Housing - In rent arrears

How does Resolver work?

Free forever

Resolver is free. Just raise a case and leave feedback after. Simple! We’ve helped millions of people find a resolution. Get started now and let’s get this sorted.

Know your rights

There’s no jargon in our rights guides. Instead, they’re full of the info you need to get things sorted. We’ll always be on hand with guidance and support to help you get the results you’re looking for.

Get your voice heard

You can be certain that you’re talking to the right person at the right time. We automatically connect you to contacts at thousands of household names, ombudsmen and regulators to find a resolution.

The pre-action protocol sets out procedures council and housing association landlords have to follow to give their tenants the chance to sort out any arrears before court action starts.

When your Council must follow the pre-action protocol

All council and housing association landlords must follow the pre-action protocol if they want to evict a secure council tenant, or an assured, assured shorthold or secure housing association tenant only because of rent arrears.

A social housing landlord is not required to follow the pre-action protocol if you are a:

leaseholder (for example you bought your home through a shared ownership scheme or the Right to Buy)
council tenant but you are living in temporary accommodation

Shelter

The information is this guide is based on the Shelter website and is correct as of December 2014. It is for England and Wales only. Click here to see the full guide.

Shelter gives practical housing advice and support online, in person and by phone. Our expert advisers give free, confidential advice 365 days a year, helping with everything from mortgage arrears to finding a place to sleep. If you need help email Shelter at: info@shelter.org.uk or call 0300 330 1234. Click here to visit the Shelter website or to make a donation.

We have 5,115 pages of rights advice for you covering 10,930 companies and organisations across 16 public & private sectors. Feel free to browse companies for this specific issue - they're all listed below - but the quickest way to find the best rights for you is by using our unique Rights Finder to access our extensive database of advice.

Start by telling us the name of the company or organisation you have an issue with.