More than 700,000 private tenants in Great Britain are unable to cover their rent due to shortfalls in the Universal Credit system – a rise of 45% since before the pandemic began.
Analysis of the most recent data available, published this week by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), shows that in November 2020 715,326 privately renting households on Universal Credit were not receiving their full rent in benefit, due to the stark difference between average rental prices and the maximum amount payable.
“Every one of these households faces an impossible choice every month to pay the rent, borrow, or go without essentials,” Alicia Kennedy, director of Generation Rent, said. ”The government’s inadequate support for private renters is pushing families deeper and deeper – into debt, with homelessness and destitution awaiting once the crisis of the pandemic clears.
