Older private renters on the lowest incomes are now spending 48 percent of their income on housing costs, according to Independent Age, which says the figures strengthen the case for ministers to lift the freeze on Local Housing Allowance.
The charity’s response follows newly published government-backed English Housing Survey age cohort figures showing that older private renters pay more than 35 percent of income on housing costs on average, well above the affordability line commonly used in housing policy debates.
For landlords, the immediate issue is not just tenant hardship. When benefit support falls further behind rents, arrears risk rises, affordability tests tighten and pressure grows for stronger market intervention.
Local Housing Allowance gap widens for older renters
Independent Age said the figures show rent is now taking an unsustainable share of income for many older households in the private rented sector. It said the gap is particularly severe for lower-income renters, who are spending close to half their income on housing costs.
The charity is urging the government to uprate Local Housing Allowance so it again covers at least the cheapest 30 percent of the market. It said rates have now been frozen for two years while average rents have risen by 10.5 percent.
That argument matters to landlords because the longer support rates stay detached from actual market rents, the more difficult it becomes to let affordably to older tenants who rely on housing support. In practice, that can mean higher arrears risk, tougher affordability decisions and more pressure on landlords to absorb part of the gap.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s earlier coverage of the housing allowance freeze debate, which highlighted how benefit policy is increasingly shaping rental affordability. The latest age-based figures sharpen that picture by showing how exposed older renters have become as support rates lag behind rent growth.
Affordability pressure feeds through to landlords
The latest figures also land in a market already adjusting to post-Renters’ Rights Act rules, with landlords expected to rely more heavily on clean affordability checks and early intervention where tenants struggle. A widening support gap makes that harder, not easier.
There is also a policy risk here. If more older renters are priced into hardship, the political response may not stop at calls for a benefit uplift. Landlords could also face renewed arguments for tighter rent restrictions or broader affordability duties.
Landlords should therefore treat the data as more than a social policy story. It is a warning that a growing slice of the tenant base may be carrying too much rent burden, especially where rents have moved faster than benefit support. That sits alongside Landlord Knowledge’s recent reporting on renter complaints under the new regime, which showed how cost pressure and service expectations are becoming harder to separate. Independent Age’s response to the English Housing Survey figures argues that ministers should now lift the freeze on Local Housing Allowance.
For landlords with older tenants, the near-term question is whether current rents remain sustainable if incomes or support do not improve. Waiting for arrears to prove the point would be the expensive way to find out.
What this means for landlords
- If you let to older tenants: review affordability and payment patterns before small shortfalls become arrears cases.
- If tenants rely on support: check how far current rents sit above Local Housing Allowance in your area.
- Watch for: more pressure on ministers to lift LHA rates or intervene further on rental affordability.
- Bottom line: when support stays frozen and rents keep rising, arrears risk does not stay static.
Editor’s view
This is the sort of data landlords should read early, not after arrears start building. A frozen support system does not just hurt tenants – it stores up problems for anyone letting into the lower-income end of the market.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 26 May 2026
Sources: Independent Age
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