Jackie describes how she lives in fear of her rent going up as she already faces a massive shortfall making it necessary to live frugally
Jackie is 73 and rents her home from a private landlord, but the benefits she receives to cover her housing costs are outstripped by the rent she pays.
She is calling for the ongoing freeze on Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to be lifted in the upcoming Budget, after experiencing difficulties making ends meet.
Jackie, who only wants to give her first name as she does not want to cause issues with her landlord, privately rents a one-bedroom ground-floor flat on the Isle of Wight.
However, she struggles financially as her rent is £625 a month – but her housing benefit is £474 a month, meaning she has to make up the shortfall of £151 from her state pension and pension credit.
The mother-of-two suffers from health issues, making it necessary for her to live in a ground-floor flat or bungalow.
But she lives in fear of the landlord raising the rent, as she says, in the Isle of Wight, it is difficult to find housing because there are so many holiday lets.
“I suffer from arthritis and have problems with my back and have had two knee replacements in my left knee and one in my right knee,” she said.
LHA rates – the amount you can receive in your area in housing benefit – are currently frozen and will remain at the April 2025 levels until at least April 2026.
This freeze means the maximum amount of housing support for private renters is not keeping pace with rising rents, leading to a growing gap between what people receive and their actual housing costs.
LHA rates were increased in April 2024 after a four-year freeze, but were frozen again in April 2025 for at least the next year.
Campaigners are urging the Government to uprate LHA in this month’s Budget.
Jackie told The i Paper that the Government is out of touch with the reality of trying to survive on so little money and the sacrifices needed to plug the shortfall in rent.
She used to work for Royal Mail in a warehouse, but does not have a private pension, so only has her state pension and pension credit to manage on – and she says once £151 of this has been swallowed up plugging the gap in her rent, it does not leave much apart from covering the basics such as food and bills.
She said: “I can’t afford to buy new clothes, so I just make do with what I have got. If I do need anything, I buy it from charity shops.
“I was forced to cut down on socialising after I had my knee replacement as the only way I could get anywhere to see people was by taking taxis, but that was too expensive. But now I can get around a bit more, so I take the bus.
“I have really noticed the price of food going up and I try to make things from scratch so I can make meals go further.
Jackie finds herself having to make constant cutbacks as she has very little left to live on after paying the shortfall in her rent (Photo: coldsnowstorm/Getty)
“The Government doesn’t know what it is like for people like me as they aren’t living like that themselves and probably haven’t got relatives who are in that position.”
With the ferry to the mainland being expensive, Jackie says it makes it financially difficult for her to see her daughter, who lives in Dorset.
She has been on the waiting list for somewhere to live in Dorset for over a year, but says she is far down the list as she is not a priority as she has somewhere to live.
Older people’s charity Independent Age is campaigning for the UK Government to lift the freeze on housing benefit. Their analysis reveals that two-thirds of older renters who receive housing benefits experience a shortfall compared to the actual cost of their rent, leaving them to fill the gap from their often low incomes.
For many, this means cutting back to dangerous levels. Independent Age says an adequate level of LHA is important to ensure older people facing financial hardship have secure and affordable homes.
Joanna Elson, chief executive at the charity, said: “Many older private renters, like Jackie, who are entitled to housing benefit, don’t receive enough to cover their rent.
“This is leading some to make dramatic cutbacks in their personal budgets, including on essentials like heating and food. In fact, Independent Age analysis has shown that two-thirds of older recipients of housing benefit experience a shortfall.
“We are urging the UK Government to commit to uprating LHA – the mechanism that decides how much housing benefit is paid – in the upcoming Budget, and every year in the future.
“The number of older renters is rising, and none of them should have to go without meals, warm water, or live in cold homes in order to pay their rent.
“Renters of all ages deserve security, and uprating LHA could help with this.”
A Government spokesperson said: “We’re tackling the impact of rising rents and the housing shortage with our commitment to build 1.5 million homes – including the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation.
“Supporting pensioners is a top priority and our commitment to the triple lock means millions will see their yearly state cension rise by £1,900 this parliament, and our efforts to boost Pension Credit take up mean that over 57,000 extra pensioner households were awarded the benefit, which can be worth around £4,300 a year.”