Seeking Help with Rent Arrears: A Guide
The UK is in a cost of living crisis, meaning rent, bills and generally the daily cost of living has gone up. This means that sadly, for many, needing help with rent or getting into rent arrears isn’t an uncommon thing. Rent for most people is the biggest expenditure for each household month to month.
This post is here to explore options if you are having issues with getting on top of your rent – there are solutions out there to help.
Thirty percent of UK households have difficulty affording rent or mortgage payments
Mandy and her partner had just started to settle in after making a big move across the country. Then an unforeseen expense made a huge dent in their budget and left them in urgent need of help with paying their rent.
“My car failed its inspection, and to pass I needed a £1,000 repair,” Mandy recalls. “I had 10 days to get it fixed and our rent was due the next week.”
Mandy and her partner were already finding it difficult to make ends meet. They both had low-paid jobs. Mandy’s wages depended on how many shifts she could pick up at the shop where she worked. It was a case of either paying their £850 rent or fixing her car.
Reluctantly, Mandy asked her mother for help.
“We didn’t know what else to do,” Mandy says. “If I couldn’t drive my car, I couldn’t get to work.”
Mandy isn’t the only person in this kind of situation. Many people are only one emergency bill away from not being able to cover their household expenses. Of adults who were paying rent or had mortgage payments, 3 in 10 (30%) reported finding it difficult to afford these payments.
Why people need help with rent
According to guidelines, any family that spends more than 30% of their income on rent are “cost burdened”. This means they may have trouble affording other necessities.
“That’s hard in a lot of rental markets for people,” says Laura Scherler, senior director of economic mobility and corporate solutions at United Way. She adds that there are people who spend more than 40% or 50% of their income on rent. “It leaves them vulnerable if their car breaks down or if their kids get sick. Anything unexpected will throw them off. It doesn’t give them any wiggle room to manage those crises”.
That was the case for Mandy. She and her partner had already used up all of their savings on their move when they had to get her car fixed. Mandy estimates that they were paying about 50% of their joint income on rent.
“We didn’t have any savings to fall back on,” Mandy says, adding that saving even £20 of her wages (as Scherler recommends) was incredibly difficult for the couple at the time.
Financial challenges are widespread
According to Money.co.uk’s 2022 savings report, they found that one in 10 respondents don’t have any savings at all.
The same report found that:
- Two thirds of respondents didn’t have an emergency fund.
- One in six Brits dip into their savings every month
There are lots of different reasons why people may be struggling to afford rent, or put money away to help – and there are solutions.
How to get help with your rent
There are ways that you can manage your money and make the process around renting easier.
Read your tenancy agreement
Find out what your rights are as a tenant. Find out what happens if you make a late payment or if you miss a month and when eviction proceedings can begin.
Landlords must give you at least two months’ notice, according to Shelter and a full eviction process for a private tenant takes an average of 7 to 8 months.
Tenancy agreements set out the rights and responsibilities of you and your landlord. Ensure that you find out what your rights are as a tenant, such as what happens if you make a late payment or miss a month and when eviction proceedings can begin.
Talk to your landlord
If you are a good tenant and have a good relationship with your landlord, they may be willing to work with you. Ask if they will accept a late payment or if you can pay your rent in instalments.
Contact charities
There are certain charities that can support with rent and housing problems in the UK – and can also help with advice on how to break the cycle of falling into problems with being able to pay rent, too.
Shelter
UK housing charity Shelter can help to provide advice, support and free legal services if you’re facing housing issues. There are also lots of valuable resources on the Shelter website, including how to find an appropriate rental property, the legislation around rent increases for private rental properties (ie, how much your landlord can legally put your rent up by). They also run a national helpline which is open 365 days a year and they also offer face-to-face services and advice.
Citizen’s Advice
The Citizen’s Advice Bureau can offer information on housing and renting. They can advise on how much support you might be able to claim from the Government to help you pay your rent – this may be able to help support those who are unemployed, on a low income or are claiming benefits. You can see more on the Citizen’s Advice website, where they have specific sections for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Local food banks
Another option if you’re struggling with your bills is looking at easing your expenditure in other ways. If you’re struggling with the cost of living, it might be an option to turn to a local food bank. According to the Trussell Trust, last year 3.1million emergency food parcels were provided to those who needed them in their networks. You can find more information about the Trussell Trust and your local branch on their website here.
Explore other income sources
Ask your friends and family members for a loan or see if you can get an advance on your wages from your employer. Some companies may also have a hardship fund for employees.
Consider crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a great solution. A good way to alert friends and family to your situation is by starting a fundraiser on GoFundMe. GoFundMe is a custom-built platform specifically for crowdfunding. It allows you to personalise your fundraising story, which could be a benefit in this situation as it lets people know why you need help without you having to repeat the story – which may be sensitive and difficult to tell – several times. GoFundMe could work for you and fundraising for rent arrears because:
- It’s free to start a GoFundMe: It costs nothing to start a GoFundMe. All you need is to be able to tell your story and a compelling image.
- It’s easy to circulate a GoFundMe: Once the fundraiser is up and running, it’s easy to circulate your GoFundMe amongst family and friends. You can send it out on an email list, post on your social media or send out to your group chats.
- It’s a safe way to contribute: Our team of trust and safety experts work around the clock to get the money where it needs to go securely and quickly.
- People can donate when they please: If someone wants to contribute but needs to wait until pay day, for example, it’s easy for them to contribute to your GoFundMe once they have the link.
Plenty of people fundraise for housing issues or rent arrears on GoFundMe and there’s no shame in reaching out and asking for help.
Rent payment help for veterans
UK veterans can receive advice and support from the Ministry of Defence’s housing advice service – the Joint Service Housing Advice Office (JSHAO) – before leaving the forces. This specialist service provides civilian housing options and information for service personnel. Shelter also offers help to veterans struggling with housing and has links to a number of military charities and organisations. Those at risk of homelessness can find support with accommodation from Veterans Air and the Royal British Legion. Specialist housing organisation, Haig Housing, provides longer-term housing solutions to veterans and their families.
Government aid
Unfortunately, the UK government offers limited support with help paying rent. However, there are some options available, including housing benefit and discretionary housing payments.
Housing Benefit can help those who are unemployed, on a low income or claiming benefits and struggling to cover rent costs. Claiming this extra support can be tough, as those wanting to make a new claim must fulfil the criteria.
The government also offers guidance on Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP), which are provided by local councils. This scheme allows councils to offer extra help to those struggling to meet housing costs, when Housing Benefit is not enough. The council considers your circumstances and eligibility before deciding whether to give you DHP and how much you will receive.
A rent crisis can be a sign of a bigger problem
By taking a look at the bigger picture when faced with a one-off, emergency expense, people can avoid years of financial struggle.
For Mandy, her struggle to pay the rent was a sign that she and her partner needed more help than they were prepared to admit to get by. They had been considering applying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (commonly referred to as SNAP), but their financial crisis caused them to seek immediate help.
“We felt terrible,” Mandy says. “We wanted so badly to be self-sufficient, but we just couldn’t make it work.”
There are a number of resources available to you if you ever find yourself in a situation like Mandy’s and many programmes continue to provide help after the crisis has passed.
Follow the following advice if you need help with paying your rent:
- Take an active role in formulating an action plan to end your crisis situation with short-term and long-term solutions.
- Try not to ignore the problem until the last minute.
- Don’t panic or make hasty decisions, as there are community resources and support in place to help you through this situation.
- Consider taking free household budgeting classes to determine how to pay your rent or if you need to find a cheaper place to live.
“If you have this sneaking suspicion that next month you might not make the rent, you need to start looking right now,” Taylor says. “It’s important to be proactive and really get out there.”
There’s no shame in asking for help
Whether you ask for help through a non-profit organisation, friends, family or crowdfunding: don’t feel embarrassed.
“Everyone falls on tough times,” Mandy says. “It happens to more of us than people realize.”
So if you’re struggling and need to raise money to pay your rent, take a deep breath. Contact your landlord, a charity or non-profit organisation, your friends and family or start a crowdfunding fundraiser. Above all, remember that you are not alone. Sometimes we all need a helping hand.