Rent isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s time to end the freeze

LHA should cover the cheapest 30% of rented homes in the local area, but, as well as being stuck at the same level since 2024, it’s been frozen for eight out of the last 15 years.

At Independent Age, we’ve commissioned research that shows that, currently, inadequate levels of LHA are pulling over 37,000 older private renters into poverty. The UK government’s choice to keep housing benefit frozen means that many tenants in later life are faced with undignified choices to keep a roof over their head.

“We’re calling on the UK government to commit to uprating Local Housing Allowance every year”

One man we provided advice to told us he was living on a “shoestring” and forced to continue working past state pension age in a very physically demanding job. This was despite receiving housing benefit, because it did not adequately cover his rent.

According to our figures, he’s far from alone in being forced into very difficult choices. Our new data shows that, for this already stretched group, inadequate housing benefit is putting major, devastating strain on their budgets.

And the UK government’s figures show us that financial hardship is a major issue for older private renters, with over a third (34%) of older private renters receiving housing benefit now in poverty, a rise from 27% the previous year.

This cannot be right.

That’s why we’re calling on the UK government to commit to uprating Local Housing Allowance every year, so it stays in line with at least the cost of renting the cheapest 30% of properties in the local area.

The Renters’ Rights Act, the first phase of which will be implemented at the start of next month, will go a long way in improving the current inequality between renters and landlords, and giving tenants more security. 

“More than 15,000 people aged 65 and over faced homelessness in England in the last year”

However, affordability is largely unaddressed in this new legislation. It’s important that, as the UK government remedies some dysfunctional elements of the current system, it doesn’t allow other significant issues to widen.

The number of older people facing homelessness in England is at a historic high. More than 15,000 people aged 65 and over faced homelessness in England in the last year (to October 2025). This is a rise of 79% in the last five years, and a major cause of this is high rents.

If things stay the same, renters of all ages will continue to risk homelessness, be forced to make dangerous decisions to save money or have to move to cheaper properties away from their vital support systems.

We are calling on the UK government to do the right thing and commit to uprating housing benefit, so that private renters on a low income are not left in a precarious position. LHA must be uprated so it keeps pace with at least the lowest 30% of the market.

Renters of all ages across the country on a low income shouldn’t spend every month worrying they won’t be able to afford their rent. The UK government has made huge strides in recent years in improving the situation for tenants. Let’s make sure this essential cost isn’t out of reach.

Joanna Elson, chief executive, Independent Age