If your landlord is increasing your rent, you’re worried about going into rent arrears or your landlord is selling up and you need to find somewhere new, this guide helps you find support to cover the costs.
Get help to pay your rent
Help if your rent is increasing
Find out about your rights and responsibilities as a tenant if your landlord increases your rent, how to challenge or reduce rent increases and get extra help to pay your rent.
Follow these steps to work out what you need to do:
Check your tenancy agreement
Your rent can only be increased once in a 12-month period, and your landlord must give you notice in writing, stating:
- new rent amount
- the date the increase starts, and
- how to challenge it if you think it's too high.
Your tenancy agreement should include how and when the rent will be reviewed.
In England, all private tenancy agreements automatically became a rolling contract (called an assured periodic tenancy) on 1 May 2026. Your landlord or their letting agent might not give you a new written contract, but they must send you a copy of the government's Renters' Rights Act Information SheetOpens in a new window by 31 May 2026. This explains what's changed in your tenancy and includes the new rules around rent increases.
Your location determines how much notice your landlord must give you of a proposed rent increase, and how they must inform you for it to be legally valid.
|
England |
2 months’ notice |
Section 13 notice |
|
Scotland |
3 months’ notice |
Official Rent Increase Notice |
|
Wales
|
2 months’ notice |
Notice of Variation (RHW12) |
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Northern Ireland |
3 months’ notice |
Notice of Variation, or in writing by letter, email or text |
In Northern Ireland, your landlord must notify you ‘in writing’, but unusually this can include contacting you by email or text. Elsewhere in the UK, this form of notice is not legally binding.
Talk to your landlord
When your landlord gives you notice that your rent is going up, you can try and talk to them to make the increase more affordable.
They might be willing to compromise to keep you as a tenant. For example, if they asked to increase your rent by £100 a month, you could meet in the middle and agree to a £50 increase. It’s worth looking at similar properties nearby to see what the ‘market rate’ rent is, if you think what they’re asking for is unfair.
Challenging a rent increase
If you and your landlord can't agree on a rent increase, and you think it's above the going rate for your area, you have options.
You can take your case to an independent tribunal or rent officer. They'll look at whether the increase is fair and in line with what others are paying nearby.
Where to go depends on where you live:
- England, contact the First-tier Tribunal Property ChamberOpens in a new window
- Scotland, contact Rent Service ScotlandOpens in a new window
- Wales, contact the Residential Property TribunalOpens in a new window
- Northern Ireland, contact the Rent OfficerOpens in a new window
In England, the tribunal won’t set your rent higher than what your landlord originally proposed. But in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, these bodies could set it higher - so it's worth weighing this up before you go ahead.
Find out more about rent increases:
- Challenging a rent increase – Citizens Advice England Opens in a new window
- Check if your landlord can increase your rent – Shelter Scotland Opens in a new window
- Check if your landlord can increase your rent – Citizens Advice Wales Opens in a new window
- Deposits, rent and fees – Housing Rights Opens in a new window
Do a budget
You'll need to take a good look at your household budget to work out where you can cut back to see if you can absorb the increase.
Our Living on a squeezed income section is packed with tips to help you find ways to cut back on household bills and other living costs, as well as how you can boost your income.
Use our Budget Planner to help you get a better overview of your spending, so you can see where you could make savings
Find benefits to help pay your rent
If you’re struggling to pay your rent, there are things you can do to get help.
Follow these steps to work out what you need to do:
Do a benefits check
If the cost of living increases are squeezing your household finances, it’s worth checking what benefits you can get to help with housing costs. You might be able to get extra money to help you pay your rent.
Our Benefits Calculator only takes a few minutes to complete
Apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment
If you already get benefits but your rent isn’t covered by what you receive, you might be eligible for Discretionary Housing Payments from your local council.
What you’ll receive will depend on your circumstances. These payments can be claimed for several months and don’t need to be repaid.
Ask your local council for a claim formOpens in a new window on GOV.UK
Check if you qualify for grants or funding
If you’re on a very low income, you might be able to get extra money from local charities and organisations, which you won’t have to pay back.
You can use the Turn2Us Grants SearchOpens in a new window to find funding that doesn’t need to be paid back
Apply for the Crisis and Resilience Fund
The Crisis and Resilience Fund is a new scheme that offers cash payments to people facing financial difficulties in England.
If you are suffering sudden income loss or are in financial crisis and need support, you can apply to your local council for a housing or crisis payment.
Depending on your situation, the Crisis and Resilience Fund can help you get:
- cash payments to help with essential costs
- support if you're struggling to meet your housing costs
- food for children during school holidays
- community support to help build your financial resilience
- access to joined-up services like debt advice, budgeting support and help to access financial support you may be entitled to.
Help if you’ve got rent arrears
If you’ve missed a rent payment or fallen behind with payments, it’s important to act quickly.
Follow these steps to work out what you need to do:
Check how much rent you owe
Make sure the rent your landlord says you owe is the right amount. Have a look at your:
bank statements, or
receipts.
If you get any benefits paid directly to your landlord, check with your local council to find out how much your landlord has been paidOpens in a new window
If you’ve kept a record of all your rent payments, make sure they add up correctly. If you haven’t kept a record, ask your landlord for a statement of how much rent you’ve paid.
Talk to your landloard
If you’re behind on your rent, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be evicted. Speak to your landlord to:
explain your situation
say what you’re doing to address the problem
suggest a new date to pay your outstanding rent or a repayment plan
get any agreement confirmed in writing.
If you live in social housing or are a housing association tenant, your tenancy officer can help with managing payments, budgeting and checking you’re getting everything you’re entitled to. If paying your rent is likely to be a long-term problem, you might be offered a smaller property to help make your monthly rent more affordable in future.
Find out what to do if you’re experiencing problems when paying your rent in our guide Help with rent arrears and problems with paying your rent
Find your nearest Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service
The Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service can help you if you live in England or Wales and are at risk of being evicted from a rental property.
This means you’re entitled to get free legal advice and representation in court from the moment you receive a written notice from your landlord.
A housing expert funded by the government will work with you to find solutions. They may be able to give you free legal advice on:
- illegal eviction
- disrepair and other problems with housing conditions
- rent arrears
- welfare benefits payments
- debt.
You can find your nearest Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service providerOpens in a new window by typing in your postcode and ticking the box ‘Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service’ at GOV.UK
Get debt advice
If you’re behind on your rent, there might be other bills you’re struggling with too.
A debt adviser can help you make sense of what you owe and go through your options with you confidentially.
Debt advice is free and can help you manage your repayments and talk to your creditors.
Have you missed more than one payment? Use MoneyHelper's Debt Advice Locator to find an adviser
What to do if you must move
Find out your rights about getting your deposit back and getting help with finding somewhere else to live. There's also advice if you're worried about becoming homeless.
Follow these steps to work out what you need to do:
Make sure you get your deposit back
When your tenancy has ended, you should have your deposit returned to you unless you damaged the property, or you owe rent to your landlord.
Ask your landlord when they plan to return your deposit.
It's a good idea to take photos of the condition of the property before you leave just in case there’s a disagreement about how much deposit you should get back.
Citizens Advice has more information about how to get your deposit backOpens in a new window and what to do if you landlord won’t pay it back to you
Check you can get extra money
If you need help getting a deposit to find somewhere to live, you can apply for a Discretionary Housing PaymentOpens in a new window from your local council These payments are specifically for housing costs and you don’t have to pay it back.
If you’re already getting benefits including Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits, you can apply for a Budgeting Advance or Budgeting Loan to help with your deposit. These are interest-free and repayments are taken out of your benefits.
Find out how it works, if you’re eligible and how to apply in our guide Budgeting Loans and Budgeting Advances
Get help finding somewhere to live
If you can’t find accommodation that's suitable for you or your family, your local council might help. Find more about applying for council housingOpens in a new window on Citizens Advice.
If you want to rent privately you may be able to save money if you rent directly from a landlord rather than through a letting agent.
If there are rental properties you can afford and want to apply for but can’t because the advert states that they won’t accept people getting benefits, this is housing discrimination.
Find out if you can claim it’s discriminationOpens in a new window on Citizen’s Advice
If you’re worried about becoming homeless
Contact your local council to:
check if you can get emergency housing from your local council
ask for contact details of hostels, night shelters, refuges and bed and breakfasts.
Shelter has some guides about what the council can do in EnglandOpens in a new window WalesOpens in a new window and Scotland and you can find support if you live in Northern IrelandOpens in a new window on Housing Rights.
Citizens Advice has information about applying for homeless helpOpens in a new window and who can get support
Check your rights if you’re being evicted
There are things your landlord must do to formally serve notice. Currently they must:
give you a Section 8 notice
get a possession order from court if you haven't left by the date on the Section 8 notice
apply to the court for a warrant of possession if you haven't left by the date on the possession order.
It usually takes a few months from getting your notice and having to move out. The timeline depends on what type of notice you receive.
If your landlord is seeking possession, they might be happy to let you out of your tenancy earlier than your contract allows if you find somewhere else to live.
No-fault evictions
‘No-fault’ evictions are still allowed in Wales and Northern Ireland, as long as your landlord gives you written notice.
However, Section 21 or ‘no-fault’ evictions are banned in England and Scotland. Your landlord must have valid ‘grounds’ to ask you to leave, such as:
- you’ve broken the terms of your tenancy (for example, rent arrears, anti-social behaviour), or
- they need the property back - to either sell or move in themselves.
Landlords in England had until 30 April 2026 to issue a Section 21 notice, and until 31 July 2026 to start court proceedings.
If you were served a Section 21 notice after 30 April 2026, it is not valid - you should only be issued a Section 8 notice.
For more help, read our guide Help if you’re being evicted.
If you think your eviction might be illegal, there are ways of challenging it.
Find out how you can do this by visiting Shelter EnglandOpens in a new window,Shelter ScotlandOpens in a new window or Shelter Cymru (Wales)Opens in a new window and on Housing Rights for Northern IrelandOpens in a new window
Have you missed a payment?
If so, now is the time to get debt advice
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It’s free and confidential
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Gives you better ways of managing your debts and money
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Ensures you’re claiming all the right benefits and entitlements