Twenty-two terms, each in two sentences, with the statute named where there is one. Written to be correct rather than reassuring.
A change to how Universal Credit is paid, most often paying the housing element direct to the landlord. Distinct from a third party deduction, which takes an amount towards arrears.
Read more →A tenancy under the Housing Act 1988, the usual form for housing association lettings granted since 1989. Possession grounds, including Ground 8, come from Schedule 2 to that Act.
Read more →A 60-day moratorium under the Debt Respite Scheme Regulations 2020 during which a creditor must not contact the debtor about a protected debt, apply interest or charges to it, or take enforcement action.
Read more →The Regulator of Social Housing's standards covering safety and quality, transparency influence and accountability, neighbourhood and community, and tenancy. Breach can lead to a consumer grading of C1 to C4.
An insolvency procedure under Part 7A of the Insolvency Act 1986 for people with low income and few assets. Debts included may be discharged at the end, so the end of a DRO hold is a decision rather than a date.
Read more →The standard set by section 149 of the Equality Act 2010: consideration in substance, with rigour and an open mind, at the time a decision is made. Consideration documented afterwards carries very little weight.
Read more →Rent debt owed by somebody whose tenancy has ended. Subject to the six-year limitation period, and usually recoverable only by a civil claim rather than through possession.
Read more →The mandatory rent arrears ground in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988. Requires a set level of arrears both when the notice is served and at the hearing, and is available only against assured tenants.
Read more →Discretionary rent arrears grounds under the Housing Act 1988. Ground 10 covers rent unpaid; Ground 11 covers persistent delay in paying rent and reaches tenants who are clear today. Neither has a statutory threshold.
Read more →The six years after which an action to recover arrears of rent is barred, under sections 19 and 5 of the Limitation Act 1980. It bars the remedy rather than extinguishing the debt.
Read more →A moratorium under the same 2020 Regulations as Breathing Space, but lasting as long as crisis treatment continues plus 30 days, with no 60-day cap and frequently no known end date when it starts.
Read more →The body that investigates complaints about social landlords in England and can make findings including severe maladministration. Its Complaint Handling Code sets expectations for how complaints are handled.
The Pre-Action Protocol for Possession Claims by Social Landlords: the steps expected before issuing a rent arrears possession claim. Compliance is judged at the point the claim is issued.
Read more →The duty in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 to have due regard to eliminating discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity and fostering good relations when exercising public functions.
Read more →An adjustment required by section 20 of the Equality Act 2010 to avoid substantial disadvantage to a disabled person, including in how a landlord communicates. A recorded need for post, Braille or an interpreter is the adjustment, not a preference.
Read more →The regulator of registered providers of social housing in England. It regulates landlords rather than their suppliers, and does not approve or certify software.
Read more →A tenancy under the Housing Act 1985, the usual form for local authority lettings. There is no mandatory rent arrears ground: arrears fall under Schedule 2 Ground 1, which is discretionary.
Read more →An order for possession that does not take effect while the tenant keeps to terms set by the court, typically current rent plus an amount off the arrears. Available on the discretionary grounds, not on Ground 8.
Read more →An account that appears in arrears because of payment or benefit timing rather than non-payment, most commonly where the billing cycle and the payment cycle differ.
Read more →A deduction from a benefit award towards arrears, paid to the creditor. Separate from a managed payment of the housing element, though both are applied for together.
Read more →Twenty-two measures reported annually to the Regulator of Social Housing: twelve from tenant perception surveys and ten from landlord management information.
Read more →Arrears nobody has worked, counted separately from arrears somebody worked that did not move, and with correctly suppressed accounts netted off both.
Read more →Last reviewed 17 September 2026. General information on the law in England and Wales, not legal advice.
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