Renters more likely to struggle in coronavirus crisis than homeowners, says study

Private renters are more likely to have fallen behind with housing costs in the coronavirus crisis than those with a mortgage, a report reveals today,

One in eight private renters has struggled to pay for their accommodation compared with one in 12 mortgaged home owners, said the Resolution Foundation.

The gap highlights how the pandemic has deepened Britain’s chronic housing divide, the think tank says.

One-in-five private renters has been furloughed or lost their job since the crisis began, compared with around one-in-seven mortgaged home owners.

The report is based on a YouGov survey of 6,005 UK adults aged 18 to 65 and supported by the Health Foundation.

Resolution Foundation policy analyst Lindsay Judge said: “Britain already had a huge housing divide before coronavirus struck, and the current economic crisis has only widened that gap.

“People living in private rented accommodation have found it harder to meet their housing costs than homeowners in recent months, and harder to negotiate reductions in those costs.”

Polly Neate, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said: "It's pretty clear-cut from these numbers that private renters, who live in the least secure homes, are some of the hardest hit by Covid-19.

"This mirrors what we're hearing on the ground – our emergency helpline is inundated with calls from distressed renters who've lost their jobs and are terrified of losing their homes."