Use the written statement and the actual payment history to establish the position. Welsh occupation contracts have their own rent, fitness, notice and possession rules. An English arrears template is not suitable.
Check the account and contract
- Read the rent amount, frequency, due date and any agreed changes. Reconcile bank, agent and benefit receipts and distinguish rent from other amounts.
- Send an itemised statement and ask the contract-holder to identify missing payments or disputed entries. Keep credits and corrections visible.
- Establish whether the contract is periodic or fixed term, new or converted, and whether terms or earlier notices affect the proposed action.
Investigate the reason and keep communication useful
- Ask what caused the missed payment and whether it is temporary. Agree a specific next contact date and one reliable communication route.
- Consider a payment plan based on what the household can sustain alongside current rent. A plan that looks attractive but cannot be paid only postpones the problem.
- Offer information about independent money and benefits advice. Check Universal Credit or council payment options where relevant, without asking for access to the person's benefits account.
Resolve issues affecting the amount owed
- If the contract-holder says the home is unfit, investigate promptly. Welsh contract terms can affect rent liability during unfitness and compensation or set-off may also need assessment.
- Keep the repair response moving independently of the rent dispute. Ask a qualified adviser to assess contested liability rather than declaring every withheld amount recoverable.
- Check any Breathing Space notification and instruct agents to respect the applicable restrictions. Continue necessary repairs and ordinary management through a suitable process.
Formal possession requires the Welsh route
- Serious-arrears thresholds depend on rent frequency. Monthly rent generally requires at least two months unpaid; weekly or fortnightly arrangements use the relevant eight-week test. Check the complete statutory definition for other frequencies.
- For the relevant standard-contract serious-arrears route, check the correct RHW form, 14-day notice and the requirement for the threshold at both service and hearing. Do not assume every Welsh contract uses an identical form.
- Review registration, licensing, deposit and document issues with an adviser. Keep the exact notice and delivery evidence, and use the court process if the household remains.
- A money claim, deposit deduction and possession claim are different remedies. Avoid recovering the same debt twice and update every claim for later payments.
Example: an unpaid balance includes disputed unfitness
A fictional contract-holder withholds £1,600 and reports that the dwelling has been unfit. The landlord needs both a repair investigation and advice about rent liability. Treating the whole sum as established serious arrears before reviewing that issue could produce an inaccurate notice.
What to do
- Prepare a dated rent statement and check any fitness or compensation dispute.
- Discuss support and a realistic plan, keeping current rent visible.
- Have the Welsh notice route and its preconditions checked before formal service.
Evidence to keep
- Written statement, rent receipts, payment plan and dated correspondence.
- Repair and fitness records, deposit and licensing evidence, notice and service records.
Sources and guidance
- Understanding the possession action processWelsh Government · checked 20 October 2026
- Standard occupation contracts: guidance on the termsWelsh Government · checked 20 October 2026
- Fitness of homes for human habitation: landlord guidanceWelsh Government · checked 20 October 2026
- Debt Respite Scheme: guidance for creditorsInsolvency Service · checked 20 October 2026
- Universal Credit: rented housing guide for landlordsDepartment for Work and Pensions · checked 20 October 2026
Related guides
- Build a rent arrears schedule that can be checked
- Agree an arrears payment plan the tenant can sustain
- Respond when a tenant withholds rent because of repairs
- Check serious rent arrears under a Welsh occupation contract
- Assess fitness for human habitation in Wales
- Check Welsh electrical and alarm evidence