Pay your rent every month on time and make payment of your rent your first priority. Remember, its your home and you can be evicted if you don’t pay your rent on time every month. Pay by standing order as you are then less likely to forget. If you pay cash, always get a receipt.
If you think your rent is too high and want it lowered. Firstly you need to be in the first six months of a new tenancy. If you are you can refer this to the Rent Assessment Panel if the landlord or landlords agent refuses your request.

If you withhold your rent, because your landlord is not carrying out proper repairs to your property we advise you to follow the correct procedure and do not spend this money on other things. If your landlord tries to evict you for rent arrears, you will be in a position to pay off the arrears.

If your landlord tries to increase your rent, it must be done in a proper way and there are only three ways he can do this :

• by a valid rent review clause in the tenancy agreement. Check your AST.
• by agreement with you. Sign a new AST.
• by service upon you of the proper notice to increase rent.

If you cant pay your rent for some reason, contact to your landlord about it as soon as possible, don’t just not pay it and don’t get “ostrich syndrome” !

If you receive Housing Benefit to pay the rent, comply with ALL their requirements and complete ALL the forms they send you and send , or preferably take them to the benefit office quickly, taking any documentation they ask for. If you don’t, the chances are your benefit will be reduced or even suspended. You cant blame housing benefit if you cant pay your rent because of housing benefits failure to pay you.