Can you rent a home with an IVA?

Renting is one of the parts of life an IVA changes least. Your rent is an essential cost in your IVA budget, so it is allowed for before your IVA payment is worked out. Your insolvency practitioner does not write to your landlord unless your landlord is one of your creditors. Where people run into trouble is rent arrears, and applying for a new tenancy while the IVA shows on credit checks.

Will an IVA affect your current tenancy?

Not if you keep paying the rent. Your tenancy agreement is between you and your landlord, and an IVA does not change it.

Rent arrears are different. Citizens Advice says you cannot usually include rent in an IVA, and that “an IVA will not stop your landlord taking action to evict you” if you owe rent. It suggests paying rent arrears separately from your IVA to protect your home. If you are behind on rent, deal with that first and make sure any IVA budget includes a realistic arrears payment.

In England, private landlords have not been able to use the “no fault” section 21 process since 1 May 2026, even if a tenancy agreement says they can. If your tenancy agreement mentions insolvency and you are not sure what it means for you, Shelter or Citizens Advice can look at it with you.

Will your landlord find out about your IVA?

Not from your insolvency practitioner, unless your landlord is a creditor. But your IVA is on the public Individual Insolvency Register while it runs, and on your credit file, usually for 6 years from the start date. A landlord or letting agent who runs a credit check on you will see it. A new landlord or agent is likely to run one as part of referencing. Your current landlord has less reason to, as long as the rent is paid.

Can you rent a new home during an IVA?

Yes, but you will need to get through referencing. The landlord or agent decides whether to accept you, and some will say no to anyone with an IVA on their file. These steps can help:

1. Tell the agent about the IVA at the start, before the credit check finds it. Explain that your payments are fixed and your rent is already built into your budget.
2. Gather proof that you pay rent on time, such as bank statements and a reference from your current landlord.
3. Ask your supervisor for written confirmation that your IVA is up to date.
4. Offer a guarantor, if someone is willing and able to take that on.

Moving during an IVA costs money you may not have spare. Staying where you are until the IVA ends is often the cheaper option, if your home still works for you.

What are your rights when renting in England?

The Renters’ Rights Act changed how private tenancies work in England from 1 May 2026. For someone in an IVA, these rules matter most:

Paying several months of rent upfront used to be a common way round a poor credit check. For new private tenancies in England, that is no longer allowed. Wales and Northern Ireland have their own tenancy rules, so check with Shelter Cymru in Wales or Housing Rights in Northern Ireland. The GOV.UK overview for tenants covers England in full.

How does moving fit with your IVA budget?

Talk to your supervisor before you sign anything. The standard terms of the IVA Protocol 2025 require you to keep your supervisor informed of your address, and a new rent changes your budget.

• If your new rent is higher for a genuine reason, such as a larger home for a growing family or a move for work, your disposable income falls. Your supervisor can reduce your payment by no more than 20% in total without asking creditors. A bigger reduction needs creditors to agree.
• If your new rent is lower, your disposable income rises, and half of the increase is added to your payment at your next yearly review.
• You cannot borrow more than £500 to pay for a deposit or removal costs without your supervisor’s written approval.

See how much an IVA leaves you to live on for how the budget works.

Does renting get easier after the IVA ends?

Usually, yes, although not all at once. The insolvency register entry goes about 3 months after the IVA ends. The credit file entry usually stays for 6 years from the start date, so a landlord’s credit check can still show it for a while after you finish. A record of paying rent on time, and being on the electoral register at your address, both help. How an IVA affects your credit rating covers rebuilding.

What to do next

1. If you have rent arrears, make a plan to pay them alongside your rent before you think about anything else.
2. If you are planning a move, speak to your supervisor first and get your paperwork together: rent statements, a landlord reference and confirmation that your IVA is up to date.
3. If you rent, have little spare income and few assets, check whether you could get a debt relief order. The IVA Protocol says people who meet the DRO criteria are unlikely to be suitable for a protocol IVA: see IVA or debt relief order?. Free, impartial debt advice is available from MoneyHelper, StepChange, Citizens Advice and National Debtline: see where to get free debt advice.

For more on day-to-day life in an IVA, see life in an IVA. If you use our checker, we may pass your details to a licensed insolvency practitioner or debt adviser.