Rent statement template UK: what to include and when to issue one

A rent statement is a simple record of the rent due and paid under a tenancy over a given period, issued by the landlord to the tenant. It is the document a tenant is asked for when they claim a benefit, apply for a mortgage or pass a referencing check, and the record a landlord relies on as evidence of arrears. This guide sets out what a rent statement should contain, when to issue one, and a template you can copy, along with the quickest way to produce one without rebuilding it by hand each time.

What is a rent statement?

A rent statement is a running summary of a tenancy’s rent account: what was charged, what was paid, on which dates, and the balance left owing or in credit. It is not the same as a tenant ledger, which is the landlord’s own continuous record of every transaction; a statement is the version drawn from that ledger and shared with the tenant for a defined period. A clear statement shows, at a glance, whether a tenancy is up to date, in arrears, or in advance.

What to include in a rent statement

A usable rent statement for a private landlord should contain the property address, the landlord’s name and the tenant’s name, the tenancy start date and the rent amount and frequency. The body is a dated line for each rent charge and each payment received, with a running balance after each entry. It should close with the period covered, the closing balance, and the date the statement was produced.

Set out plainly, the fields are the property address; the landlord and tenant names; the rent amount and how often it falls due; the statement period; then, for each entry, the date, a description (rent due or payment received), the amount in or out, and the running balance; and finally the closing balance and the date issued.

Rent statement template

A straightforward layout looks like this. At the top, the property and parties: “Rent statement for 12 Example Street, dated 1 June 2026. Tenant: A. Tenant. Landlord: B. Landlord. Rent: £1,000 per calendar month.” Below that, a dated table:

• 1 April 2026, rent due, £1,000 charged, balance £1,000 owing

• 2 April 2026, payment received, £1,000 paid, balance £0

• 1 May 2026, rent due, £1,000 charged, balance £1,000 owing

• 3 May 2026, payment received, £1,000 paid, balance £0

• 1 June 2026, rent due, £1,000 charged, balance £1,000 owing

Closing balance at 1 June 2026: £1,000 owing. That is all a rent statement needs to be. The same structure works whether you keep it in a spreadsheet, a Word document or a PDF.

When should a landlord issue a rent statement?

There is no fixed legal schedule for issuing one, but there are predictable moments when a tenant or a third party will ask. The most common is a tenant’s claim for the housing element of Universal Credit or another benefit, where the assessor needs proof of the rent charged and paid. The next is a referencing or mortgage application, where a letting agent or lender asks for a rent payment history. A statement is also the document you produce when rent falls into arrears, because a dated record of missed payments is the evidence that supports a possession claim. Many landlords also issue one at the end of each tenancy year as a courtesy and for their own tax records.

Across the landlords using August, a rent statement is most often requested at short notice for a benefit claim or a referencing check, and the ones who can produce it in seconds are those whose rent is already reconciled against the bank feed rather than reconstructed from memory.

What format should a rent statement be in?

Excel, Word and PDF are all acceptable, and the choice is practical rather than legal. A spreadsheet is easiest to keep updated as payments come in and to total automatically. A PDF is best for sending, because it cannot be altered by the recipient, which matters when the statement is being used as evidence for a benefit claim or a court. Whatever the format, the statement should be legible, dated, and consistent from one period to the next, since a record that holds up as arrears evidence is one that was kept contemporaneously, not assembled after the dispute began.

How to produce rent statements automatically

Keeping a statement by hand is fine for one tenancy, but it becomes the kind of admin that slips once you have several. August tracks rent through open banking, matches each payment to the right tenancy automatically, and produces a clean rent statement on demand, so the document that a tenant or lender asks for is always current. You can see how that works in rent tracking. Keeping the record digitally also sits naturally with the wider shift to digital record-keeping for landlords, and it means your rent collection record and your tax records are the same single source.

Frequently asked questions

What is a rent statement?

A record issued by a landlord to a tenant showing the rent charged and paid over a period, with the balance owing or in credit. It is drawn from the landlord’s ongoing rent account for the tenancy.

How do I write a rent statement?

List the property and the parties, then a dated line for each rent charge and each payment with a running balance, and close with the period covered and the balance. A spreadsheet or the template above does the job; you can also download our free landlord templates.

Can a tenant request a rent statement?

Yes, and it is good practice to provide one promptly, particularly where the tenant needs it for a benefit claim, a reference or a mortgage application. There is no set form it has to take, provided it clearly shows rent due and paid.

Is a rent statement proof of address?

It can support proof of a tenancy, but it is not the same as a utility bill or bank statement and is not always accepted as standalone proof of address. Used alongside a tenancy agreement it evidences the rental arrangement. You can start for free and produce statements from your matched rent payments whenever they are needed.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. Landlord and tenant law is subject to change, and the information in this article reflects the position at the time of writing. You should always seek independent legal or professional advice before taking any action in relation to your property or tenancy.