If you do not pay your rent the money you owe is known as rent arrears. If you don't pay the rent your landlord can evict you. You may be able to keep your home if you act quickly.

• Work out your finances
• Get in touch with your landlord
• Pay what you can
• Problems with housing benefit
• Can my landlord evict me?

Work out your finances

It can be difficult dealing with a debt problem. You must plan a solution if you are in debt. If you owe rent you should:

• work out your financial situation
• maximise your income
• minimise your spending
• produce a realistic repayment plan

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Get in touch with your landlord

Tell your landlord if you can't pay some or all of your rent. Your landlord is more likely to be sympathetic if you explain your problems. Your landlord may not evict you if you can agree with your landlord how you will pay back the rent arrears.

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Pay what you can

Pay as much as possible towards your rent even if you can't afford to pay it all. This will show your landlord that you are making an effort to deal with the situation. It also means the debt does not become too large very quickly.

If you have missed rent payments your landlord may let you pay back the money you owe over a period of time rather than in one go. Try to agree an amount that you can afford. For example, divide the debt by the number of months left on your contract. Repay this amount each month on top of your normal rent.

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Problems with housing benefit

Contact the Housing Executive if you have rent arrears because your housing benefit hasn't been paid. Your housing benefit may be delayed for a number of reasons:

• backlogs at the housing benefit office
• the Housing Executive hasn't got all the information it needs to assess your claim.

If you have provided all the information you've been asked for you can ask for an interim payment 14 days after you put in your claim. You should request this in writing and keep a copy of the letter.

Getting extra housing benefit

You can apply for extra money from the Housing Executive if your housing benefit isn't covering all your rent. This is known as a ' discretionary housing payment '. The Housing Executive will consider your circumstances before deciding whether to make an extra payment or not.

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Can my landlord evict me?

Your landlord has the right to try to evict you if you have rent arrears. Your landlord must usually:

• give you 28 days notice to quit, and
• get a court order telling you to leave the property

Get advice as soon as possible if you have rent arrears. An adviser can help you look at your financial situation and help you to work out what to do. Advice is available from Shelter and Housing Rights Service.