Report from housing charity Shelter shows that only 51% of private renters in England say their home has made them feel safe during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

According to YouGov polling carried out for the report, 25% of private renting adults – equivalent to 2.1 million people – say their housing situation made lockdown harder to cope with.

Further findings include that: private tenants are twice as likely to have struggled than tenants in secure social homes (13%); 1.6 million (19%) of adult private renters are constantly struggling with their rent or are already falling behind; 3 million (35%) live in poor conditions, with electrical hazards, pests or damp-related issues in their home; 3.6 million (43%) say they pay too much for the quality of home they have; 2.4 million (29%) say a lack of indoor living space made lockdown harder.

Franz Doerr, CEO at rental payments platform flatfair, commented:

“The most important thing a tenant can do if they are worried about not being able to pay their rent is to let their landlord know straight away.

“Landlords, at the end of the day, are human and more often than not will be willing to work with their tenants to find a solution and, ultimately, avoid court proceedings.

“Sadly, government support for both renters and landlords is being dialled back, so they will now have to take matters into their own hands.

“We would urge struggling landlords and tenants alike to try our Resolve tool — it is completely free and designed to help both parties agree on a reasonable and achievable repayment plan.”