Over 149,000 renting households were put at risk of eviction in the last year – equivalent to approximately one renter every 90 seconds, according to homeless charity Shelter.
The charity is warning that rapidly rising rents, drastic cuts to housing benefit and the chronic lack of genuinely affordable homes will leave thousands of families battling to keep a roof over their heads this Christmas.
The figures also show that as many as 99,000 renters in England have been evicted by county court bailiffs in the last year.
Enfield in London is the area where renters are most likely to face losing their home, with as many as one in every 21 rented homes at risk of eviction. This is followed by Barking and Dagenham (one in 22) and Redbridge (one in 27).
Across the country, areas including as Peterborough, where one in 32 rented homes are at risk, Luton (one in 32) and Rochdale (one in 36) also made it into the country’s top twenty-five eviction hotspots.
Alison Mohammed, Shelter’s director of services, said: “It’s shocking to think that every couple of minutes someone receives a notice through the door with the devastating news that they might lose their home.
“We speak to parents every day who are desperately trying to keep a roof over their children’s heads, but with rents soaring and housing support being slashed, many are finding themselves at breaking point. Already, over 100,000 children will wake up homeless and in temporary accommodation this Christmas, and tragically the situation looks set to get worse.
“Our advisers will be working non-stop over the festive period to support families at risk of losing their home – but sadly our helpline is receiving a huge number of calls and our services are straining under the demand.”
Shelter is urgently calling on the public to help by donating to its emergency appeal.
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