The short answer
A good arrears letter is short and exact. It says how much is owed, for which rent dates, what has already been paid, how to pay the rest and how to get in touch. It does not threaten, it does not exaggerate what will happen, and it never says that not paying rent is a crime. Most landlords need three of them at most: a friendly reminder within days of the missed rent, a formal letter with a rent statement after a couple of weeks, and a final letter before anything legal starts.
The three templates are below, ready to adapt. How to chase in general, and when to switch to possession, are covered on the pages linked at the end, so this page sticks to the letters.
When each letter goes
- Letter 1, the reminder. Two to five days after the rent day, once you have checked the bank. Late rent is often a moved payday or a cancelled standing order, and a light reminder sorts it
- Letter 2, the formal letter. Around two weeks late, or straight away if the tenant has gone quiet. It carries a rent statement and asks for a plan
- Letter 3, the final letter. When arrears are building and talking has not worked. It sets a date and says what you may do next
Adjust the timing to the person. A tenant who rang you on day one to say their wages are late needs a confirmation of what you agreed, not letter two.
What every letter should say
- The tenant’s name and the property address
- Each rent date unpaid and the amount for each, then the total
- Any part payment received, with its date
- How to pay: the account details or the usual method
- How to contact you, and an invitation to say if they are struggling
- The date of the letter. Keep a copy of every one you send
What a letter must never say
- Nothing that is not true about the consequences. Section 40(1) of the Administration of Justice Act 1970 makes it an offence, when trying to make someone pay a debt due under a contract, to harass them with demands calculated to cause alarm, distress or humiliation, or to falsely say that criminal proceedings lie for not paying (legislation.gov.uk, read 20 October 2026). Unpaid rent is a civil debt
- No fees the agreement does not allow. The only charge for late rent is interest, and only on the terms in the law section below
- No threats to change the locks, cut off a service or turn up unannounced. See the harassment offence below
- Nothing sent to their employer, family or social media
Template 1: the friendly reminder
Template, adapt before sending. Replace everything in square brackets.
Subject: Rent for [property address], due [date]
Hi [tenant name], the rent of [amount] for [property address] was due on [date] and has not reached me yet. If you have already paid, thank you, and please ignore this. If something has gone wrong, such as a changed payday or a standing order that stopped, just reply and let me know when to expect it. You can pay to [account name, sort code, account number, reference]. Thanks, [your name and phone number]
Template 2: the formal arrears letter
Template, adapt before sending. Attach a rent statement showing each month charged, paid and the balance.
Subject: Rent arrears at [property address]: [total] owed
Dear [tenant names], I am writing about the rent for [property address]. My records show the following rent unpaid: [date and amount for each unpaid rent date]. You paid [amount] on [date] towards this. The total now owed is [total]. A statement of the account is attached.
Please pay the full amount by [date, about 7 days ahead], or contact me before then to agree a plan to clear it, paid in addition to the rent as it falls due. If you receive Universal Credit with help towards your housing costs, please let me know, as it can affect how the rent is paid.
[Only if your tenancy agreement provides for it:] Under clause [number] of your tenancy agreement, interest is charged on rent unpaid for 14 days or more at [rate], which is no more than 3% a year above the Bank of England base rate.
If you are finding it hard to pay, free and confidential debt advice is available from Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper. Yours sincerely, [your name, address for correspondence, phone and email]
Template 3: the final letter before formal action
Template, adapt before sending. Only say what you are genuinely prepared to do, and give a realistic date.
Subject: Final letter about rent arrears at [property address]
Dear [tenant names], I wrote to you on [date of letter 2] about rent arrears at [property address]. [The repayment plan agreed on [date] has not been kept / I have not received a reply.] The total now owed is [total], and an updated statement is attached.
If the arrears are not paid, or a repayment plan agreed with me in writing, by [date, at least 14 days ahead], I may serve notice seeking possession under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, and I may apply to the county court for a money judgment for the amount owed. I would rather agree a plan with you, so please contact me before that date.
Free and confidential debt advice is available from Citizens Advice and MoneyHelper. Yours sincerely, [your name, address for correspondence, phone and email]
The letter is not the notice. If you go on to Section 8, the notice itself is Form 3A, the prescribed form, with the grounds and the notice period set by law.
Where LetCompliance does the writing for you
- Before the rent day. If you switch it on, each tenant gets an email 3 days before rent is due by default, with the date and the amount
- After the rent day. Automatic chasing is off until you switch it on, and you see a preview of who it would email first. Then each tenancy with overdue rent gets one email, subject “Rent overdue” with the total and the property, listing every unpaid date and amount and inviting the tenant to reply if they have paid or are finding it hard to pay. It repeats every 4 days, up to 3 times by default, both changeable in Settings
- A reminder by hand from the rent page whenever you choose
- Part payments. Record money that does not clear the rent and the balance updates. The tenant’s receipt for it is marked as a part payment and shows what is still owed
- Letter 2’s statement. The month-by-month rent statement comes with the 3-day trial and every paid plan
- Letter 3 and after. The arrears figures show whether the Ground 8 threshold is met. The Section 8 notice on Form 3A, with the arrears read from the ledger, comes with paid plans from £7.99 a month
- Someone to make the calls. Arrears Recovery is a flat £99 with no commission. The tenant is contacted by phone and in writing for you, a plan they can keep is agreed in writing, and every contact is logged. It is pre-legal help, not legal representation
The law in brief
- Late payment interest. Paragraph 4 of Schedule 1 to the Tenant Fees Act 2019 allows a charge for late rent only if the tenancy agreement requires it, only once rent has been unpaid for 14 days from the due date, and at no more than 3% a year above the Bank of England base rate on the rent still unpaid. Anything more is a prohibited payment (legislation.gov.uk, read 20 October 2026). GOV.UK’s “Fees you can charge as part of a tenancy” (updated 7 July 2026) says the same and adds that such fees should be applied case by case
- Ground 8. Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988 needs at least three months’ rent unpaid on a monthly tenancy, or 13 weeks’ rent on a weekly or fortnightly one, both when the notice is served and at the hearing. Rent unpaid only because a Universal Credit award with housing costs had not yet been paid is ignored (legislation.gov.uk, read 20 October 2026). Grounds 10 and 11 cover lower arrears and persistent late payment, where the court decides. GOV.UK’s “Grounds for possession: guidance for landlords and letting agents” gives 4 weeks’ notice for Ground 8
- Harassment. Section 1(3A) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 makes it an offence for a landlord to do acts likely to interfere with the peace or comfort of a tenant or their household, or persistently withdraw or withhold services, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that it is likely to make them leave or stop pursuing their rights (legislation.gov.uk, read 20 October 2026)
- Breathing Space. GOV.UK’s “Make a court claim for money” says you cannot make a claim if you are told someone is temporarily protected under the Breathing Space scheme (read 20 October 2026)
Nothing here is legal advice on your own case.
Common mistakes
- Sending letter one before checking the bank, and chasing rent that arrived
- Leaving out the dates, so the tenant argues about which months are unpaid
- Adding a late fee the agreement does not provide for
- A final letter threatening something you will not do, which teaches the tenant to ignore the next one
- Agreeing a plan on the phone and never confirming it in writing
- Treating the final letter as the Section 8 notice. The notice is a prescribed form
Can I send a rent arrears letter by email?
Yes. Email is quick and leaves a dated record. Use the address the tenant gave you, keep the sent copy, and for letter three consider post as well.
How long after rent is late should I send a letter?
Two to five days for a reminder, once you have checked it has not arrived. The formal letter usually follows at around two weeks, which is also when interest can start if the agreement provides for it.
Can I charge the tenant for sending arrears letters?
No. Letter or admin charges are not on GOV.UK’s list of payments you can ask a tenant for. The only extra is late payment interest, on the terms above.
Do I need a letter before serving a Section 8 notice?
The notice itself is Form 3A. A letter first is good practice, and a record that you tried to agree a plan helps where the court decides whether possession is reasonable, as it does under Grounds 10 and 11.
What LetCompliance does not do here
- It does not post letters. The reminder and the chase go by email to every tenant on the tenancy with an email address
- Rent more than 90 days overdue, and rent being collected by Direct Debit, is not chased automatically
- The Ground 8 figure counts all unpaid rent, so check yourself for rent late only because Universal Credit has not yet been paid. Rent paid every four weeks gets no Ground 8 figure
- It does not make money claims or take a case to court
