A useful arrears schedule allows the tenant, adviser or decision-maker to follow the account from the agreement to the final balance. It should remain accurate when later payments arrive.
Set up the columns
- Include the due date, period covered, rent charged, payment date, amount received, credit or adjustment and running balance.
- Explain any opening balance and attach the earlier schedule supporting it. Do not start with an unexplained debt figure.
- Keep rent separate from cleaning, damage, interest or legal costs. Those amounts may have different rules and should not inflate a rent-only threshold.
Reconcile receipts and adjustments
- Match every receipt to the bank or agent record. Record who paid where a benefit provider, guarantor or joint tenant is involved.
- Show agreed credits and refunds openly. Do not delete the original entry in a way that conceals the correction.
- Keep a note where the tenant disputes an entry, with the reason and evidence still needed.
Keep it current during a claim
- Date each version and update for payments after notice or application. Preserve the version relied on at the earlier event.
- Recheck the relevant legal threshold at the required dates rather than assuming it remains met.
- Send a clear updated statement when the balance changes materially and ensure any adviser has the same version.
Check the arithmetic independently
Use one line per rent charge or receipt, retaining the actual transaction date and the period covered.
- A simple control is opening balance plus rent charged minus receipts and valid credits equals closing balance. Reconcile the receipt total to the bank and agent statements.
- Keep charge dates, payment dates and allocation periods separate. A receipt arriving late may clear an earlier charge; moving the original due date would distort the history.
- Show disputed sums and non-rent charges separately. Before a notice or hearing, refresh the schedule for later receipts and have the applicable statutory threshold checked on the required dates.
Example: a part payment changes the balance
In a fictional account, £800 is due and £500 is received, leaving £300. The next £800 rent charge makes the running balance £1,100, before further receipts or credits. Show both events; do not describe the first month as wholly unpaid.
What to do
- Start from the agreed rent and a supported opening balance.
- Enter each charge, payment and credit with its date and evidence.
- Reconcile the closing balance and keep a dated version for any claim.
Evidence to keep
- Agreement, valid rent changes and bank or agent statements.
- The schedule, credit explanations and versions supplied to the tenant.
Sources and guidance
- What a private landlord must do about rent arrearsScottish Government · checked 20 October 2026
- Grounds for possession: current grounds and notice periodsUK Government · checked 20 October 2026
- Understanding the possession action processWelsh Government · checked 20 October 2026