Q. My tenant has told me that she will not be able to afford to pay her rent if the energy costs increase as much as expected. What should I say to her?

A. I suggest you say to your tenant that you cannot afford to allow her to live in the property rent-free and that she should give priority to her rent rather than her energy bills. The consequences of failure to pay rent are more serious than the consequences of failing to pay the energy bills.  

If she is evicted for rent arrears, then this will make it very difficult indeed for her to find alternative accommodation. Whereas if she fails to pay her energy bill, at least she will have a roof over her head.

Q. My tenants have asked if they can change the date when they pay rent so they can pay it the day after they receive their salary – to prevent it from being used by accident for other bills. I am happy with this – but what paperwork will I need? Will I need to issue a new tenancy agreement?

A. You will not need to issue a new tenancy agreement. This can be dealt with by letter. I suggest you send the tenant a letter confirming that you are happy for the rent payment date to be changed from [original payment date] to [new payment date] and that so long as the rent is paid promptly, the later payment will not be treated as a breach of the tenancy agreement.

However, you should also say in the letter that this agreement is conditional upon the rent being paid promptly and that if this is not done, the payment date will revert to the original payment date. Get the tenant to sign and date a copy of the letter as agreed and keep this with your tenancy agreement.

Q. My tenant has come to me in despair as she says she is finding it impossible to pay her bills. She works part-time and is a single parent.  What can I do to help her?