If you have failed to pay your rent payments and a balance is owed to your landlord, this is known as rent arrears. Rent is a priority bill that needs to be paid, so being behind on these payments could cause you serious consequences and you may get evicted. In this situation, you need to act quickly rather than ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away.

First, you should contact your landlord. They are likely to be more understanding if you show them that you are trying your hardest to resolve the problem.

As with all debts, it’s important that you work out a realistic budget that you can stick to. It’s also important that when making an agreement with your landlord, you don’t try and pay back more than you can actually afford. It will work out better in the long run if you pay back the arrear in smaller installments over time.

If you’re struggling with your rent due to low income or you’re already on benefits, then you might be entitled to extra support through housing benefit. It’s also possible to get this backdated for up to six months if you qualify for the benefit and have a good reason for not applying earlier, so it is definitely worth looking into.