The serious-arrears route is distinct from other breach or landlord-notice routes. Confirm the contract type and statutory provisions before preparing a notice.
Apply the right threshold
- For monthly rent, the serious-arrears test generally concerns at least two months' unpaid rent.
- Weekly, fortnightly or four-weekly arrangements use the relevant eight-week test; quarterly and annual rents have different definitions.
- Check the full statutory definition and the actual rent frequency. A label in software is not enough if the contract says something different.
Prepare the notice properly
- For the relevant standard-contract route, check RHW20, the applicable 14-day period and the specific contract provisions. Other contract categories can use a different form.
- Review any issue affecting rent liability, service, documents, registration or licensing with an adviser.
- Keep a dated schedule and the exact notice served on the correct parties.
Recheck before the hearing
- The serious-arrears condition must be satisfied at the required notice and hearing stages.
- Credit every payment and agreed deduction and disclose changes.
- If the threshold is no longer met, obtain advice on the effect and any other properly available route.
Example: weekly and monthly figures are mixed
A fictional account charges monthly rent but a notice calculation uses eight weeks. Correct the calculation to the contract's applicable statutory test before service. The thresholds are not interchangeable shortcuts.
What to do
- Calculate unpaid rent under the applicable Welsh frequency test.
- Check the correct RHW form and notice conditions.
- Maintain the schedule and evidence through the court process.
Evidence to keep
- Written statement, rent schedule and receipts.
- Fitness or set-off issues, notice, service and later payment history.
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