Wales’ Housing Crisis: an update on the private rental market in Wales

New research illustrates the severe shortage of rental properties for low-income households in Wales

As the cost of living continues to skyrocket, Wales’ most influential think-tank, the Bevan Foundation, has revealed the scale of the challenge faced by low-income households trying to find a home 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 1,775 rental adverts across Wales between the 4th and 7th of May. The key findings of the research are:

• Only 24 properties advertised across Wales were available at LHA rates
• This equates to just 1.4%, down from 2.7% from previous research
• Fifteen local authorities did not have a single property available at LHA rate
• When properties will excessive landlord requirements are discounted, the amount of houses available at LHA rates drops to just 1%

Pages: 11

Format: PDF

Language: English 

Cost: Free

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