Rent provided by tenant early (4)
I believe the answer is:
tear
'rent' is the definition.
(I know that rent can be written as tear)
'provided by tenant early' is the wordplay.
'provided by' indicates a hidden word (the answer is provided within the clue).
'TEAR' is hidden within 'tenant early'.
(Other definitions for tear that I've seen before include "Lachrymal drop - rip" , "Droplet; rip" , "Split - career" , "Shred" , "Hurry" .)