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England

Over 2.5 million parents cutting back on winter essentials to pay their rent or mortgage

Posted 04 Jan 2016

The New Year may not be very happy for millions of families, as research by Shelter reveals over a quarter of rent or mortgage paying parents in England are cutting back on winter heating and clothing to meet their housing payments. This is the equivalent to 2.7 million parents.

The study by housing and homelessness charity Shelter and YouGov shows the strain families face in January, with one in ten parents fearing they will be unable to pay their rent or mortgage this month.

This is despite the fact that many have already cut back on Christmas to help meet their housing costs, including reducing their spending on presents and food.

With our shortage of affordable homes leaving many families struggling with sky-high housing costs, over 100,000 people have sought advice on housing debt from Shelter's helpline, online, or face-to-face services in the last year.

Shelter's helpline adviser Danielle Goodwin said: 'It never gets easier to hear a parent on the phone in tears, and at breaking point from the weight of their spiraling housing payments.

The charity is urging anyone starting to have difficulties paying their rent or mortgage to get help as early as possible to avoid losing their home.

'Every day at Shelter we hear from parents who face the bleak choice between missing their rent or cutting back on heating – even though their families have barely had a Christmas to celebrate.

'So many families are feeling the pinch and there's no shame in asking for help, which is why Shelter is here 365 days a year. Getting advice early can make all the difference, and we're only ever a click or a call away at shelter.org.uk/get_help or on 0808 800 4444.'

Case study: Michelle from Cambridge and her family have had the threat of eviction hanging over them since husband Kevin became self-employed in his job as a builder.

'Even though my husband works as many hours as he can, it's constantly hand to mouth. We cut back on everything to pay the rent – including food. When the children are at school the heating isn't on at all, and over Christmas we had to cut back on presents and clothing.  

'I try to hide it as much as I can from my youngest children but they know they can't ask for treats, and not to let anyone they don't know into the house in case the bailiffs come round. I hate living like that. I recently went to the doctor because the stress of it all has made my asthma worse.

'When I rang Shelter my adviser was really supportive and I felt for the first time, there might be light at the end of the tunnel. I found out that there are things you can do to stay in your home.'

Notes to editors:

Shelter helpline adviser Danielle Goodwin's top 5 tips on dealing with rent and mortgage debt:

1. Ask for help early: If you are struggling to pay your housing costs, talk to an expert adviser as soon as possible who can take you through your options and advise on your next steps. Visit www.shelter.org.uk/get_help or call Shelter's free helpline on 0808 800 4444.

2. Focus on housing costs first: Make sure paying your mortgage or rent is the priority. The most important thing is to keep your home, even if you are getting demands from credit card and payday loan companies.

3. Act now on mortgage arrears: Contact your lender as soon as possible if you are behind on the mortgage. They have to try to help you.

4. Get help with rent arrears: Miss two rent payments and you could be at risk of eviction. See if you can claim housing benefit to help pay the rent.

5. Respond to letters and phone calls. It's natural to want to keep your head down and hope it'll sort itself out but it's important to read everything your mortgage lender, landlord or letting agent sends to you. Keep records of every letter and phone call.

Notes to Editors

  • Shelter has been helping people fight bad housing and homelessness for 50 years. For free and independent advice from Shelter visit shelter.org.uk/get_help or call the helpline on 0808 800 4444

  • YouGov plc conducted an online survey with a representative and weighted sample of 4,527 GB adults. Fieldwork was conducted 16th-18th November 2015. Unless otherwise stated, all results presented are from parents with children aged 0-18 years old and live in England, of which there are 853.

  • 27% of parents said they have already cut back on either using energy to heat their home or buying winter clothing to help meet their rent or mortgage payments this winter. Using the 2014 ONS mid-year population statistics, we have estimated that this is the equivalent of 2.66 million parents in England.

  • 10% of parents said they are worried about being able to afford to pay their rent or mortgage in January 2016.

  • 15% of parents said they have already cut back on buying food for Christmas or have used savings meant to be for Christmas presents to help meet their rent or mortgage payments this winter.

  • Between November 2014 and October 2015, approximately 14,500 people either called the Shelter helpline or visited one of our face-to-face services in England for advice on rent and mortgage arrears

  • Between November 2014 and October 2015, approximately 94,800 people visited the Shelter website for advice on rent and mortgage arrears