Tenant not paying rent, your 2026 UK landlord options under the Renters' Rights Act

Written and reviewed by the South Yorkshire Property Buyers team. AML-registered with HMRC, ICO-registered. Last reviewed: 2 June 2026.

What changed on 1 May 2026, and what it means for your arrears case

If the last time you served a notice was before 2026, the rulebook you remember is gone. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and Phase 1 commenced across England on 1 May 2026. The headline changes that matter for a landlord with a non-paying tenant are these:

• Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 has been abolished. The "no-fault" possession route landlords historically used as a faster backstop to a contested arrears claim is gone for all new notices. A Section 21 served on or before 30 April 2026 remained valid only if proceedings were issued before 31 July 2026, that window has now closed. Section 8 is the only route.
• Every existing assured shorthold tenancy auto-converted to an assured periodic tenancy on 1 May 2026. Fixed terms are gone; tenancies run rent-period to rent-period.
• The prescribed Section 8 notice is now Form 3A. The old Form 3 is no longer accepted by the courts and any notice served on it after 1 May 2026 is invalid on its face.
• Ground 8, the mandatory rent arrears ground, now requires three months' arrears at both the date of service of the notice and the date of the hearing (up from two months). The notice period has extended from two weeks to four weeks.
• The proposed new Ground 8A, which would have given landlords a mandatory ground for repeat short-term arrears, was dropped during the bill's final passage and is not available.
• The deposit protection bar applies to Section 8. A Section 8 notice cannot be relied on if the deposit was not protected in DPS, MyDeposits or TDS within 30 days and prescribed information was not served. Check this before drafting Form 3A.

Our deeper guides at Section 21 abolished, what landlords need to know and Section 8 eviction grounds 2026 cover the legal mechanics. The rest of this page is about what you actually do next.

Section 8 in detail: Grounds 8, 10 and 11

For rent arrears, three grounds in Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 are central. A well-drafted Form 3A pleads all three together, the reason is defensive, and we will come to that in a moment.

Ground 8, mandatory. The tenant must be at least three months in arrears at the date of service of the notice AND at the date of the hearing. If both are made out, the court has no discretion: a possession order must be made. The risk is that a tenant who pays down even a small sum before the hearing to drop below three months defeats the mandatory route. An additional limb introduced by the 2025 Act allows Ground 8 where the tenant has been at least two months in arrears on three separate occasions within the previous three years.

Ground 10, discretionary, any rent arrears. Applies where any rent lawfully due is unpaid at the date proceedings begin and was in arrears at the date of service. No minimum threshold. The court will only grant possession if reasonable in all the circumstances: taking account of the parties' conduct, the tenant's situation, the landlord's compliance with the pre-action protocol, and any partial repayments.

Ground 11, discretionary, persistent late payment. Covers tenants who persistently delay paying rent that becomes lawfully due, even if no rent is actually in arrears at the hearing. The landlord must produce evidence of the pattern: a rent statement showing payment dates against due dates, bank statements, written reminders sent each month.

The notice period for all three is four weeks. Why plead them all together? Because a tenant cannot defeat the entire claim simply by paying down enough to fall below the three-month Ground 8 threshold. Grounds 10 and 11 remain available on the same notice. The court can grant a possession order on the discretionary grounds even if Ground 8 falls. Pleading all three is the difference between a robust case and an exposed one.

The realistic possession timeline and what it costs

This is the part the legal commentary tends to skip. The end-to-end timeline from first missed payment to recovered possession in mid-2026 is roughly eight to ten months, and the financial damage is materially worse than the headline arrears figure.

Stage by stage:

• Arrears build to Ground 8 threshold: approximately 12 weeks.
• Form 3A notice period: 4 weeks.
• PCOL claim issue to first hearing: 8-12 weeks (typical Sheffield Combined Court Centre listing).
• Possession order grace period: 2 weeks (extendable to 6 weeks under section 89 Housing Act 1980 for exceptional hardship).
• Bailiff appointment wait in South Yorkshire: 7-12 weeks.

Total: 33-42 weeks. HMCTS data for Q1 2026 puts the median claim-to-actual-repossession alone at 26.4 weeks, the longest since the pandemic, and that is before the 12 weeks of pre-claim arrears build-up. Defended cases, suspended orders and warrant suspension applications each add 4-8 weeks.

Here is what that looks like in pounds for a typical Sheffield S5 two-bed terrace (capital value £155,000, rent £775, BTL mortgage £100,000 at 5.5% interest-only):

• Rent lost over 9 months: £6,975
• Mortgage carrying cost over 9 months: £4,122
• Court and legal fees (PCOL £391, solicitor representation, warrant): £2,200
• Re-letting, refurb and 4-week void: £2,275
• Less: deposit offset (5 weeks' rent): -£894
• Less: realistic arrears recovery via enforcement (~20% of CCJ): -£1,395
• Net loss: approximately £13,283

Doncaster Profile B (£140,000, £820 rent) lands at roughly £13,160 net loss. Barnsley Profile C (£115,000, £695 rent) at £11,750. These numbers exclude your time, 30-60 hours of unpaid administrative and court work over the period, and any tax inefficiency from the Section 24 mortgage interest restriction that limits relief on the £4,122 of interest to a 20% basic-rate credit.

Your four routes side by side

You have four real routes. Each has a different time, cost and risk profile. There is no universally right answer: the right answer depends on your equity, your mortgage carrying cost, your other income, and how much of your time and stress you are prepared to spend.

• Route 1, informal recovery + Universal Credit APA. Write to the tenant, agree a repayment plan, apply for direct UC payment if eligible. Time: 4-12 weeks. Cost: zero out of pocket. Best when the tenant is engaged and the cause is short-term hardship.
• Route 2. Section 8 possession via PCOL. Form 3A, four-week notice, claim, hearing, possession order, bailiff. Time: 8-10 months. Out-of-pocket cost: ~£13,000 net on a typical Sheffield property. Best when the tenant is incommunicado and you have the equity, time and risk tolerance to litigate.
• Route 3, negotiated surrender ("cash for keys"). A documented payment of £1,000-£3,500 to the tenant in exchange for vacant possession on a signed deed. Time: 30-60 days. Net loss on the Sheffield example: ~£9,500. Best when the tenant is willing to leave on terms.
• Route 4, sale with tenant in situ to an investor cash buyer. 80-85% of vacant possession value, completion in 14-28 days, arrears risk transferred. Net equity crystallised immediately. Best when time, certainty and stress matter more than headline price.

For the Sheffield S5 property above, the side-by-side outcome looks like this:

• Section 8 + bailiff: 9-10 months, net £13,300 loss, plus equity tied up.
• Cash-for-keys surrender: 30-60 days, net ~£9,500 loss.
• Rent guarantee insurance claim (if held): 6-9 months, net £2,000-£4,000 loss.
• Sale with tenant in situ: 14-28 days, ~£55,000 equity less 18-25% discount = ~£40,000-£45,000 net of mortgage redemption.

None of these routes is "free". The in-situ sale accepts a real discount on capital value. But it is the only route that converts paper equity into cash now, eliminates the legal tail, and removes the ongoing mortgage carrying cost. For an accidental landlord or a landlord already planning to exit the sector, that is often the dominant outcome.

One factor worth weighing honestly: rent guarantee insurance is only useful if it was already in place before the arrears began. Most policies require Tenant Pre-Approval at the start of the tenancy and a referencing check, so landlords with an already-defaulted tenant cannot retrospectively buy cover. NRLA 2025 data shows only around 22% of UK landlords carry rent guarantee insurance, rising to 38% on letting-agent-managed tenancies. For tenancies you intend to keep, putting it in place at renewal is one of the highest-ROI insurance decisions you can make: at £150-£450 per year per property and cover for £30,000+ of rent plus £50,000-£100,000 of legal costs, a single claim repays multiple years of premium.

The Universal Credit Alternative Payment Arrangement: the underused tool

If your tenant claims Universal Credit, this is the single highest-value pre-court tool you have, and it is dramatically under-used. NRLA research suggests only 31% of eligible landlords apply.

You can apply for a Managed Payment to Landlord via the gov.uk Direct Rent Payment service. Since 2024 the threshold has been one month of arrears (down from two). Once approved, the housing element of UC arrives directly in your nominated bank account, eliminating the leakage risk. In parallel, the DWP runs a Rent Arrears Deduction that diverts 10-20% of the tenant's UC standard allowance to you each month until historic arrears are cleared, typically £40-£80 per month for a single adult tenant. Both can be requested on the same digital application.

Approval normally takes 4-8 weeks. The route is slow but reliable, and crucially it gives you evidence at any later possession hearing that you acted constructively pre-action. One caveat introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025: the court must now disregard any arrears caused by a Universal Credit processing delay when assessing Ground 8. If your tenant's arrears are demonstrably the result of a DWP delay rather than tenant default, those arrears are stripped out of the calculation, so evidence the reason for non-payment carefully via bank statements and tenant communications.

See gov.uk's Universal Credit: landlord request for a managed payment or rent arrears deduction for the application route.

South Yorkshire in detail, courts, rents and licensing

This page is hosted by a buyer who operates exclusively in South Yorkshire and the surrounding postcodes. Below is the regional picture as of mid-2026.

Which court your possession claim goes to

For S1-S20, S26, S35 and S36 postcodes, claims are heard at the County Court at Sheffield, sitting in the Sheffield Combined Court Centre, The Law Courts, 50 West Bar, Sheffield S3 8PH. Typical wait to a Section 8 hearing in 2026 is 8-10 weeks from issue. For DN postcodes, claims go to the County Court at Doncaster, 74 Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BT, though some hearings have been rerouted following the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in the Justice Centre buildings, so check your hearing notice carefully. For S70-S75 (Barnsley) claims go to Barnsley Law Courts on Westgate. Rotherham has no separate possession court; S60, S61 and S65 typically route to Sheffield, while S66 and parts of S64/S62 may route to Doncaster. The cleanest approach is PCOL, which routes automatically.

Rental market by city, what your three-month threshold actually equals

Average monthly private rents to April 2026: Sheffield £920 pcm (+4.5% YoY), Doncaster around £670, Rotherham £679, Barnsley £670. Three months' arrears: the Ground 8 mandatory threshold: works out as:

• Sheffield: £2,040 for a one-bed flat, £2,760 for a typical two/three-bed terrace, over £4,050 for a four-bed family home.
• Doncaster / Rotherham: £1,875-£2,325 for a typical two-bed terrace.
• Barnsley: £1,725-£2,175 for a typical two-bed terrace.

The absolute pound figures are lower than London, but on £75,000-£100,000 stock yielding 7-9% gross, the proportional damage is significant, a single bad nine-month tenancy can wipe out three years' net cash flow.

Selective licensing, check your postcode before you sell

Selective licensing requires landlords in designated postcodes to hold a council licence. As of June 2026:

• Rotherham: six designated areas live since 15 February 2026, running to 14 February 2031: Brinsworth, Dinnington, Eastwood, East Dene, Clifton, Town Centre, Boston Castle, Masbrough, Parkgate and Thurcroft. Licence fee £975 per property. Civil penalty up to £30,000 for unlicensed letting in a designated area.
• Doncaster. Hexthorpe (DN4) scheme runs until 28 February 2027.
• Sheffield: Page Hall historic scheme plus active 2026 expansion consultation; landlords in S3, S4, S5 and S9 should expect new designations.
• Barnsley, no selective licensing scheme; mandatory HMO licensing only.

For landlords selling tenanted, the licence transfers with the property to the new owner. For landlords pursuing possession then re-letting, the obligation continues regardless of the arrears situation.

Local advice infrastructure

• NRLA: Sheffield local meetings (typically monthly), pre-action plan templates, free landlord-side mediation service.
• Sheffield Citizens Advice, landlord-side desk in addition to the more visible tenant service.
• Rotherham Borough Council Landlord Forum, quarterly meetings alongside the active selective licensing scheme.
• Doncaster Council Housing Solutions, engages landlords on Discretionary Housing Payment applications that can clear part or all of arrears for at-risk UC tenants.
• Sheffield Hallam University Law Clinic and University of Sheffield Free Law Clinic, free housing advice including landlord possession matters in term time.

Sale with tenant in situ, how the in-situ route works

This is the route South Yorkshire Property Buyers operates, and we will be plain about how it works and where it is the right answer.

Most open-market buyers are owner-occupiers. They need vacant possession. That is what forces landlords into the Section 8 timeline before they can sell. Investor cash buyers like SYPB are different, we buy to hold and let. A tenanted property is the asset we want, not an obstacle. The tenancy continues unbroken to us by operation of law under section 3 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the common-law principles of tenancy assignment. We become the landlord on completion day. The tenant's rent, deposit and rights continue exactly as before.

The economics: typical offers run at 80-85% of vacant possession market value for a property with arrears. The discount reflects the fact that we absorb the arrears risk (the £6,975 you might never recover via enforcement), the legal-process risk (the 8-10 month Section 8 timeline), the mortgage carrying cost going forward, and the refurbishment risk on a property whose condition we cannot fully verify until completion.

The process: you provide the tenancy agreement, rent statement, any served Section 8 notice, deposit protection certificate, gas safety certificate, EICR, EPC, and the updated TA6 Property Information Form. Our solicitor conducts title and tenancy diligence. Cash completion in 7-14 days for a fully-documented property, 14-28 days where missing compliance documents need to be reconstructed. You disclose the arrears in full, concealment is a misrepresentation under the Misrepresentation Act 1967 and we will find them on diligence.

The arrears themselves are a personal debt owed by the tenant to you, the outgoing landlord. They do not transfer to us unless expressly assigned. You can pursue them after completion via Money Claim Online if you choose, though realistic recovery via enforcement runs at around 20-25% of the headline figure. Many sellers write them off in a written agreement at sale, which strengthens our later possession case if needed, and we price this in to the offer.

If you would like a written, no-obligation cash offer, our sister page Sell a tenanted property in situ sets out the process in more detail, or you can go straight to request a free offer.

Red flags and how to verify any cash buyer

The cash-buyer sector has a credibility problem, and you are right to be cautious. The Office of Fair Trading's 2013 Quick House Sales Market Study (OFT1499) documented systemic abuse: last-minute price drops, hidden fees, lock-in option agreements, and Power-of-Attorney clauses that let "buyers" spend sellers' sale proceeds. National Trading Standards revisited the same issues in a 2020 BBC Radio 4 Moneybox investigation. The cash-buying sector itself is not FCA-regulated (only sale-and-rent-back is), so claims of "FCA regulation" by quick-sale firms are a known red flag.

The self-regulatory floor is The Property Ombudsman scheme and the National Association of Property Buyers code. Run these six checks on any cash buyer, including us.

1. Companies House. The buyer should be an incorporated UK company, active, with accounts filed on time.
2. Filing history specifically. Look at confirmation statements, accounts, director changes and registered office changes. Frequent recent changes warrant additional scrutiny.
3. The Property Ombudsman business search at tpos.co.uk/business-search. Confirm scheme membership and that the scheme code includes "buying".
4. NAPB members directory at napb.co.uk. As of access date 2 June 2026, we are not listed on the public NAPB register. We disclose this openly. Weigh it against our other trust signals: verifiable Companies House provenance, local Sheffield presence, the six-check transparency on this page, and your right to your own solicitor.
5. Proof of funds. A redacted bank statement, a solicitor's letter on letterhead confirming funds held on client account, or a director's letter referring to a current account in the buying entity's name, dated within the last 30 days. A buyer who declines, deflects or sends a vague "letter of comfort" is not a cash buyer.
6. Your absolute right to your own solicitor. No legitimate buyer requires the seller to use the buyer's recommended firm. We are happy to recommend conveyancers who are experienced in fast cash sales, but you choose. We pay your legal fees on completion regardless.

Three landlord-specific scam patterns worth knowing. First, the "we'll handle the tenant for you" promise, no buyer can lawfully serve a Section 8 notice on a tenancy they do not own. Second, the lowball offer paired with a 24- or 48-hour decision deadline manufactured by the buyer. Third, the price-drop at exchange. Any of these and you walk away.

What landlords absolutely must not do

It is worth stating plainly: the law tightly restricts what you can do unilaterally to recover possession.

• Do not change the locks. Under section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, unlawfully depriving a residential occupier of their occupation is a criminal offence with a maximum two years' imprisonment and unlimited fine. The same applies to removing the front door, cutting off utilities, or letting yourself in without notice.
• Do not harass the tenant. Section 1(3) of the same Act criminalises acts likely to interfere with the peace or comfort of the tenant with intent to cause them to leave. Excessive contact, threatening letters, or unauthorised entry can amount to harassment.
• Do not assume "the tenant is in the wrong" overrides procedure. Sheffield City Council prosecuted three landlords for illegal eviction in 2024 and two in 2025. Doncaster Council ran a public information campaign in late 2025 reminding landlords of these prohibitions. Rotherham's housing enforcement team is active.
• Do not paraphrase the grounds on Form 3A. Copy the statutory wording from Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988 exactly. Paraphrasing is one of the most common reasons Section 8 notices fail at hearing.

If the situation is escalating beyond your comfort zone, get professional help. A specialist housing solicitor will review your Form 3A for £150-£300, the single highest-ROI spend in the process.

Frequently asked questions for landlords

My tenant is not paying rent, what are my legal options in 2026?

Four routes are available. First, informal recovery: write to the tenant, agree a repayment plan, and if they claim Universal Credit apply for a Managed Payment to Landlord so the housing element comes direct to you. Second, formal possession under Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988 on the new prescribed Form 3A, citing Grounds 8 (mandatory, three months' arrears at notice and hearing), 10 (any arrears, discretionary) and 11 (persistent late payment, discretionary). Third, negotiated surrender: a documented "cash for keys" payment of £1,000-£3,500 in exchange for vacant possession in 30-60 days. Fourth, sale with the tenant in situ to an investor cash buyer at 80-85% of vacant possession value, completing in 14-28 days. Section 21 has been abolished from 1 May 2026 and is no longer available.

How long does it take to evict a non-paying tenant in 2026?

Eight to ten months end-to-end is the realistic timeline. That breaks down as roughly 12 weeks for arrears to build to the three-month Ground 8 threshold, four weeks of Form 3A notice, 8-12 weeks from claim issue to first hearing on PCOL, two weeks to the possession order, and 7-12 weeks to a bailiff appointment in South Yorkshire. HMCTS Q1 2026 data puts the median from claim issue to actual repossession at 26.4 weeks, its longest since the pandemic. Defended cases, suspended orders and warrant suspension applications add a further 4-8 weeks each. Upper-bound timeline 12 months.

What is Form 3A and when do I serve it?

Form 3A is the prescribed Section 8 notice introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and required for all notices served from 1 May 2026. The old Form 3 is no longer accepted by the courts. Form 3A must state the names of all tenants, the property address, the grounds relied upon in their full statutory wording (not paraphrased), the particulars of breach (the rent statement showing dates, amounts due, amounts received and balance outstanding), the earliest date proceedings may be commenced (notice expiry plus one day), and the signatory's capacity. You serve it after you have evidence of three months' arrears (for Ground 8) and, before you serve, after you have confirmed the deposit is properly protected, the deposit protection bar means a Section 8 notice cannot be relied on if the deposit is not held with DPS, MyDeposits or TDS with prescribed information served.

Can I still use Section 21 on a tenant who is in arrears?

No. Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. A Section 21 notice served on or before 30 April 2026 remained technically valid only if possession proceedings were initiated before 31 July 2026, after that date the notice falls and the landlord must restart on Section 8. By mid-2026 the Section 21 window has effectively closed and Section 8 is the only route. Do not let a solicitor or letting agent file a Section 21 in 2026, it will be struck out.

What is the difference between Ground 8, Ground 10 and Ground 11?

Ground 8 is mandatory, if at both the date of notice and the date of hearing the tenant is at least three months in arrears, the court must grant possession. There is no judicial discretion. Ground 10 is discretionary and applies where any rent lawfully due was in arrears both at the date of notice and the date proceedings begin, with no minimum threshold. Ground 11 is discretionary and covers persistent late payment even where no rent is in arrears at the hearing. A well-drafted Form 3A pleads all three together. The reason is defensive: if the tenant pays down enough to drop below the Ground 8 three-month threshold before the hearing, the mandatory ground falls but Grounds 10 and 11 remain available on the same notice.

My tenant is on Universal Credit, can I get the rent paid direct?

Yes. Apply for a Managed Payment to Landlord (MPTL) via the gov.uk Direct Rent Payment service. Since 2024 the threshold has been one month of arrears (down from two). The DWP also runs a Rent Arrears Deduction that diverts 10-20% of the tenant's UC standard allowance to you each month until historic arrears are cleared, typically £40-£80 per month for a single adult tenant. Both can be requested on the same digital application. Approval normally takes 4-8 weeks. NRLA research suggests only 31% of eligible landlords apply, so the route is materially under-used. Note also that under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 the court must disregard any arrears caused by a Universal Credit processing delay when assessing Ground 8, so evidence the reason for non-payment carefully.

Can I sell my property while the tenant is in arrears?

Yes. A landlord is entirely free to sell with the tenant in occupation. The sale does not terminate the assured periodic tenancy, under common-law principles and section 3 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the tenancy transfers to the new owner by operation of law and the new owner becomes the landlord. The arrears themselves are a personal debt owed by the tenant to the outgoing landlord, and do not transfer to the buyer unless expressly assigned. You must disclose the arrears to the buyer, concealing them is a misrepresentation under the Misrepresentation Act 1967 and a breach of the seller's duty under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. An investor cash buyer who buys to hold and let is typically the natural buyer for a tenanted property with arrears.

How much will I get if I sell with a non-paying tenant in situ?

Typical pricing from specialist cash buyers for a tenanted property with arrears in South Yorkshire is 80-85% of vacant possession market value, completing in 14-28 days, with the arrears risk and the legal process transferred to the buyer. For a £155,000 Sheffield two-bed terrace that is typically £124,000-£131,750 gross; net to the seller after legal fees and any mortgage early-repayment charge usually £118,000-£125,000. The 15-20% discount compares with a realistic eight-to-ten-month Section 8 process that costs around £13,000 in lost rent, mortgage carrying cost, court and legal fees, re-letting and refurbishment on the same Sheffield property, so the net-to-net comparison is often much closer than the headline discount suggests.

Will I lose the arrears if I sell to a cash buyer?

No, not automatically. The right to recover the pre-sale arrears stays with the seller as a contractual debt. You can pursue the tenant after completion via Money Claim Online (claims up to £10,000 on the small claims track) or by securing a money judgment alongside any earlier possession order. Whether the debt is recoverable in practice depends on the tenant's circumstances: industry data suggests around 14% of rent-arrears CCJs are paid in full within five years, 23% paid in part, and 63% not substantively recovered. Many sellers choose to write off the historic arrears in a written agreement at sale, which strengthens the buyer's later possession case if needed; the buyer prices this in to the offer.

Can I just change the locks if my tenant won't pay or leave?

No. Changing the locks, removing the door, cutting off utilities, or harassing the tenant is a criminal offence under section 1 of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. The maximum penalty is two years' imprisonment and an unlimited fine. The tenant can also bring a civil claim for damages, an injunction and aggravated damages. Sheffield City Council, Doncaster Council and Rotherham Council all run active illegal eviction enforcement teams and have prosecuted landlords as recently as 2024 and 2025. Even if your tenant is months behind, you must use Section 8, informal possession is not lawful.

How do I check that a cash buyer offering to take an arrears property is legitimate?

Six checks. (1) Companies House: incorporated, active, accounts up to date, registered office not a virtual address only. (2) Filing history, sudden director changes or overdue accounts are warning signs. (3) The Property Ombudsman business search at tpos.co.uk/business-search to confirm scheme membership. (4) NAPB members directory at napb.co.uk. (5) Proof of funds, a redacted bank statement or solicitor's letter dated within the last 30 days, not a vague "letter of comfort". (6) Your absolute right to instruct your own solicitor, no legitimate buyer requires the seller to use the buyer's recommended firm. We are not currently listed on the public NAPB members register, which we disclose openly, run the six checks on us and any competitor, and judge for yourself.

What free help is available in South Yorkshire if I am dealing with a non-paying tenant?

Several routes. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) runs Sheffield local meetings, pre-action plan templates, and a mediation service. Sheffield Citizens Advice has a landlord-side desk in addition to its tenant service. Rotherham Borough Council operates a quarterly Landlord Forum alongside its current selective licensing scheme. Doncaster Council's Housing Solutions team will engage on Discretionary Housing Payment applications for at-risk tenants which can clear part or all of the arrears. Sheffield Hallam University Law Clinic and University of Sheffield Free Law Clinic provide free housing advice in term time. For the tenant, signpost them to Shelter (0808 800 4444), Citizens Advice and StepChange, a tenant who engages with debt advice is more likely to start paying again.