Charity reports rise in arrears

The advice charity said it recorded 87,000 cases in which people were behind on their rent to social landlords in 2013, an increase of 10 per cent compared with 2012.

It blamed welfare reform, below-inflation wage increases and high food costs for the rise in arrears problems.

Twenty per cent of the charity’s clients affected by the bedroom tax from October to December 2013 were in rent arrears, while the number of cases where people were at risk of having their home taken away from them rose by 26 per cent to 10,702.

Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: ‘The shock of recession is fading but the effects of the downturn are still with us. Many people are struggling to manage their housing debts and prevent a stressful situation becoming an outright crisis.

‘The steep rise in arrears, possession orders and help with housing debt suggests thousands cannot make ends meet and need help to keep a roof over their head. An urgent commitment to sorting out our woefully inadequate stock of affordable housing would help the supply of homes start to catch up with demand.’