You can get debt advice online, by phone or in person.

Find out where to get advice on debt and money.

Breathing space

A debt adviser could put you on the breathing space scheme. This is sometimes called the debt respite scheme.

The scheme pauses some types of court action for rent arrears and other debts. It could pause eviction for rent arrears.

It gives you time to get debt advice and make a repayment plan.

Make a budget sheet

A debt adviser can help you make a budget sheet, or 'financial statement' to check your income and spending. You use this to work out how much you can afford to pay off your arrears each week or month.

Use the National Debtline advice tool to work out your income and spending yourself. You can save and update the form if things change.

Include all your spending - even if you do not often spend money on some things. For example, clothes or car repair costs.

For these types of spending, work out how much you spend in a year. Divide it by 12 to get an idea of how much you pay for these things each month.

Make a repayment plan

You can use your budget sheet to make a repayment plan to pay off the rent you owe.

Look at your income and spending. See if there's anywhere you could make savings.

Your repayment plan needs to show you can afford to pay:

• your rent

• a regular amount towards the arrears each month

Be realistic about how much you can afford to pay towards rent arrears. Make sure you still have enough to pay for things you need like bills, food and travel to work or school.

It's better to make smaller payments and take longer to pay off what you owe than to struggle to afford things you need.