Renting: Rising costs and lack of choice forcing families to smaller homes

Thousands more families are renting smaller homes than they were three years ago, according to data seen by the BBC.

Renters over 30 are more likely to move to cheaper areas as the cost of renting has soared and availability squeezed, Dataloft figures also show.

The consultancy suggested making trade-offs to help individuals stay within their budget.

The National Housing Federation suggested more older people faced insecure, expensive tenancies.

The housing associations’ representative body stated that social housing must increase to improve the health and wellbeing of older people.

Downsizing trend

Rents have been rising rapidly, increasing by more than 10% in a year for new tenancies in some areas. Demand is high and the number of available homes has dropped as some landlords sell up.

As well as young, single people finding it hard to start, families and older tenants have been affected.

Dataloft estimates, analyzed by the BBC, suggest almost half of the new tenancies taken on by families earning £30,000 to £70,000 in the first six months of this year were for one or two-bed homes.

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