Do I need to set up my payment method again for a renewal?

It depends on how you pay.

If you pay by PayTo: yes, every time

A PayTo agreement is linked to a single tenancy agreement. It either ends on the fixed term's end date or stops after the last scheduled payment of a periodic tenancy. So when your tenancy is renewed you need a new PayTo agreement for the new one, even if the rent hasn't changed.

1. Go to Payment Methods in your tenant portal.
2. Under PayTo agreements you'll see any upcoming payment that doesn't have an agreement attached yet. Your first payment under the renewal will be listed there once signing is complete.
3. Set up the agreement and confirm it in your banking app, the same as the first time.

If you pay by direct debit: only if the rent has changed

Your direct debit authority is for a specific amount, so if the rent goes up the bank would reject the higher debit. Update it before the new agreement starts:

1. Go to Payment Methods in your tenant portal.
2. Next to your bank account, choose the option to update the direct debit amount.
3. Enter the new rent amount and authorise. This creates a new authority for the new amount; your existing one keeps covering payments under the current agreement until it ends.

If your rent is staying the same you don't need to do anything.

If your fixed-term lease ended without a renewal

When a fixed term ends and no renewal has been signed, your tenancy switches to a periodic one automatically and rent continues as before. A PayTo agreement ends with the fixed term, so you'll need to set up a new one for the periodic tenancy; you'll get an email when the first periodic payment is created. Direct debit carries on unchanged. See My fixed-term lease has ended, what happens now?.

When to do it

As soon as signing is complete. The first payment under the new agreement is due the day before the new start date, and if the payment method isn't in place by then the payment can't be collected and you'll fall behind from day one.

For the rest of the renewal process see My landlord has sent me a renewal, what do I do?. For how rent timing works generally, see When will my rent be debited?.

Updated on: 11/09/2026