Arrears get worse when nobody writes anything down. The first week matters more than the speech you wish you had made in month three.

The first missed payment

Contact the tenant in writing the day the rent is late. Ask why, state the amount, and give a short date for payment. Keep the email or letter. Do not turn up repeatedly, change the locks, or cut off services. Harassment is not a rent collection method, and it will damage any later claim.

Check whether housing benefit or Universal Credit is supposed to be covering part of the rent, and whether a direct payment to the landlord is possible. A managing agent should know this without you prompting them. If yours does not, that belongs on the health check under arrears.

If it is not a one-off

Agree a plan only if it is realistic, in writing, and you can see the first instalment arrive. A plan that exists only in a phone call is not a plan. Keep collecting the unpaid amount as a debt. Do not let the statement quietly drop the figure.

NPS treats arrears as part of management, not as a favour when the landlord complains. The agreement should say that chasing starts when the payment is missed.

Getting the property back

From 1 May 2026, landlords in England cannot use section 21 to end a private tenancy. Rent arrears are dealt with as a possession ground under section 8, using the notice and evidence the current rules require. GOV.UK explains the framework in Repossessing your privately rented property after 1 May 2026.

The practical consequences:

  • You need a legal reason, not a preference for a new tenant
  • The rent schedule has to be accurate
  • Notice periods depend on the ground
  • A court decides contested cases
  • Serving the wrong notice wastes the months you were trying to save

Take advice from a solicitor before a notice goes out. This article is not that advice, and NPS does not pretend a management agreement replaces it. What management can do is keep the ledger, the letters, and the inspection record in a state a solicitor can use.

What to send NPS

If arrears are why you want to change agent, send the rent schedule, the letters already sent, and the tenancy agreement with the review form. We will tell you whether the file is ready for a solicitor, and whether the rest of the management is worth keeping.