If a tenant stops paying rent, landlords should contact them to discuss solutions, keep record of any communication and propose a payment plan in writing, before pursuing any legal action.
For ongoing rent arrears, landlords may need to issue a formal notice to tenants or even initial eviction; however, this should always be the last step.
At J Property Management London, we know that ensuring monthly rent payments is a top priority for landlords. That’s why we help landlords guarantee rent payments – from sourcing quality tenants and drawing up legally binding tenancy agreements to managing monthly rent payments to make sure you’re paid in full every time.
If you’re looking to guarantee tenant rent payments without the headache, get in touch today to see how we can help!
Steps To Take If A Tenant Stops Paying Rent
If a tenant stops paying rent, there are various steps to take before initiating tenant eviction.
Contact Your Tenant
The first step should always be to contact your tenant. You never know what’s going on in someone’s life so get in touch and find out why the payment is late. If this is the first-time it has happened, it could simply be a mistake and the tenant can get the payment to you as soon as possible. If they are having financial trouble for any reason, you can explore solutions.
At J Property Management, we always ask for a guarantor – this means that whatever is going on financially for tenants, you will always receive rent payments.
Keep Record Of All Communication
Regardless of whether the situation escalates to legal action or not, you should be carefully documenting all communication between you and the tenant. You’ll need to demonstrate that as a landlord you behaved appropriately and fairly and took all the necessary steps to talk to the tenant before trying to evict them.
With this year’s Renters’ Rights Act clamping down on fair landlord practices, it’s more important than ever to provide evidence that you are acting in accordance with the law.
Consider A Payment Plan
If the tenant is going through a hard time financially (for example, they are between jobs), you could come up with a reasonable payment plan together. Tenants may already have their next job in place and be able to tell you when they’ll be paid, making it easy to set clear deadlines for payments.
Or, they may be in a situation where someone (such as a parent or friend) can make payments for them. This is why it’s always useful to ask for a guarantor from the start , in the case that the tenant is unable to pay rent.
This payment plan should be written and signed by both parties with clear payment terms and deadlines.
Issue A Formal Written Notice
In the case that rent payments continue to be unpaid, you must then issue a formal written notice of the breach of contract. This must be in writing and needs to include key information such as:
- Full name of the tenant
- Rental address
- The total amount owed (broken down into rent and any late fees)
- Clear, legal deadline for payment
- Consequences of failure to pay (e.g. legal action or eviction)
This will need to be delivered by hand to the tenant or via recorded delivery to confirm that it has been received.
The formal notice must be in writing and must be correctly laid out so that it can be used in court proceedings at a later date.
Check Landlord Insurance
Your landlord insurance may cover rent protection in certain instances so it’s always worth checking before taking any legal action.
Start Eviction Proceedings
As a last resort, when you’ve tried everything else, you could start eviction proceedings in accordance with your local laws. It’s worth noting that from May 1st 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act will be banning no-fault evictions so it’s crucial that you have documentation of all communication and evidence of the missed payments.
How To Avoid Tenants Missing Rent Payments
If a tenant stops paying rent, it can be a big problem for landlords; luckily, there are ways to avoid tenants missing rent payments, even from the start of tenancy.
Thorough Tenant Screening
From the offset, you can reduce the risk of tenants missing payments by screening your tenants and getting trustworthy renters into your property. Tenant screening is one of the most important steps of being a landlord as you want people who will keep up with regular payments and look after your property as if it’s their own.
Outsourcing tenant screening to a professional property management company can be a game changer for landlords.
At J Property Management, our let-only service handles everything including professional property photography, managing listings on major property marketplaces, conducting viewings to meet tenants in person, thorough tenant screening through in-depth checks and references, going through the tenancy agreement and ensuring a smooth move-in day. We maximise the chances for reliable tenants and regular rent payments from the very beginning.
Contact us today about our let only service.
Check References
You want to know who’s living in your house so asking for references is a must. As part of this, you can carry out a credit check to check for tenants with bad credit and confirm employment details to ensure financial solvency. Asking for references from past landlords will also highlight any red flags such as a history of missed payments.
Ask For A Guarantor
For added security, we always recommend asking for a guarantor. This ensures that whatever happens in your tenant’s life, you will still receive rent each month. The guarantor should be someone who the tenant trusts and who is financially stable enough to assume payments in the case that the tenant can’t pay. At J Property Management, we can help you decide who would make a good guarantor for your tenant and draft a guarantor agreement.
Talk to us today for additional help!
Get A Guaranteed Rent Service
If you’re looking for rental income without the hassle of chasing up payments, our guaranteed rent collection service means that you’ll get paid in full every month without having to deal with any tenant communication. We’re on hand for any issues so you don’t have to be. You can just rest easy knowing that you’re getting paid, whatever happens.
Manage Tenant Payments With J Property Management
At J Property Management, we’re here to help you get the most out of your property investment and ensure you have a steady and profitable rental income.
This is our priority right from the start – from sourcing reliable tenants and drawing up clear tenancy agreements to keeping your tenants happy and managing regular rent collection. We even handle all tenant communication for you – from being on hand 24/7 to chasing rent payments so you don’t have to.
If you need help lightening the load when it comes to managing your tenants, let us help.
Contact us today to see how we can support your property management needs.
