The Department of Work and Pensions Secretary has confirmed that housing benefit rates will remain frozen for a second year in a row in 2026/27.
This will affect almost 1.7m private rented households across the country in receipt of housing cost support.
Government data has previously shown that, as of August this year, 53% of this group had a gap between their housing benefit payment and their monthly rents. This is set to rise as a result of higher taxes leading to higher rents.
Just last week the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that the ongoing freezing on housing benefit rates was widening disparities for low-income renters. An unprecedented coalition of 40 organisations representing landlords, tenants, homeless charities, advice services and local authorities have also called for housing benefit rates to be unfrozen.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, has campaigned for the un-freezing of the allowance. He says that in addition to the latest income tax rise for landlords, the government has failed to use the Budget to help the rental sector.
“It beggars belief that the Government thinks it is helping renters. Piling on further tax rises that will drive up rents, whilst keeping housing benefit rates frozen, is a one-way street to hitting low-income tenants the hardest.
“This can only be described as a deeply regressive package that will make life more difficult for renters across the country.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today