Haven’t paid rent in months!

[Uppoopcreek]

I’ve just realised I haven’t paid my rent in around 6 months! I don’t know how this could have happened?
ive lived here around 4 years. All I can think is I set up a standing order a while ago and it didn’t work properly?
now, I have pretty severe MH problems. Awful anxiety and depression(probable ADHD but still waiting for an appointment to start the process). I never check my bank, I’m behind with other bills, too. I’m a bury my head in the sand type of person, but worry constantly about everything, About a month ago I hit rock bottom. Won’t go into details, but it wasn’t great.
I have 3 DC, and I’m on benefits.
Help! What do I do?! Had a text from landlord last night asking me to call him, which is what’s just prompted me to look now. I was asleep when he text.

So, do you have the rent money still in your account floating about or have you spent it all without realising? If you've still got it, or most of it, you could just blame the banking/standing order mess up and make good the mistake without further issues maybe, if your landlord is agreeable..?

Oh dear!
However, did you not log into your internet banking and see more than expected?
I guess he’ll want it all paying pretty quickly - are you in a position to do that?

Has he not chased you before about this?

Is the money for the rent still in your account or have you spent it? If it’s still there I’d contact the landlord, say you’ve noticed the rent payments haven’t been going out, and pay the lot as a lump sum.

Pretty relaxed landlord if it takes him 6 months to notice…..

Better to face this head on x

No. He hasn’t said a thing, and we’ve spoken a couple of times about other things in that time.
I haven’t got the money now. The col has absolutely crippled me.

The money might be sent to a company he owns or much like you he simply hasn't checked. After many years of you being there I would presume he thought you would pay on time.

Unfortunately without having the money to give him now I don't know what you will do. I suppose he will serve you eviction papers. How much is it that you owe? Can you borrow against anything? Sell the car? Loan? Bank of mum and dad?

Be cautious that you don't make yourself voluntarily homeless. You won't get council housing if you do. Which sadly for your landlords means you need to stay there until basically you're forced to leave by court/bailiffs. It will be very stressful. Maybe go and speaking to the council tomorrow and explain to them that you are likely to be made homeless, have mental health issues and children. See if they can do anything before it comes to that.

To be fair, I used to have a landlord that seemed totally disengaged from this kind of stuff. I always paid but he never checked, and the rent was substantially lower than the market rate because he never bothered putting it up. Conversely, he was very on it with repairs.

Anyway, the only solution is to be honest and up front and suggest a workable solution. No other option really.

If I wasn’t on so much medication, I could cry. It used to be his son that owned the house, but he passed away a couple of years ago. Very sad.
my main worry is that my guarantor is a very good friend. I’d hate for them to be lumbered wit this. I’d be mortified

What a horrible situation to be in. Have you any savings at all or do you have anyone such as a parent or partner who could help out. Will your guarantor have the money? I think you are going to have to tell them straight away.
Might you be able to pay overpay your rent for a while until you make up what you owe? It might be that your landlord might be prepared to negotiate. I don't know if he will believe you that you didn't know though.

So you’ve spent 6 months of rent not on tent? But the COL is crippling? I don’t see how both can be true.

I'm not going to berate you for spending your rent on other things when you clearly have a lot of health issues that contribute to a chaotic lifestyle. What I will suggest is you call your landlord first thing, call housing and call the CAB about how to get out of this mess. You may find UC will want to know so do you have a friend who can advocate for you through this?

Has the standing order ever gone through?

I would definitely make sure your guarantor finds out from you.

OK, well the first thing to do is to call your landlord first thing in the morning and discuss this with him head on, work out a solution between you both. If you had been reliable up until six months ago, he may well be open to a payment plan and allowing you to get back on track. He hasn't noticed the payments are missing, so he presumably isn't badly off himself.

I agree with @FiveShelties, let your guarantor know ASAP so they don’t get a shock phone call or even a solicitor’s letter from the landlord, that would be awful for them.

Before you call the landlord, take a look at your accounts and see what you’re able to pay right now-if you offer some payment right away, that will start the conversation off well.

Re. Other post and bills. Perhaps ask a trusted family member or friends to give you a hand going through it.

You need to call your landlord and be open and honest but I'm unsure how you have not noticed you haven't paid rent although if your in a bad health situation I do get that I also suffer anxiety and trauma from a past event but I would still know if rent wasn't going through
Trouble is now you do need to get This sorted can you get the money from somewhere I think you said you are on benefits? I presume universal credit? Go look at a dhp tomorrow immediately discretionary housing payment they will consider clearing your arrears but you need to help yourself presumably from what you said rent is basically going to you and you have not paid it so first things first is to get the landlord on board agree some repayment ask them to tell your housing payment to be directly paid to them to show good faith get onto dhp immediately tomorrow and try and sort this issue you will not be rehoused if they evict you because it's rent arrears even if you have children they take them as priority only sorry to be harsh but true and if you have a guarantor the landlord is going to go after them

This. If you were struggling due to COL then you would know exactly how much money you had in your account and you couldn’t possibly have spent the rent without realising it.
I have MH issues too but this story doesn’t make sense

Do you get any housing benefit within UC?

I get it, op. I don’t check my bank account. I can’t. It makes me feel sick. I know how bad things are by the texts the bank send me.

I wouldn’t know if my rent was coming out, because I would assume it was and also wouldn’t see it coming out of my bank unless I checked…. Which I don’t.

This is the issue with the housing benefit not going directly to a landlord.

I would pay from now on & see if he can offer a solution to the missing rent. I don't know much about it all but I don't believe he can evict you instantly.

Will you be able to afford next month’s rent?

How did you not notice all the extra money you had from not paying rent?

This. Not only did she not notice all the extra money, she somehow spent it all without realising.

Ring him asap. I did this virtually same circumstances get your head out the sand take a deep breath its in his best interests to work with you chip off what you can with the rent get help from anyone you can don’t stress the kids out like I did my landlord sold up with me owing £4000 and he still gave me a glowing reference for the council house I’m in now I’m still paying him and there not all monsters good luck 🤞 x

Have you checked properly that the money has not gone out of your account.

it looks like from what you have described the rent and other bills have not been paid but you also didn’t see hundreds of extra pounds in your bank account?