Housing More, better and affordable homes – our time at TAI 2024
NewsApril 19th, 2024
New research highlights the severe shortage of rental properties for low-income households in Wales
Wales is facing a housing crisis. There is a shortage of properties that people in Wales can purchase or rent at affordable prices. This shortage leaves many low-income households in an impossible position with some forced to move into a property that is unaffordable, risking financial hardship, some forced into poor quality accommodation, whilst others are forced to seek assistance from local authority homelessness services. These challenges are especially pronounced for low-income households living in the private rental sector.
New research by the Bevan Foundation has found a severe shortage of properties available at Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates. The LHA determines how much assistance a low-income household living in the private rental sector can receive towards their rent through the benefits system, and has been frozen since 2020. Data was collected from 2,638 rental adverts across Wales between February 3 and 17. The key findings of the research are:
- Only 32 properties advertised across Wales were available at LHA rates
- This equates to just 1.2% of the market
- 16 local authorities did not have a single property available at LHA rates
In addition to providing an update on the latest market data this briefing also calls on the UK Government to uplift LHA at the upcoming spring budget.
Pages: 8
Format: PDF
Language: English
Cost: Free
