How to find a former tenant who has disappeared owing rent

In England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, a former tenant’s rent arrears are still a debt, but the route, deadline and forum depend on the nation. The practical decision is whether the likely recovery justifies tracing, issuing a claim and enforcing any judgment or tribunal order.

What can you do when a tenant leaves owing rent?

When a tenant leaves owing rent, you can deduct proven arrears from the deposit, trace them for a service address, then claim the debt within six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or within five years in Scotland. In England, the deposit can cover unpaid rent because GOV.UK says a landlord could keep “the amount of rent you owe or the cost of any repairs”; in England and Wales, a county court money claim is the normal route because “You can apply to a county court to claim money you’re owed by a person or business.” Scotland is different: rent-arrears claims from a private residential tenancy go to the First-tier Tribunal, “There’s no cost to apply to the tribunal,” and the tribunal, not the sheriff, handles the claim. Northern Ireland landlords can use small claims for many arrears claims, but winning is not the same as being paid: “the court won’t enforce a judgment,” so you may need the Enforcement of Judgments Office. Many landlords stop after judgment because enforcement costs and uncertainty make a paper win unattractive.

How do you find a former tenant's new address?

You find a former tenant’s new address by paying for a trace, using paid public-register searches such as the edited electoral roll, or documenting a UK GDPR legitimate-interest basis for a proportionate search; there is no free automatic route and no UK-wide rule forcing a departing tenant to leave a forwarding address. This is why the question of how to find a tenant that moved out is usually a paid-methods question rather than a clever form or council shortcut. Money Claim Online in England and Wales asks for “the name, address and email address of the person you’re claiming against,” and Northern Ireland guidance says that if tenants have already moved out, “you must have their new address to complete the form.” For landlords asking how to find ex tenants new address UK, a commercial trace is often the practical answer: NRLA describes tracing as using “purchased licensed databases and leading credit reference agency software,” while 1st Locate advertises edited-electoral-roll access at “£3.50” for 24 hours. UK GDPR can permit this where processing is necessary for a legitimate interest and the tenant’s rights do not override it.

What does a tenant tracing service do, and what does it cost?

A tenant tracing service searches licensed databases and credit-reference-style records to locate a former tenant’s current address, and published UK prices range from £37 to £149 including VAT, with some specialist landlord services charging £96 for an address or employment trace. Tenant tracing is not a court power and no legislation fixes either the method or the fee, so the tenant tracing service market is mainly a choice between cheap self-search, fixed-fee trace and no-find-no-fee models. NRLA defines tenant tracing as “the process of locating former tenants whose current address is no longer known,” and its supplier example says Landlord Action charges “£96” for an address or employment trace and “£150” for a combined trace. Other public prices vary sharply: 1st Locate says a full tenant trace costs “£37 (inc vat)” and is refunded if unsuccessful, while We Locate People says its service is “£149 including VAT” on a no-find-no-fee basis. A trace is strongest after the tenant has resurfaced in records; NRLA’s supplier recommends waiting at least four weeks, ideally six to eight.

Should you use a debt collection agency to chase a former tenant?

Nothing requires a debt collection agency, and in England you cannot pass its commission to the former tenant — only interest at 3% above Bank Rate is a permitted extra charge under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 — despite agencies like Redwood at 15% and Federal Management at 6% advertising commission-based recovery; Wales makes charging a prohibited third-party fee to the tenant a criminal offence, and CRAR does not apply because it is commercial-lease only. A debt collector may be useful if you want someone else to chase, trace and negotiate, but it is not a substitute for a judgment, tribunal order or enforcement route. GOV.UK’s route is simple: “You can make a court claim if your tenant owes you money,” and Northern Ireland treats debt recovery agencies as optional because “Some companies specialise in debt recovery.” In England, the Tenant Fees Act says a landlord must not require a tenant or guarantor to make “a prohibited payment to a third party,” and the permitted late-rent extra is calculated at “3% above the Bank of England base rate.” Debt collectors are not bailiffs; National Debtline says they “have no additional powers and are unable to remove any of your items.”

Last reviewed August 2026.

Sources

• Limitation Act 1980 s.19 — “No action shall be brought, and the power conferred by section 72(1) of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 shall not be exercisable, to recover arrears of rent, or damages in respect of arrears of rent, after the expiration of six years from the date on which the arrears became due.” Source
• Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 s.6 — “If, after the appropriate date, an obligation to which this section applies has subsisted for a continuous period of five years—” Source
• Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 Sch.1 — “(v)by way of rent or other periodical payment under a lease;” Source
• Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 s.71 — “(a)the First-tier Tribunal has whatever competence and jurisdiction a sheriff would have but for paragraph (b),” Source
• mygov.scot landlord rent arrears guidance — “To recover rent arrears you’re owed, you can take your tenant to the tribunal.” Source
• mygov.scot landlord rent arrears guidance — “There’s no cost to apply to the tribunal.” Source
• Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 art.30 — “No action may be brought or distress made to recover arrears of a conventional rent or damages in respect thereof after the expiration of six years from the date on which the arrears became due.” Source
• GOV.UK money claim guidance — “You can apply to a county court to claim money you’re owed by a person or business.” Source
• GOV.UK private renting deposits guidance — “For example, they could keep the amount of rent you owe or the cost of any repairs.” Source
• nidirect debt recovery guidance — “If win your case, you may have to apply to the Enforcement of Judgments Office (EJO) to ask them to try to recover the money on your behalf, as the court won’t enforce a judgment.” Source
• NRLA CCJ enforcement guidance — “Considering the cost to the landlord of raising a claim in the first place, this can be a frustrating experience and it is no surprise that many landlords do not proceed to the enforcement stage.” Source
• UK GDPR Article 6 — “processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child.” Source
• ICO legitimate interests guidance — “In these circumstances, the customer’s interests don’t override the finance company’s legitimate interest in passing the personal information to a debt collection agency.” Source
• GOV.UK Money Claim Online guidance — “You’ll be asked for the name, address and email address of the person you’re claiming against.” Source
• Housing Rights Northern Ireland court guidance — “If your tenants have already moved out, you must have their new address to complete the form.” Source
• NRLA tenant tracing guidance — “We begin work on the enquiry, initially using purchased licensed databases and leading credit reference agency software.” Source
• 1st Locate tenant tracing pricing — “Pricing - 24 hours access is just £3.50 - search as many times as you want - no need to buy credits” Source
• NRLA tenant tracing guidance — “Tenant tracing is the process of locating former tenants whose current address is no longer known, enabling landlords to reconnect with their previous tenants.” Source
• 1st Locate tenant tracing pricing — “It costs just £37 (inc vat) for us to undertake a full tenant trace investigation - refunded if we are not successful.” Source
• We Locate People tenant tracing pricing — “Our Tenant Tracing service is offered on a no find, no fee basis for a one-off fee of £149 including VAT.” Source
• NRLA tenant tracing guidance — “Landlord Action will complete an address or employment trace for £96 and a combined trace (address and employment) for £150 (all including VAT and disbursements).” Source
• NRLA tenant tracing guidance — “Whilst it is possible to trace a new address within days, we would recommend that trace requests are instructed at least four weeks after the tenant has vacated the property, ideally six to eight weeks, to allow them time to resurface.” Source
• GOV.UK renting out property disputes guidance — “You can make a court claim if your tenant owes you money.” Source
• nidirect debt recovery guidance — “Some companies specialise in debt recovery and will employ a solicitor to take legal action to recover your debt.” Source
• Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 s.72 — “A landlord under a lease of commercial premises may use the procedure in Schedule 12 (taking control of goods) to recover from the tenant rent payable under the lease.” Source
• Tenant Fees Act 2019 s.1 — “A landlord must not require a relevant person to make a prohibited payment to a third party in connection with a tenancy of housing in England.” Source
• Tenant Fees Act 2019 Sch.1 — “The amount referred to in sub-paragraph (4) is the aggregate of the amounts found by applying, in relation to each day after the due date for which the rent remains unpaid, an annual percentage rate of 3% above the Bank of England base rate to the amount of rent that remains unpaid at the end of that day.” Source
• Tenant Fees Act 2019 Sch.1 — “A payment of damages for breach of a tenancy agreement or an agreement between a letting agent and a relevant person is a permitted payment.” Source
• Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act 2019 s.2 — “It is an offence for a landlord to require a prohibited payment to be made to the landlord, or any other person—” Source
• National Debtline debt collectors guidance — “Debt collectors are not bailiffs; they have no additional powers and are unable to remove any of your items.” Source
• Redwood Collections landlord debt collection page — “The fee payable to us if we collect this debt where our normal 15% commission rate applies” Source
• Federal Management rent debt collection page — “Our unpaid rent collection agency offers the UK’s lowest commission rates, starting from only 6%.” Source