A charity claims 15 per cent of private renters believe they face eviction this winter.

Homelessness charity Crisis polled 2,000 people – not all of them private renters – and found that 29 per cent claimed they would skip meals this winter to afford housing costs, while 30 per cent were behind on payments for one or more of their financial commitments.

Some 37 per cent claimed they would not be able to afford to heat their home this winter and amongst those who are privately renting some 15 per cent believe they risk eviction this winter.

Crisis is warning that without urgent action, Britain faces the very real prospect of a huge spike in homelessness as pressure piles on households. 

The same poll found the 71 per cent noticed their overall household spending had increased in the past 12 months, and 58 per cent expecting those costs to reach an all-time high this winter. Just over half said they would not have a place to live in if they lost their home for whatever reason.

Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, says: “As we approach Christmas, the outlook across Britain is extremely bleak.  People are being forced out of their homes because of unaffordable housing costs. They’re enduring freezing conditions, going without food and unable to visit family because their budgets simply don’t stretch that far.

“The uncertainty of not knowing whether you will still have your home in another week or month is hugely damaging to people’s health and wellbeing. We’ve heard about the loneliness and sacrifices people are forced to make to try and keep a roof over their head, like pawning treasured possessions. This is the cruel reality for thousands, and it must change.

“Everyone should have a safe and settled home, but the UK Government is failing Britain’s poorest households. Despite some positive action on homelessness in recent years, it is nowhere near enough amid rising evictions and more and more people needing help with cost of living. The tide must turn if we are to prevent homelessness, but this can only happen if the genuinely affordable homes we desperately need are built and the UK Government invests in housing benefit to cover the true cost of rent.”