Changing the rent due date

As a landlord, you may receive a request from your tenants to change the rent due date. Many tenants, nowadays, work in the ‘gig economy’ or have irregular pay cycles, which means that their salaries will be irregular, too. 

Although this may seem like an easy enough process to change, the new Renters’ Rights Act may make it a little trickier to do than expected. This is because the entire private sector will be moving to rolling periodic tenancies as of May 2026, which makes the rent due date dependent on the legal tenancy period. 

Here, we’ll look at how you can navigate changing the rent due date as a landlord without having to compromise on your legal obligations. 

Why does the rent due date matter in 2026?

Before the changes brought by the Renters’ Rights Act, many landlords were operating on a fixed-term contract, and the rent due date was simply a contractual term. But with the new expectations, the frequency and date of rent payments are dictated by the tenancy agreement. 

The tenancy period link

From May 2026, the law will assume that the tenancy period is in line with the rent payment. So, if the tenant pays rent on the 1st of the month, the tenancy period will run from the first to the last day of that month. 

• The notice risk: the tenant now has a minimum of 2 months’ notice that needs to be given, and this is also tied to these periods. 
• Section 8 & arrears: if you change the date informally, your tenant will technically enter arrears every month according to the contract, even if they are still paying rent.

Handling the request

So, if you get a request as a landlord from a tenant to change the rent due date, here’s what you should do:

Calculate the pro-rata

The first thing you’ll need to do is calculate the pro-rata amount that covers the gap between the old period and the new one. Here’s how it works: 

1. The monthly rent needs to be multiplied by 12 months to give the total annual rent.
2. This then needs to be divided by 365 days to give you the daily rent rate.
3. The daily rate then needs to be multiplied by the number of gap days to give you the bridge payment. 

Let’s take a look at a more practical example. If the rent is priced at £1,000 and the tenant asks you to move the rent due date from the 1st of the month to the 20th of the month, they would pay their full rent amount on the 1st of the month with a 19-day bridge payment on the 1st of the next month to move the next full payment to the 20th. 

Update the written statement of terms

Along with the Renters’ Rights Act, landlords need to provide a Written Statement of Terms with any changes agreed to documented. Both parties will need to sign a document that states the change in the rent due date. 

Align the standing order

You won’t be able to change the tenant’s standing order, so, once the paperwork is signed, the tenant will need to manually update their banking information. Also, make sure that they provide proof of the new instruction being set up. This will help prevent any accidental arrears when the new cycle starts. 

The notice cycle trap

One of the most overlooked issues of a landlord changing the rent due date is the impact this will have on any future legal notices. For example: 

Section 13 (rent increases)

As you may well know, you’re only able to increase your rent price once a year using the Section 13 notice, and this requires a 2-month notice period. Also, make sure that the rent increase is implemented from the beginning of the tenancy period. This includes whether the rent due date has recently been changed. 

Possession notices

If, for some reason, you need to regain possession of the property, your notice periods will also have an impact on this. So, if your records show a payment on the 1st of the month, but your informal agreement is the 15th, this could backfire as it doesn’t align with the legal period. 

Things to avoid when changing the rent due date

Rent in advance

The new Act caps rent in advance at 1 month, so when transitioning to a new due date, make sure that you don’t charge the bridge payment and a full month’s rent at the same time if it totals more than one month of occupancy. If this happens, it could be identified as a ‘prohibited payment’ under the Tenant Fees Act.

Manual ledger errors

Most software that can be used to manage your property can be set up and then left as is. However, if your rent due date changes, make sure that your ledger is updated, too. If this is not done, the system may automatically send a ‘late payment’ email. This could harm the landlord-tenant relationship. 

Joint tenancies

Ensure that if you have multiple tenants on one joint tenancy agreement, all of them are in agreement and that they sign the change to show this.  

Cautious approach

You can be a supportive landlord by changing the rent due date, especially in a rental market where good tenants are beginning to stay longer because of Section 21. But you also need to ensure that you are compliant. So, calculate the pro-rata rate accurately and update your Written Statement of Terms to ensure it aligns with your tenancy periods. This will help your tenants manage their cash flow whilst still keeping your property safe. 

Landlord’s checklist for rent due date changes

• Confirm the request in writing (email/letter).
• Calculate the pro-rata payment.
• Check that the change doesn’t breach the 1-month ‘rent in advance’ cap.
• Issue a formal addendum to the Written Statement of Terms.
• Ensure all joint tenants (as well as guarantors) sign the amendment.
• Update your property management software and accounting ledger.

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