NEWS PRODUCTION: Pre-Production [Key statistics on private renters in England Source: Shelter]

http://media.shelter.org.uk/press_releases/articles/housing_is_top_three_issue_for_renters_as_over_half_say_they_are_struggling

Key statistics on private renters in England:

1. There are 4.5 million households renting privately in England, over a third of them are families with children.

2. 53% of private renters say they are either struggling to pay or falling behind on their rent. On average private renters spend 41% of their gross income on rent, far higher than most homeowners spend on their mortgages.  

3. Private renters are highly motivated by housing, it is a top three issue for them – whereas the general public as a whole ranked housing as seventh on their list of key issues.

4. During the last election, 40% of private renters took what was said about renting/ housing into account when deciding who to vote for.

5. The proportion of registered private renters who turned out to vote increased from 51% in 2015 general election to 65% in the 2017 snap election – a jump greater than any other tenure.

6. Private renters had one of the biggest vote swings in 2017 towards Labour – up from a lead of 11 points to a lead of 23 points, which was felt in key English marginals. This made private renters a more influential voting group than in previous elections.