Rent and rates

You must pay rent to your landlord in return for living in the property.  If you stop paying your rent, are late with a payment or do not pay in full, your landlord may begin eviction proceedings against you.  If you’re unable to afford your tenancy, it’s important that you get advice.

Paying rent

Many landlords will expect that you pay rent by standing order or direct debit, while others will allow you to make payments in cash.  Whichever way you pay your rent, it’s essential that you keep records of all payments and have your rent book completed. 

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Rent arrears

Almost everyone will experience difficulties paying their bills at some point.  If you are worried about falling into arrears or missing a payment of rent, you should talk to your landlord about the problem.  Free, debt advice is available from a variety of local advice agencies.

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Rates

The law sets out who is legally responsible for rates.  If you're responsible for paying rates you should try to pay these directly to Land & Property Services or make sure that your landlord is passing rates payments which you are making as part of your rent. 

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Rates arrears

Get advice as soon as possible if you can't pay. The Land & Property Services have a strict procedure for recovering rates arrears. There are strict time limits. If you contact your local Land & Property Services office, you may be able to negotiate a payment plan.

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Getting help with your rent

If you are in financial difficulties, you may be able to get some help to pay your rent through housing benefit.  Housing benefit will not always cover your full contractual rent. 

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Withholding rent

It can be tempting to stop paying rent if you feel the property you are renting is not up to scratch or the landlord is not sticking to the tenancy agreement.  This is a risky procedure as your landlord may try to evict you if you stop paying rent. 

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Rent increases

As a tenant you pay rent to your landlord in return for living in your home. In certain circumstances it is possible for landlords to increase the rent. This section explains when and how rent can be increased and what you can do if you disagree with the rent increase.

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