Professor Lisa Whitehouse, Professor of Property Law, Policy and Practice, and Dr Tracey Varnava, Research Fellow at Southampton Law School, drew on the experiences of those in debt and brought them together with key stakeholders in the housing possession process, to make recommendations to potentially prevent some households from losing their homes.
The research findings have already been presented to senior policymakers and MPs at a roundtable at Westminster and are being shared by independent charitable foundation abrdn Financial Fairness Trust who funded the report.
A potentially growing issue
Every year tens of thousands of households face the threat of losing their home due to rent or mortgage arrears. This has become even more prevalent with the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
The impact this can have on the health and wellbeing of those involved, particularly children, can be significant as home is often associated with security, safety, community and wellbeing.
Despite this, little is known about the experience of occupiers of the arrears process, apart from the fact that a significant number do not participate in the arrears and repossession process or only do so when it is too late to save their home.
The Southampton research, led by Lisa, has gathered first-hand accounts from those with experience of rent or mortgage arrears. By putting this together with the views of key stakeholders in the housing possession process, the research has enabled the co-production of proposals to improve access to housing and debt advice and support.
Improving engagement and reducing evictions
The research is improving the lives of people in housing debt and under threat of eviction by identifying ways to improve meaningful communication between them and their housing provider.
It is also developing methods to raise awareness where people can access advice and support to help reduce the likelihood of court proceedings and eviction.
Lisa and Tracey carried out in-depth case studies in Southampton, Birmingham and Glasgow, to capture the views of people with lived experience of housing debt and the threat of home loss, to better understand the extent to which they can access sources of help and advice. They also explored how they experience debt management systems and processes.
The opinions of those involved in the debt management process were also gathered to understand how they attempt to communicate with and respond to those in debt.
It is vital that the voice of occupiers is put at the centre of proposals to improve the arrears and possession process and prevent the likelihood of people losing their homes. These voices need to be heard by those able to change things for the better.
Future impact
The report produced proposals to improve engagement in the arrears and repossessions process. These include improving communication to encourage earlier engagement and attendance at court, addressing data and information deficits, ensuring fair communal service charges for social tenants and reforming the Universal Credit system.
Lisa said: “There are a lot of reasons why people don’t engage in the arrears and eviction process, but we have identified that communication and advice services could be improved to achieve earlier intervention and engagement that is critical for some people to stop the cycle of debt and anxiety.”
The team will be working with providers, particularly social housing providers to try and put these recommendations into place.
abrdn Financial Fairness Trust funds research, policy work and campaigning activities to tackle financial problems and improve living standards for people on low-to-middle incomes in the UK.
Listen to Generation Rent interview with Professor Lisa Whitehouse
