Housing issues trap people in cycle of problems

Housing, debt and the cost-of-living are three main issues in 2024, according to one charity in the South East of England.

Citizens Advice Colchester is currently seeing a surge in Section 21 notices being handed out to tenants in their local area. These ‘no fault evictions’ mean landlords can end a person’s tenancy without a reason.

The Essex charity says this causes a multitude of issues, which often trap people in a cycle of despair.

Kerry Hackett, Energy Advisor at Citizens Advice Colchester, said:

“We’re seeing three main key themes in Colchester at the moment – issues relating to housing, debt and the cost of living.

“Housing is a national issue. Landlords have their own valid reasons for ending people’s tenancies – we’re hearing a lot anecdotally about landlords wanting to sell their properties, for example. But it does mean that someone can be a perfect tenant, but then have to move on.

“And because of the cost-of-living crisis, a lot of people are in debt. When tenants have to move on, they haven’t been in the market for a new property in a few years and are now priced out. They sign up for social or local authority housing and often have to be placed in B&Bs and hotels, which places a lot of strain on councils. Then there are the court costs that those evicted may have to pay, which increases the amounts of people’s debts even further.

“When moving out, or having to pay debts, people often have to sell white goods and furniture and then buy new appliances when they find somewhere new. It’s either selling and then buying or spending a significant amount for storage. It’s a spiral that people can’t get out of – and from an energy point of view, it’s just adding to people’s problems.”

The Colchester branch is part of a network of charities that make up Citizens Advice Essex, which supports more than 48,000 people each year and contributed more than £100m in public value over the last year.

In the last three months alone, the Colchester branch has supported more than 120 people through its British Gas Energy Trust funded work.

One of those people was Harry* – a single man living in a council property with no access to the internet. With him only being in receipt of Employment Support Allowance, in fuel crisis and with a broken washing machine that he was unable to replace, Harry was struggling to cope financially. By working with the Citizens Advice team in Colchester, he was able to get a new washing machine and obtain fuel vouchers to heat his home.

Looking specifically at energy issues, Kerry added:

“Energy costs have been high for the last couple of years now. Although we’re now seeing energy prices reduce, we’re in the summer so people won’t be using as much energy. We’re not currently dealing with a lot of energy issues, but it’ll be very different in a few months’ time.”

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*name changed to protect identity