My tenants have been with me for almost nine years. They’ve been good tenants for most of the time, but the last three years have been tricky and sticky. A series of employment issues and the increasing cost of life has meant my rent has sometimes got paid, and sometimes not.

If I had to describe my tenant’s current rent-paying behaviour, I would say “piecemeal”. Over the last three years, I have not once had the full month’s rent paid on time.

One week I will get a partial payment, then maybe a fortnight later another partial payment, then perhaps the next month a lump sum. It’s patchy and sporadic and makes any sort of financial planning very difficult.

Fortunately, the property has a low mortgage, but there are always bills to pay. Properties always need maintenance and, from a cash flow perspective, it’s not ideal to never know when rent will be paid. Also, from an administrative perspective it creates additional work to input rents, chase rents and keep an eye on the balance.

Late rent has been spoken about with the tenants on several occasions, and while they profess to understand the problems it’s causing, their behaviour has not changed.

It’s a pity, because apart from the never-knowing-when-I-will-get-rent shenanigans, they are good tenants. This is why they have a below market rent. But the payment problem has now caused too many issues – when they briefly ended up in two month’s rent arrears I reached the end of my tether and served a Section 8 eviction notice for arrears.

Within days, they’d paid enough to shave the arrears below the two-month threshold. And this is where they have stayed. What this means is if we go to court, there is no mandatory grounds for possession.

My only hope is proving the continual late paying of rent, but that is a discretionary ground and I have been advised that in the current housing crisis I would be unlikely to succeed at court.  

Unfortunately, with no signs of this errant behaviour ever stopping, I have no choice but to serve a Section 21 to regain control of the property. This “no fault” notice means I don’t have to prove what a nightmare it is trying to juggle the will they/won’t they pay today. But, knowing I have this tool in my armoury is my lifesaver.

I fear the day when they may take this away.