One in three people could not pay their rent or mortgage for more than a month if they lost their job, research released by Shelter has revealed.
The YouGov research found that 35% (equivalent to 8.6m people) of those surveyed could not pay their rent or mortgage from their savings for more than a month whilst 18% (equivalent to 4.4m people) would not be able to pay their rent or mortgage at all.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: “These figures paint an alarming picture of a nation where the buffer between having a home and potentially becoming homeless is a single paycheque.
“Millions are living on the edge of a crisis, only secure in their homes for a matter of weeks. At the same time support for people who have lost their homes is being stripped away - it’s easy to see why every 15 minutes another family in England finds themselves homeless.”
The research also reveals families with children are in the most precarious situation. Of those surveyed 43% could not pay for their home for more than a month and nearly a quarter (23%) could not meet their payments at all.
In total 3.9m British families may be just one pay cheque away from losing their family home.
