Prepare an arrears letter

Once you mark a rent date Not Arrived Yet, the app fills in two letters from the rent record: a first letter, then a letter before action.

1. Under Account › All your properties › Rent, tap the tenancy’s More button and choose Prepare First Letter…. Once a first letter is recorded as given, it offers Prepare Letter Before Action….
2. Check the rent the letter lists: only dates marked not arrived, less anything forgiven or recorded as part received, and never rent due today.
3. Under Before it’s made, answer the breathing space question. If the answer is yes, or not sure, the app makes no letter.
4. Under To, check each tenant’s name, and the lines under The property.
5. Under From, check Your name and Your address for notices, and tick This address is in England or Wales.
6. Under How to pay, say how your tenant can pay.
7. For a letter before action, answer the questions under The agreement: its date, or how it was agreed, and any instalments offered.
8. Check Sign off as and tap Prepare Letter.

The tenancy’s rent page has the same letters: open Notices and letters there for Prepare First Letter and Prepare Letter Before Action. The form’s What the law says about arrears letters gives the rules behind them, with their sources.

Give it to your tenant

The app opens Serve a document with the letter chosen: check who gets it and how, then the preview. Giving it records how and when each tenant got it, in the evidence file.

• The first letter asks your tenant to pay or get in touch within 14 days, says where to get free debt advice, and says nothing about court.
• The app makes the letter before action as the Letter of Claim under the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims, with 30 days to reply. Its page says when to post it and what to enclose.
• A letter before action sent by email is a copy: post it too.

If it’s out of date, or you won’t use it

If rent a letter lists is later marked received or forgiven, its page says not to give it. Dismiss it, and prepare a new one if rent is still owed.

The app emails a letter before action only on the day it’s dated or the next day. It emails a first letter only until the date it asks for payment by. After that, print it and give it or post it, or dismiss it and prepare a new one.

1. Open Notices and letters, on the property’s page or the tenancy’s rent page, and tap Open beside the letter.
2. Tap Dismiss Letter.
3. Add Why, if you like, and tap Dismiss Letter again.

It stays in the app, marked not used, and the evidence file records that it was never given. It can’t be undone, but you can make a new one.

Try it in the sample account