Tenants Paying High Rents Cut Back On Food and Heating

The high cost of private rents is forcing some tenants to cut back on heating and food, according to a poll, underlining the pressure rising housing costs are putting on household finances. A survey of 1,000 tenants commissioned by the campaign group Generation Rent found two in five had reduced their energy bills, while a third have skimped on food to cut costs. The group, which is calling for reforms, including a national register of landlords and more affordable privately rented homes, said that the number of people facing problems is rising as the number of tenants grows. The most recent official survey of housing found that private renting had overtaken social renting – via housing associations and councils – to become the second most popular form of tenure in England. Read more on the Guardian website.