Workers Claiming Housing Benefit Up 86% As Rents Soar

There has been an 86% increase in workers claiming housing benefit in the last three years as private rents across England soar, according to a new report.  The National Housing Federation’s (NHF) Home Truths report warns that the number of working housing benefit claimants, currently 903,440 of the 5.03 million caseload (as of May 2012), is rising by 10,000 more people every month.  It found the future of the country’s housing market is looking even bleaker forecasting a sharp rise in private rental and house prices from 2015 as a result of the failure to tackle the under-supply of housing. Rents, it warns, have risen by 37% in the last five years and are set to soar a further 35% over the next six years, while house prices – which are predicted to fall modestly into 2013 – are forecast to grow between 5-6% from 2015 to 2017. Download a copy of the report from the NHF website.