Renters sacrifice food and heating to afford rent, survey shows

Renters sacrifice food and heating to afford rent, survey shows

0:02 AM, 23rd January 2024, About 3 months ago 4

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Tenants are cutting back on necessities such as food and heating to pay their rent, a survey shows.

Despite rents rising at a lower rate than inflation, Quotezone.co.uk says that 26% of tenants have switched off their heating to save money for their rent, while 15% have skipped meals for the same reason.

Another 7% have turned off electrical appliances to reduce their energy bills.

The survey also found that more than half of renters (53%) feel stressed about how to afford their rent and other household expenses, and more than a third (37%) say their mental health has suffered as a result.

‘Tenants in the UK are going without essentials’

Greg Wilson, founder and chief executive of Quotezone, said: “It’s shocking to see that over a quarter of tenants in the UK are going without essentials such as food and heating in order to pay their rent.

“As the colder months approach, it is a dangerous situation for many renters to be in.”

He added: “With the results of this survey showing that many Brits are making serious sacrifices, it is unsurprising to find that over half of tenants feel stressed when trying to find the money to pay for their rent and household bills – with over a third of tenants saying their mental health is affected by concerns over renting.”

Highest annual rent increase since records began

The survey comes after the Office for National Statistics data showed that private rents rose by 5.7% in the year to September 2023, the highest annual rent increase since records began in 2006.

Now the site is urging landlords to be sympathetic and flexible with their tenants, and to offer reasonable and negotiable rent increases.

Mr Wilson added: “Nearly a third of those surveyed, 28%, also said they were surprised by additional costs when renting – with items such as maintenance costs and agency fees amongst the top responses.”


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Comments

John MacAlevey

9:33 AM, 23rd January 2024, About 3 months ago

This chap is an insurance agent..

https://www.quotezone.co.uk/about-quotezone

His website shows..

`About Quotezone.co.uk
Launched in 2005, Quotezone.co.uk has grown to become one of the UK’s leading price comparison platforms.`

I think he`s jumped onto the wrong bandwagon..

Martin Roberts

9:58 AM, 23rd January 2024, About 3 months ago

Not unique to renters, many paying a mortgage are struggling.

NewYorkie

17:03 PM, 23rd January 2024, About 3 months ago

Turn off the heating and you end up with condensation and mould! Landlord's fault!

Lisa008

9:54 AM, 27th January 2024, About 3 months ago

Food and heating has gone up too. Everything is going up. Interest rates, cost of materials, petrol, fuel... Next time I pop into Tesco, I'm going to ask them to be "sympathetic and flexible" with me, their customer, and to offer reasonable and negotiable food price increases. I'm sure Mr Sainsburys and Miss Aldi will drop their prices... I mean they can afford it after all, right? Greedy supermarkets! And don't start me off on e-on / british gas / n-power etc., !!

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