Tenant not paying rent

Most landlords who contact us about a non-paying tenant have already been through weeks or months of frustration. They have chased rent, sent letters, taken advice, and watched the arrears mount while feeling powerless to do anything quickly. The legal framework that governs eviction in England is slow by design, and it rarely feels fair to the landlord who is losing money every single month. If you have reached the point where you are considering selling the property to exit the situation entirely, this page will help you understand what is involved.

The eviction process: realistic timelines

There are two main routes to evicting a non-paying tenant, and neither is fast.

Section 8 (fault-based): Served when a tenant has at least two months of rent arrears. You must serve the notice, wait for it to expire (14 days minimum in arrears cases), then apply to court if the tenant does not leave. Court hearings are typically scheduled four to eight weeks after application. If the judge grants a possession order and the tenant still refuses to leave, you must apply for a bailiff warrant, which adds further weeks. Total timeline from first missed payment to enforced eviction: commonly six to twelve months, sometimes longer.

Section 21 (no-fault): Gives you the right to reclaim your property at the end of an assured shorthold tenancy without giving a specific reason. Two months' notice is required. If the tenant does not leave, court proceedings follow the same path as Section 8. Section 21 notices have additional formal requirements that must be met precisely or the notice is invalid. Proposed legislation has threatened to abolish Section 21 for some years. Check current law with a specialist before proceeding.

Can you sell with a tenant in the property?

Yes, but with important caveats. You have two options: a tenanted sale (selling with the tenant in situ) or waiting for vacant possession before selling.

A tenanted sale to a cash buyer is possible and we do buy tenanted properties. The offer will reflect the tenancy situation, the level of arrears, and the condition of the property. The advantage is that you do not have to wait months for an eviction to complete before you can exit. The proceeds clear whatever is owed and you walk away from the situation entirely.

A sale requiring vacant possession means you need the property empty before completion. This only works if you have already served notice and know when the tenant will be leaving, ideally with a confirmed departure date and no likelihood of further legal challenge. If the eviction process is uncertain, a tenanted sale is usually the more practical route.

The financial toll of rent arrears

It is worth being honest about what staying in this situation actually costs. If your tenant owes two months of rent and the eviction process takes a further six months, you have lost eight months of income. Add legal fees, court costs, potential damage to the property, and your own time and stress, and the real cost is often considerably higher than the headline rent figure suggests.

Against that backdrop, accepting a cash offer that reflects a modest discount for the tenanted situation can make straightforward financial sense. You stop the ongoing losses immediately, remove the legal and emotional burden, and free up capital to deploy elsewhere. Many landlords who have been through a difficult tenancy tell us they wish they had made this calculation sooner. If you are also struggling to sell through other routes because of the tenancy, a cash buyer is often the only realistic option.

What we need to know

When you contact us about a tenanted property, we will ask about the type of tenancy, the current level of arrears, whether you have served any notices, and the condition of the property. We can then give you a realistic figure and timeline. We work with landlords across South Yorkshire who are in exactly this situation, and we can move as quickly as the legal framework allows. If you also need guidance on selling urgently due to financial pressure from the missed rent, we can factor that into the conversation from the start.