i dont have the rent this month, so scared!

[tenant10]

my rent was due on the 17th and ive been avoiding my landlord as i just dont have it, ive never missed a payment in the yr that ive lived here, recently ive been suffering ill health and havent been as "on top" of things as i should have been.. this worries me more as i claim housing beniefit which this month has been swallowed by my own bills.. i really have no idea what to do, as i have 6 children living in the house with me im really scared that he will ask us to leave
sadly i dont have family or friends that i could help to cover me, this is the worst situation i could have ever found myself in as usually the rent comes first ( i have to top up almost £100 a month) and anything ( inc food) comes later
we have a 6 month lease short term assured (?) that was never updated when it ran out, but so far as im aware thats not an issue (?) i always pay my rent as cash direct to him at his place of business ( local shop)
any advice would be sooo gratefully received, im not in a position to take a loan due to the fact that im on benefits,and any that i maybe able to get hold of would likely cost me more than ill ever have to repay :(
thanks

[tom999]

my rent was due on the 17th and ive been avoiding my landlord as i just dont have it, ive never missed a payment in the yr that ive lived here, recently ive been suffering ill health and havent been as "on top" of things as i should have been..
The worst thing you could do is try to avoid your obligations under the tenancy, i.e. rent payments. Avoiding the problem and getting into further rent arrears is not the solution. I would suggest discussing your current (temporary) financial problems directly with the LL; if the LL is reasonable, he may agree to a flexible repayment plan.

Check with the Council that you have received your full LHA entitlement; and, any other benefits you may be entitled to.

Taking out loans if you are already in debt is not a good idea, however Credit Unions do offer low interest loans.

[Ericthelobster]

The worst thing you could do is try to avoid your obligations under the tenancy, i.e. rent payments. Avoiding the problem and getting into further rent arrears is not the solution. I would suggest discussing your current (temporary) financial problems directly with the LL; if the LL is reasonable, he may agree to a flexible repayment plan. Absolutely... as a landlord, I can tell you that it winds me up like nothing else when a tenant buries their head in the sand over a situation like this. If you want any hope of negotiating a reasonable outcome, be honest and upfront about the situation.

If your landlord can trust what you're telling him he will be far more amenable to sorting something out than if you just pretend the situation isn't happening and let it until it's too late. Believe me, I've been on the receiving end of both types of tenant...