Record high rents are squeezing living standards and eroding the financial stability of private renters, driving poverty and homelessness for the least well off.
The government isn't doing enough to make private renting more affordable.
Record high rents are squeezing living standards and eroding the financial stability of private renters, driving poverty and homelessness for the least well off.
The government isn't doing enough to make private renting more affordable.
Private rents have increased by around a third on average on pre-pandemic levels.
And while incomes have also increased, private rents continue to swallow up around a third of household incomes on average, and even more for lower income households.
"Cost-of-living pressures from rent are easing rather than intensifying"?
Not for the 2.3 million private renting households who say it's difficult to afford their rents.
The rate of which rents are rising may be slowing, but renters are still under pressure.
🗣️"When we fail to make sure we all have a decent home that we can afford, we’re failing in our most basic responsibility to protect people’s dignity."
Lead Analyst @jelliott94.bsky.social in @the-independent.com on the two abysmal new records in today's homelessness stats
https://bit.ly/4sa931L
The Renters Rights Act gives renters vital protection against no fault evictions.
But we need the government to tackle the problem of unaffordable rents head on if we’re to see the number of families facing homelessness fall.
When we fail to make sure we all have a decent home that we can afford, we’re failing in our most basic responsibility to protect people’s dignity.
It’s appalling that the number of children growing up in temporary accommodation continues to reach record highs.
Graph showing a record number of households and children living in temporary accommodation.
The latest data shows 134,760 households including 175,990 children living in temporary accommodation.
This includes 2,880 families with children in bed and breakfast hotels, with more than half of these (1,670) living in these for more than 6 weeks...
Map showing the rates of rough sleeping per 100,000 people in each English local authority, showing highest rates of rough sleeping in larger cities and coastal areas in particular.
The highest rates of rough sleeping are in high cost cities and in coastal areas.
Homelessness and rough sleeping are incredibly complex challenges. But ramping up delivery of new homes, particularly social homes, and tackling high private rents are key to tackling the crisis.
Graph showing a record high number of people sleeping rough in Autumn 2025
New statistics released today show two abysmal new records:
- A record high number of people sleeping rough
- A record high number of households and children living in temporary accommodation
These are the most devastating indicators of the failure of our housing system ⬇️
Everyones keen for a bit of rent control.. (via YouGov)
06.02.2026 10:40 — 👍 1 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 1
🏘️ ‘High rents and rising mortgage costs are hitting families hard'
Around 4 in 10 renters are in poverty once housing costs are taken into account, Lead Analyst @jelliott94.bsky.social explains.
All data behind the charts, maps and tables are also published on our website in the spreadsheet in the Appendix section at the bottom of this page:
www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2...
Explore the data from each of our UK Poverty sections on our website here.
If you have any feedback on how to make this data more accessible let me know at joseph.elliott@jrf.org.uk @jrf-uk.bsky.social
www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-s...
A new way to explore UK Poverty data ⬇️
Poverty is deepening. Developing solutions to tackle this problem starts with clear, accessible evidence.
To make our data more accessible we’ve published all charts, maps and tables from our UK Poverty 2026 in a new, interactive dashboard.
Poverty is deepening.
🔎 Our #UKPoverty2026 report was launched this morning.
People in very deep poverty now make up the biggest group of people in poverty, at 6.8 million people.
This is unacceptable for the fifth richest country in the world, and it has consequences.
Promotional image for a JRF webinar titled "UK Poverty 2026: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK," featuring an adult pushing a stroller and walking with a child, set for January 29, 2026, from 10:30 AM to 12 PM, with a red brick house in the background.
📅 Save the date!
On Thursday 29th Jan, we'll be hosting a webinar to discuss the findings of our UK Poverty 2026 report.
We'll share insight and discussion about our report that will set out the depth and breadth of poverty in the UK.
Don't miss out, sign up now: https://bit.ly/459R16V
New English Housing Survey data shows a big increase in mortgage holders and private renters reporting difficulty in affording housing costs since 2019-20.
High interest rates and rents continuing to exert a lot of pain on families, and continued LHA freeze isn't helping either.
This shift was facilitated by an increased tax burden on landlords with a higher rate for additional dwellings on stamp duty, plus income tax changes impacting higher and additional rate paying landlords - combined with big increases in support for FTBs from Govt and parents..
17.12.2025 10:50 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New English Housing Survey data!
Interesting tenure trends figures; the growth of the private rented sector has stalled since 2016, though claims of an 'exodus' seem greatly exaggerated.
Increasing numbers now paying their own mortgage instead of their landlords - good🏡
Children are bearing the brunt of poverty in Northern Ireland.
Too many families face unthinkable choices between feeding their children or keeping their homes warm.
18 months out from the next Assembly election, our Poverty in NI report looks at the action that's needed 🔽
The new Welsh IMD shows persistent disadvantage across Wales. While there has been some minor adjustments to the methodology, the overall picture is similar to that of the 2019 release.
28.11.2025 09:24 — 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
I bought my home for £4000 in 1970, I worry about the mansion tax
> Home purchased for £4k in 1970, now worth £4m
> That's £3.945m more than if it had just increased with inflation
> Her house has effectively gained £72k in value every year in today's prices
> Her house earned around double what the average UK earner did each year
Source should be "Source: Statutory homelessness live tables, MHCLG"..
27.11.2025 11:34 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0These figures are bleak - and nothing at all in the budget yesterday to address them. Instead Local Housing Allowance remains frozen.
27.11.2025 10:59 — 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0
New homelessness figures today show a continued upwards trajectory in the numbers of children and households living in temporary accommodation, reaching new record highs.
Yesterday the OBR reported cost of TA to local authorities increased 20% *a year* between 2022-23 and 2024-25.
DWP modelling show a fall of 400,000 over the current Parliament. This would be the biggest on record, exceeding falls of 300,000 under the first Government of Tony Blair and the Government of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.
Chancellor said lifting 2-child limit means "Biggest reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since records began." Estimated 400k reduction would be, but modelling is always uncertain. What is certain is that removing the 2 Child Limit is pivotal to the fall.
26.11.2025 16:40 — 👍 24 🔁 12 💬 3 📌 1
Image from OBR's Budget docuoment: "Our economy forecast now incorporates the net effect of the changes to universal credit (UC) policies which remain in force following the policy changes made in July. We estimate these will add around 15,000 average hours equivalent (AHE) to labour supply in 2029-30. This reflects the net effect of: (1) the increase in the generosity of the UC standard allowance, which is expected to reduce recipients’ financial incentive to enter or remain in employment, leading to an estimated 11,000 AHE reduction to labour supply; and (2) the reductions in the generosity of and eligibility for health-related benefits in UC, which are expected to lower income for new claimants, increasing work incentives, and resulting in an estimated 26,000 AHE increase in labour supply. We have also assessed the new employment support programme announced in the Green Paper. Based on evidence from similar past schemes, combined with the Department for Work and Pensions’ range of estimates of the numbers of individuals that could be provided with support, we estimate that the programme could support 20,000 to 40,000 inactive claimants"
Today the OBR finally published employment impacts of Govt’s (remaining) disability benefit cuts, which weren’t ready in the spring. Confirms @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis at the time that these huge cuts to disabled people’s incomes come with relatively few expected to move into work. 🧵1/3
26.11.2025 16:08 — 👍 31 🔁 16 💬 1 📌 3
Every child, no matter their background, deserves to have a good start in life. Ethnic minority children were disproportionately impacted by the two child limit which widens ethnic disparities in child poverty rates.
Scrapping this cruel policy to lift 450000 children out of poverty is a huge win!
Reeves responding to a heckle against taxing the rich more to reduce child poverty: "I think if you've got a house worth over £5m you can probably afford it"
🔥🔥🔥
💼 With less than 24 hours to go until the Budget, we're thinking about the options available to the Chancellor.
Hear from our Chief Economist @chrisbelfield.bsky.social on three key policies that will make a lasting impact on reducing poverty. 🔽
