Access to private rented housing for those on benefits is getting harder, with fewer properties available within housing benefit limits. Monitoring of the Rightmove website has identified that during the 3 month period from April to June 2015 only 1 3-bedroom home advertised in Brighton & Hove was within benefit limits. Many households are having to move out of the city along the coast to less expensive areas.[1]
High housing costs in the private sector ensure that social housing remains in high demand with more than 22,000 households on the housing register, with nearly 1,500 households in the highest categories of need. The most common reasons for being on the housing register were a medical priority and overcrowding.
An analysis of households on the housing register highlights that over the last three years there has been 57% increase in the number of households needing to move into three bed homes and 107% increase of households needing to move into four bed or larger homes.
[1] Brighton & Hove Local Housing Allowance Comparison Report: http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/housing/general-housing/housing-market-reports