The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has called for ministers to step up and take decisive action to stop tenants from falling deeper into rent arrears, rather than letting the situation worsen.

The Government’s proposed Renters’ Rights Bill would, in fact, raise the threshold of arrears tenants can accumulate from two months to three before landlords are permitted to issue a notice for repossession. Alongside this, the Bill aims to double the notice period required, resulting in an average delay of up to seven months before courts are able to process and enforce these repossession claims.

The NRLA has raised concerns, warning that allowing tenants to accrue more rent arrears may trap many in a spiral of debt that could become insurmountable. This not only threatens tenants' financial stability but could severely damage their credit ratings, making it far more difficult for them to secure housing or other essential services in the future.

To address this mounting issue, the NRLA has laid out a set of recommendations, urging a balanced approach that serves both tenants and landlords.

First and foremost, they believe that landlords and letting agents must intervene at the earliest signs of rent arrears. Proactive engagement is key to preventing the situation from snowballing. The NRLA has suggested that the Government and the courts should uphold the ‘golden rules’ for these negotiations—guidelines that were widely seen as best practice during the pandemic.

The association has also pushed for stability by proposing that housing benefit rates be linked to market rents throughout the remainder of the current Parliament. This measure would offer greater predictability for tenants and landlords alike.

Another critical point the NRLA emphasized is that landlords should have the assurance of being able to repossess properties swiftly if tenants have fallen behind by two months in rent, maintaining the current standard.

Ben Beadle, the NRLA's chief executive, made the organization’s stance crystal clear: “Preventing rent arrears from building in the first place should be the priority for landlords and government, not allowing them to build yet further.

"Landlords should be making every effort to help tenants get on top of debts as early on as possible.

“However, landlords should rightly expect that they can swiftly regain possession of the properties they rent when tenants reach two months of arrears as at present.

“In no other walk of life would the Government allow consumer debts to build for months on end with all the damage that can cause to their credit ratings.”

The urgency in Beadle’s words underscores the critical need for a more balanced approach that neither leaves tenants drowning in debt nor landlords powerless to act when financial obligations are unmet.