Paul’s session at RIEN’s annual conference in October 2023 presented the emerging findings from this study and received a great deal of interest. This is a follow up session now that the full survey findings are available. A must for everyone interested in and working tenancy sustainability.

The survey was undertaken as part of the ongoing, Nuffield Foundation funded, ‘Holding on to home: tenancy sustainment in social housing’ study, which is being carried out by a team at Sheffield Hallam University. The study aims to identify the causes of rent arrears and financial stress. It includes exploring the behaviours of both landlords and tenants and provides evidence on tenancy sustainment and offers good practice guidance for social housing landlords.

This session will cover the full findings and includes:

• Tenants’ financial circumstances and how difficult they are finding it to ‘get-by’
• The impact of the cost-of-living crisis, rents arrears and how difficult tenants are finding it to pay their rent
• The drivers of rent arrears and difficulty paying rent
• Landlord/ tenant communications.

It will highlight key learning for landlords.

10.30 Understanding the drivers of rent arrears and the financial challenges facing social housing tenants

• This session will highlight the key findings of a tenant survey undertaken as part of the ‘Holding on to home’ study. It will also highlight key tenancy sustainment learning for social housing landlords. 

11.20 Questions and discussion

12.00 Close

Paul Hickman, Professor of Housing and Social Policy, Sheffield Hallam University

Paul is Professor of Housing and Social Policy at Sheffield Hallam University. Over the last thirty years he has conducted research on a range of subjects including: tenant participation in the social and private rented sectors; the impact of welfare reforms, including Universal Credit, on both landlords and tenants; Housing Benefit; and the lived experiences of poverty. He has a particular interest in tenancy sustainment in social housing and has led a number of studies in this area. These include the on-going ‘Holding on to home’ study for the Nuffield Foundation. The study pays particular attention to identifying the causes of rent arrears, as this is the main reason why tenancies fail. By exploring the behaviours and experiences of tenants and landlords, the research will provide evidence and guidance which, it is hoped, will help landlords to develop and improve their approaches to tenancy sustainment.

The study team is multi-disciplinary involving researchers with backgrounds in housing, social policy, economics, and psychology. The research is mixed-methods, comprising: a tenant survey; in-depth interviews with tenants and ‘stakeholders’; a tenant diary-keeping exercise; conversation analysis of landlord/ tenant communications; documentary/ secondary data analysis; and, rent account analysis. Data collection is taking place in four case study landlords in England: East Riding of Yorkshire Council; Stockport Homes; Southern Housing; and, whg (Walsall Housing Group). More information about the ‘Holding on to home’ study can be found at: https://holdingontohome.org/

Dr Kesia Reeve, Principal Research Fellow in Housing, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR), Sheffield Hallam University

Dr Kesia Reeve is a Principal Research Fellow in Housing at the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University. During Kesia’s 25 years as a housing researcher she has managed and delivered 50+ housing research and evaluation projects funded by: national governments and government departments; national charities; local authorities; public sector health bodies; and housing associations. This extensive body of research has generated more than 100 outputs for a wide range of audiences.  Her research interests focus on aspects of housing deprivation and exclusion including in the social and private rented sectors, and in relation to homelessness. Much of Kesia’s research is policy-oriented, designed to inform housing policy and practice.

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