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A Rent Demand Letter requests immediate payment of outstanding rent from a tenant (or ‘contract holders’ in Wales). Rent Demand Letters notify tenants of their failure to pay rent and take the first step towards recovering overdue rent.
Use this Rent Demand Letter when:
your tenant did not pay their rent on time
the tenancy is residential (and not commercial)
the rent remains overdue, and
you have not already requested immediate payment of the overdue rent
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Dear ,
Re: ,
DEMAND FOR OVERDUE RENT
writing to inform you that from our records your rent is currently overdue as follows:
Please arrange for the outstanding balance to be paid immediately and please make sure that all future rent payments are made in full on the date that they are due.
If you have any problems in making the overdue rent payment please contact to discuss the matter.
Yours sincerely,
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Send a final request for payment of outstanding rent
Agree to a rent delay for residential tenancies
Provide tenants with a receipt of the rent they’ve paid
Carry out a property inspection when your tenant moves out
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This Rent Demand Letter template covers:
the amount of the unpaid rent
the date the rent was due
requests for immediate payment by the tenant
Issuing a demand for rent reminds a tenant that rent is due and warns them that further failure to pay may lead to eviction. Communicating with your tenant by sending them a Rent Demand Letter may be enough to solve the issue and avoid eviction. The document also provides valuable evidence in case of further legal action.
Use this Rent Demand Letter when your tenant has missed paying rent on the due date.
You could also discuss the rent arrears with your tenant and consider creating a Rent repayment plan to set out a realistic, formal plan for your tenant to follow to repay the rent that they owe.
Rent is considered overdue as soon as a tenant has not paid their rent on the date specified in their tenancy agreement. However, a slight delay in paying rent can sometimes happen. As a result, the first Rent Demand Letter should normally be sent on the 7th day of arrears (ie the 7th day after the rent was due).
This will be for the landlord to decide. However, this Rent Demand Letter indicates that payment must be made immediately. This can help you deal with rent arrears quickly and efficiently.
If the tenancy agreement under which rent is due was signed via an agency, a Rent Demand Letter can be issued by the agent on the landlord's behalf.
If, after sending a first Letter to your tenant, rent remains overdue and unpaid, you can serve the tenant a Final rent demand letter to request immediate payment of the outstanding rent. After this, the next step is serving your tenant with a notice of your intention to repossess the property (ie an Eviction notice). For more information, read Managing residential rent arrears.
If a tenant refuses to respond to a Rent Demand Letter, their landlord may need to take the matter to court. It will then be up to the court to determine whether a landlord is entitled to claim compensation for the rent arrears.
Factors that will work against a landlord in court may include that they:
acted dishonestly or unscrupulously (eg if they were aggressive during the demand and/or eviction processes)
are partly responsible for the rent arrears (eg if the property was in disrepair or if they failed to carry out any repair works they were responsible for)
did not attempt to settle the dispute informally first (eg using Rent Demand Letters or via mediation)
Making a Rent Demand Letter online is simple. Just answer a few questions and Rocket Lawyer will build your document for you. When you have all of the details prepared in advance, making your document is a quick and easy process.
To make your Rent Demand Letter you will need the following information:
Party details
What are the landlord’s details (ie legal structure and name)?
If the landlord is a business, will the Rent Demand Letter be printed on headed paper including the business name and address?
If not, what is the landlord’s address?
Is an agent sending this Rent Demand Letter on behalf of the landlord?
If so, what is their name?
If not, if the landlord is a company, LLP or partnership, who will sign the Rent Demand Letter on behalf of the landlord’s business?
What is the tenant’s name?
Property and rent
What is the address of the rented property?
How much rent is outstanding?
On what date was the rent due?
Letter
On what date will the Letter be sent to the tenant?
A Rent Demand Letter is used by a private residential landlord to formally request that a tenant pays outstanding rent. To achieve this, this Rent Demand Letter template covers:
Sender and recipient details
The start of the Rent Demand Letter provides details of the landlord and tenant and identifies the property to which the rent request applies.
Demand for overdue rent
The body of the Letter sets out the landlord’s demand for overdue rent. It sets out how much rent is overdue and when the rent was initially due. The Letter also requests that the tenant arranges for the outstanding balance to be paid immediately and reminds them to make all future rent payments in full on the due date. The Letter also encourages the tenant to reach out to the landlord to discuss their options if they cannot make the rent payment.
If you want your Rent Demand Letter to include further or more detailed provisions, you can edit your document. However, if you do this, you may want a lawyer to review or change the Rent Demand Letter for you, to make sure it complies with all relevant laws and meets your specific needs. Ask a lawyer for assistance.
Give your tenant time to pay
While tenants should pay their rent on the due date, as set out in their tenancy agreement, payment delays can happen. For example, the tenant’s bank system may not be working, causing a delay. As a result, you should wait a few days before sending a Rent Demand Letter. Generally, it is prudent to wait around 7 days before sending a Rent Demand Letter. For more information, read Managing residential rent arrears.
Consider entering into a repayment plan
If your tenant is unable to pay their overdue rent, and you have a good relationship with them, you can consider entering into a Rent repayment plan. This is a temporary adjustment to the rent and/or a way to spread out the repayment of any accrued overdue rent. Rent repayment plans are designed to be short-term solutions that give a tenant the opportunity to get back on their feet. For more information, read Managing residential rent arrears.
Understand when to seek advice from a lawyer
Ask a lawyer for advice:
if this document doesn’t meet your specific needs
if a tenant has ignored previous requests to pay the overdue rent
if a tenant has informed you that they cannot pay their rent
if you need to end a tenant's occupation of your property
if your commercial tenant has not paid their rent
