear them quickly.

Council and housing association landlords

If your landlord is a council or housing association, the Pre-Action Protocol for Possession Claims by Social Landlords applies. It says the landlord should contact you as soon as reasonably possible to discuss the cause of the arrears, your finances, your benefit entitlement and repayment, and that you should both try to agree affordable sums based on your income and expenditure. It also says they should offer to help with any claim for housing benefit, discretionary housing payments or Universal Credit. If you keep to an agreement to pay the current rent and a reasonable amount towards the arrears, the landlord should agree to postpone court proceedings for as long as you keep to it. If a landlord unreasonably fails to follow the protocol, the court can order costs, adjourn the claim or strike it out.

Private landlords

The protocol does not cover private landlords, and a private landlord does not have to accept a plan. The possession rules matter here. Since 1 May 2026, a private landlord in England can seek possession for serious arrears (ground 8) only where at least three months' rent, or 13 weeks' if you pay weekly or fortnightly, is owed both when the notice is given and at the hearing — and GOV.UK says arrears that exist only because Universal Credit has not been paid are not counted. Lower arrears fall under discretionary grounds, where a court decides whether eviction is reasonable. Either way, a written plan you are keeping to is evidence of good faith.

Breathing Space

Breathing Space is a government debt respite scheme in England and Wales. It gives up to 60 days of protection from creditors while you get debt advice and make a plan (longer for someone in mental health crisis treatment). You apply through a debt adviser, who submits the application for you. During a Breathing Space, a landlord cannot serve a notice seeking possession on the grounds of arrears that were owed before it started. You still need to pay your ongoing rent, and not doing so can lead to the Breathing Space being cancelled.

Help with the rent itself

In England, Discretionary Housing Payments ended on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 they were replaced by the Housing Payment strand of the Crisis and Resilience Fund, run by local councils. You need to be getting Housing Benefit or Universal Credit that includes housing costs, and your support has to be less than your rent. Citizens Advice says you do not have to pay it back, but the council does not have to award one. Ask your council for its application form, and mention any application in your letter.

If a notice has already arrived

Send the plan anyway, and get advice at the same time. A notice is not an eviction — your landlord still needs a court order — and paying down arrears before a hearing can change the outcome, particularly for ground 8. Free advice is available from Citizens Advice, Shelter and the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service.

Rent arrears repayment plan letter example

Edit this template with your facts, dates, and requested outcome before sending.

Subject: Rent arrears — proposed repayment plan — [property address]

Dear [Landlord/Agent/Housing officer],

I am writing about the rent arrears on my tenancy at [address]. I understand the current balance is [amount] [or: I would be grateful for a statement of the rent account so I can confirm the exact balance].

The arrears built up because [brief, factual reason — for example reduced hours from [date], a delay in my Universal Credit payment, illness]. [My situation has now changed because ... / I have applied for ... on [date].]

I would like to propose the following:
- I will continue to pay my full rent of [amount] each [month/week]
- In addition, I will pay [amount] each [month/week] towards the arrears
- The first payment will be made on [date]

At this rate the arrears would be cleared in about [number] [months/weeks]. I have worked this out from my income and essential outgoings, and it is what I can keep up with.

Please confirm in writing whether you agree to this plan. If my circumstances change, I will contact you straight away and ask to review it.

Kind regards,
[Your Name]
[Phone / email]

Common mistakes to avoid

• ✕Offering more than you can afford to get the conversation over with
• ✕Paying towards the arrears but letting the current rent slip
• ✕Agreeing a plan by phone and never getting it in writing
• ✕Not asking for a rent statement, so the balance is never confirmed
• ✕Waiting until a notice arrives before making an offer
• ✕Missing a payment without telling the landlord first
• ✕Not checking whether you are entitled to benefits or a council Housing Payment

Next steps

1. 1Ask your landlord for a statement of your rent account
2. 2Work out a budget, including every benefit you may be entitled to
3. 3Decide an extra amount you can pay reliably on top of the rent
4. 4Send the plan in writing and keep a copy
5. 5If you are struggling with other debts too, speak to a free debt adviser about Breathing Space