Shelter claims that almost 1.1m private renters in England – one in seven – had their rent increased in the last month alone.
Ramping up a campaign to save some of the rental reforms pushed forward by Boris Johnson, the campaigning charity says its research shows millions of private tenants are stretched to breaking point: one in three (which it claims is the equivalent of 2.6m adults) are spending at least half their household income on rent.
It then goes on to say that almost 2.5m renters are either behind or constantly struggling to pay their rent, a figure which has rapidly increased by 45 per cent since April - just a few months ago.
The charity then adds that even before the cost-of-living crisis, private renters were paying the highest housing costs compared to people in social housing or with a mortgage. It warns that unless the government helps those struggling to pay their rent, a huge surge in homelessness is inevitable.
It is urging the government to stop what it calls “this ticking timebomb” by unfreezing housing benefit, “which is lagging way behind rents, having been frozen at 2020 levels.”
Shelter’s latest polling, which was conducted by YouGov and funded by Nationwide, also looked at the scale of rent increases in the last year.
Of the 3.5m private tenants which it claims had their rent increased, more than 800,000 saw it put up by more than £100 a month, and nearly 200,000 were hit with a rise of more than £300 a month.
Chief executive Polly Neate says: “With more than a million private tenants hit with a rent hike in just the last month, time is running out. The already high cost of renting meant tenants were on the ropes trying to keep up with rising food and energy prices. Now runaway rents will deal many renters a knock-out blow.
“Our emergency helpline advisers are doing everything they can to help people cling onto their homes. We’re at breaking point, too many families won’t be able to keep a roof over their head this winter because they won’t be able to afford to heat their home or pay their rent.
“To give cash-strapped renters a fighting chance, the Prime Minister must at a minimum urgently unfreeze housing benefit so people can afford to pay their rent or face an explosion in homelessness.”
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Blame the government not landlords, we’re all in the same boat
The titanic , and choppy waters are ahead for all of us
The rents will just keep going up if this idiotic government doesn’t change direction.
I find it strange how Shelter 's experience s so far apart from my experience which is gained from housing at one time over 1000 tenants having housed probably well over 16,000 mainly tenants in bedsits and I have been in the business for 31 years. I agree struggling to pay the rent and not being able to pay the rent is terrible I have never come across such a tenant and I have had to evicted well over 1000 tenants.
Because I felt it was wrong to evict a tenant who could not pay the rent I introduced a "No Eviction Policy". I offer under my policy help and support for those tenants who were unable to pay their rent. So far I have not come across a tenant who could genuinely not pay their rent. It is always wilfully refusing to pay rent or claim universal credit or if they have claimed universal credit keeping the rent element.
The rent money which should have been paid to me is used mostly on alcohol and or drugs. Very occasionally holidays or a car. It is not can't pay it is always won't pay.
With the rising cost of living I will see whether there are are those who cannot pay their rent to me but somehow I don't think I'm going to come across any!
Jim Haliburton
The HMODaddy
You’re 99% right. I had one genuine case - a Polish man who came and went, a bit strange but he always worked and paid his rent. One time he got sick and they wouldn’t pay him any benefits because he hadn’t been in the UK continuously. He did a great job of putting a sheet of insulation in part of his room adjoining a roof space but that’s all I got out of him in 6 months. Eventually I told him he had to go back to Poland and he did.
Sheltered the Anti/ housing Charity. I can’t think what else they are, as they don’t supply any housing but does enormous damage to the private rented sector who house millions. Their CEO got a CBE can’t think what that was for it must be for the damage caused or their contribution to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Housing Policy that they don’t supply. When I go to the Butcher I ask the Butcher not the block.
Of the 3.5m private tenants which it claims had their rent increased, more than 800,000 saw it put up by more than £100 a month.
These numbers are pure guesswork. No one has access to that information with any degree of accuracy. Rental agreements are private transactions between 2 private parties. Unless they mean big corporate landlords, in which case they should clearly say so.
£100 a month could either be a big increase or a modest one depending on what the original rent was. On a £2000 a month house it would be 5% (so below inflation). On a £500 a month room in a bills inclusive HMO it would be 20%, but just gas and electric have gone up at least £35 per person per month since last year. Council tax, water and broadband have also all increased in price, so taking that into account something that sounded like a 20% increase becomes closer to 12% for the accomodation element of the overall rent. In reality it's unlikely rents for existing tenants in HMOs have risen by anywhere close to £100 a month. Some of mine have increases next month of between £25 and £70 a month depending on how long they have lived in the houses. It's the first time I've ever increased rent for existing HMO tenants and some have been in over 5 years.
It would be useful if the article had a link to the actual survey, so that we could see just how much extrapolation was used here. As a nationwide member/customer I’m not entirely comfortable with their cosying up to shelter.
Have you told Nationwide that?
B&Q also support Shelter which harms a huge percentage of their customers. Most rent dodgers never shop in B&Q nor do any DIY.
Crazy policy for both Nationwide and B&Q to support an organisation which aims to destroy their customers!
Perhaps all articles quoting statistics should provide the source of those statistics. Much like cosmetics adverts.
The UK housing market is too diverse to use averages over a small select population, that may be polled with an article in mind, and then extrapolate to represent the whole of the UK.
Probably based on calls to their help line!
(Guess what if you've no had a rent rose or some other housing issue you probably haven't called Shelter).
None of mine have increased in years despite having been loaded with Regulators costs, Maintenance costs, licensing fees and compliance work fire doors, Electrical up grade’s, hardwired fire detection systems, Emergency lighting, extra cooking facilities, Deposit removal, 10% w&t removal, now S21 removal, S24 introduction. It’s savatage plain & simpy.
Shelter have spent years demanding free money for tenants in the form of rent freezes, reduced rents, no tenant fees, extr benefits etc etc etc. They were happy to support the furlough scheme, and demanded eviction bans be imposed and extended throughout Covid. They have gotten most of what they wanted but the impact of all this free money is huge inflation. And now Shelter are demanding more free money to deal with the consequences of what they have been demanding. If they get what they want, inflation will continue to spiral and they will be demanding more free money.
I’m not surprised, there’s never any shortage of unreasonable organisations who don’t care about the consequences of their demands - but the government are unforgivably negligent for listening to these organisations and not showing enough backbone to maintain good economic policy. If most of us on here can predict the knock on effect of printing free money to keep people quiet, then the government have no excuse not to know better.
Finally they demand the Government unfreezes housing allowance. Better late than never. Surely we can get behind them on that one.
Shelter, AND the Govt have one thing in common.
They both want the PRS to provide accommodation ( lacking in Social and Council provision ) at Below market rates. Simple as.
I don't believe their figures for one moment, when I increase an existing tenant's rent it is generally around £20 - £30 per month, never anywhere near £100, I make the big increases up to full market rent when I market a property to new tenants, there's a big difference there, the new tenant knows the rent before they view, before they apply and before they sign the tenancy agreement, they go in with their eyes open
Absent parents, get them to contribute, 23% of children in UK one parent families, compared to 10% in Europe! Why should society support those won't take responsibility for your actions. If absent partners do not pay then register their failure with credit references and CCJ's
How many of them live apart because they can't afford to live together?
The second adult in a household only increases the UC income by £44 a week. How many adults can survive long term on less than £6.30 a day for food, clothing, transport, entertainment, toiletries, phone credit, etc?
A child increases the household benefits by about £80 a week combining the UC element and Child Benefit.
Just because someone doesn't officially live with their children doesn't mean they don't pay Child Support for them or spend significant amounts of time with them.
Some will be feckless but far more will simply be living in the way that makes most economic sense.
If the benefit system was more realistic about the second adult element and supported families to stay together the likelihood is that far more families would choose that option.
Disability benefits etc are much higher than that.
There are 168 hours in every week and 1.3 million job vacancies - plenty of opportunities for those fit to work to earn more.
They system definitely created one parent families. I seen them get rid of partners to work the system, they can have another temporary partner any time they want & they do.
They destroyed the family unit creating a broken Society no wonder there’s so much crime.
Check the way the number of marriages have declined virtually extinct due to benefit system. Check the numbers if you want proof.
Micheal Foley, very true Lizz Truss should state what her relationship is with Coffey!
End game is no prs , you’ll rent a rabbit hutch from your government that’ll cost so much you’ll be in permanent debt and do everything you’re told to do and take or you’ll end up in the gutter
Agreed George, but the landlord might not be the government, it will likely be ' big businesses ' their rent will be anything but peanuts for their rabbit hutches
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