84 per cent increase in people struggling to pay the rent

Debt advice charity helpline National Debtline has received an 84 per cent increase in the number of people calling for help with rent arrears since the onset of the credit crunch back in 2007.

More and more people are joining the renting market each year, with few able to leave by getting a mortgage. The English Housing Survey released in February showed that the number of people renting in England had increased by around 40 percent since 2005. With relatively few new homes being made available this has lead to a situation where demand is outstripping supply and prices are rising very quickly.