Paying Off Rent Arrears

Decreasing principal sum · how many payments it takes to clear what you owe, with interest

This tool is to help tenants figure out a fair instalment plan when they fall behind on rent. If your landlord or a court applies statutory interest to your debt, you should only pay interest on what is actually left to pay — not the original lump sum. This calculation tracks that shrinking balance payment by payment: put in what you owe today and what you can pay each time, and it works the balance down until it reaches nil. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere. Close the page and it is gone.

Paying Off Rent Arrears

This tool is to help tenants figure out a fair instalment plan when they fall behind on rent. If your landlord or a court applies statutory interest to your debt, you should only pay interest on what is actually left to pay — not the original lump sum. This calculation tracks that shrinking balance monthly payment by monthly payment (or weekly, fortnightly or quarterly if that is how you pay).

The legal bit

This tool is a guide, not formal legal advice. While the maths tracks standard court rules on a declining balance, you use it at your own risk. You are strongly advised to seek independent advice on these figures before submitting them to your landlord, to make sure they are accurate and that you are not accidentally using an increased amount and overpaying. It is also important to double-check these calculations before relying on them as a defence against eviction in court, to make sure your figures are 100% cast iron. If a landlord turns down a mathematically correct repayment plan, showing you tried to establish a reasonable schedule can form part of your legal backing, but you must ensure the numbers are completely accurate first. I am not a solicitor and accept no liability for your debt or tenancy status.

How the engine works

Standard debt calculators apply interest to the whole lump sum all at once, which is a scam. As you pay off your arrears payment by payment, the core debt shrinks. This tool calculates flat, non-compounding simple interest (like the UK statutory 8% rate) on that declining balance. Every time you make a payment, the principal drops, and the interest charge goes down with it. The loop runs until the debt hits zero, tracking the exact number of payments, the final odd-sized payment, and the true interest cost.

Your data

Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is stored, sent anywhere, or remembered — close the page and it is gone.

Owed money by the landlord instead? Use the interest calculator →

How much you owe the landlord today (£)

How much you plan to pay each time (£)

How often you will pay

Day of the month you will pay

Date of the first payment

Date the arrears stand at this figure (interest runs from here)

Interest rate the landlord is charging (% a year) — 0 if none

Payments to clear it

Cleared on

—

Interest added

£0.00

Total you will pay

£0.00

How it is worked out. A decreasing principal sum. At each payment date, simple interest at 0% a year is added for the days since the last date (balance × rate × days ÷ 365). The payment clears that interest first and the rest comes off the balance, so the next period's interest is charged on a smaller sum. Interest is never charged on interest. The last payment is only what is left.

Repayment plan — one line per payment

#	Date	Days	Balance before	Interest added	Paid	Balance after

Prepared with the Savvy Renter arrears repayment calculator (savvyrenter.co.uk, decreasing principal sum) on . Figures only. Nothing entered here is stored or sent anywhere.