Posted 02.01.15
Almost a third (31%) of private renters in Britain are struggling to pay for their home - the equivalent of just over three million people - new research from the National Housing Federation reveals.
Renting families with children are particularly feeling the strain with just over two fifths (41%) saying they struggle to pay for their home.
Findings from a new YouGov poll also show that around one in 12 private renters (8%) struggle to afford their rent every time it's due - the equivalent of over 700,000 people battling every month to make ends meet.
The shortage of affordable homes across the country and the high cost of home ownership, combined with stagnant wages, have resulted in the highest proportion of private renters for 40 years. But soaring rents and high deposits mean many are finding it difficult to keep up with the costs that renting a home privately entails.
Families with children renting privately are even cutting back on essentials, with more than one in four (27%) cutting back on buying food and just under one in four (24%) cutting back on heating their home so that they can pay their rent.
The emotional as well as the financial strain is also taking its toll on private renters as almost a third (31%) say they worry that their rent will increase and they will struggle to afford it, and in the last 12 months around one in seven (15%) have suffered from stress and anxiety due to worrying about their rent going up.
David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, said:
"It's just unacceptable that families are left struggling to pay for homes in the private rented sector that they can't even afford to heat properly.
"We have too many renters just keeping their heads above water, who are being kept awake at night and suffering from stress over the worry of paying the next rent bill.
"The Government needs to come up with a bolder, long-term plan for house building so that families across the country can find the homes they need, at a price they can afford."
