Nexus has recently completed research for the national housing charity Threshold and ALONE, finding that a quarter of older renters expect to remain in the private rental sector for life, as they felt no other accommodation options were available to them. The research was carried out with older renters, and linked to an analysis of Residential Tenant Board datasets.

Older people told us about the extremely high levels of vulnerabilities that they were facing. A key finding highlighted that 42% of these participants experience high stress levels in the private rental sector associated with the insecurity of their accommodation, explaining that this stress was impacting all aspects of their lives. The substantial cost of renting in the private rental sector was also referenced, with over half of interviewees in receipt of a Housing Assistance Payment. While this was essential to their capacity to afford accommodation, some experienced a shortfall in the HAP payment covering the cost of their rent. Interviewees from NGOs working within the sector echoed these conclusions.