Renters in Epsom and Ewell are priced out
Priced out. At Citizens Advice Epsom & Ewell we see the daily reality of housing crisis.
Victoria Wan
Last month we focused on the financial and emotional distress caused by mould and disrepair. Our latest research confirms what we hear from clients: an affordable home is becoming harder to find in our community.
Stark reality
Our analysis of the local rental market in the first half of 2025 reveals a staggering situation:
- Only 1.4% of advertised private rentals were affordable for those relying on Local Housing Allowance (LHA).
- Not a single 1, 2, or 3-bedroom property was advertised at or below the LHA rate.
Frozen
In March 2020, the government froze the LHA, the rate that determines how much support private renters can receive. The benefit should ideally enable renters to afford at least the cheapest 30% of properties in their area. Rates rose briefly in April 2024 but with rents at record levels they are no longer linked to real-world costs.
A benefit no longer
Figure: Average shortfall per month between the 30th percentile of advertised rents and LHA, Epsom and Ewell, Jan–Jun 2025
Consider a couple over 25 on Universal Credit. With the 30th percentile of one-bedroom rent in Epsom and Ewell at £1,337 per month and the LHA rate stuck at £947 per month, they must make up an average shortfall of £390 per month. Gaps like this risk drivinge more people into poverty and homelessness.
What must change
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation warns that 80,000 people in the UK will be pushed into “very deep” poverty if the freeze remains [1]. This is unsustainable and demands immediate government action to:
- Unfreeze LHA: Maintain the link between LHA and at least the 30th percentile of current local market rents. Support must reflect reality.
- Invest in new social housing: Institute for Public Policy Research modelling estimates that moving families on benefits into social housing would not only reduce poverty, but also save the government £3 billion per year in housing benefit and the cost of temporary accommodation [2].
If you are struggling with rent, debt or your benefits, please contact us. You are not alone.
[1] Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Stop the freeze: permanently re-link housing benefits to private rents.
[2] Institute for Public Policy Research. The homes that children deserve: Housing policy to support families.