Nearly 4 million families in the UK are one pay cheque away from becoming unable to afford their rent or mortgage, research suggests.
According to a report in Inside Housing:
An investigation by homelessness charity Shelter, which surveyed 7,500 rent and mortgage payers, found 44 per cent of those questioned – the equivalent of 3.8 million British families – were one month’s paid salary away from being unable to pay their rent or mortgage if they lost their job because they have little or no savings to fall back on.
Shelter said families were living on a ‘knife edge’.
The findings were based on a YouGov survey carried out at the end of March.
A total of 29 per cent of those surveyed (the equivalent of 2.4 million families) would not be able to pay their next rent or mortgage payment if they lost their job and did not get alternative employment immediately.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: ‘No matter how hard ordinary families work, in today’s ‘knife-edge nation’ any drop in income can all too quickly put their home at serious risk. If you lose your job, finding another one is hard enough, but without a stable place to live it’s almost impossible.
‘The government must make sure the safety net is strong enough to stop families falling through the gaps, and going through the tragedy of losing their homes.’