# Analysis shows housing support rises do not boost costs after PM warned of ‘chasing rents’

By David Fell — 2026-08-11

David Fell, lead analyst at Hamptons, said: “Over at least the last decade, the private rented sector has increasingly picked up the slack left behind by the lack of new council houses.

“This means there is a growing number of people renting privately today who would have likely lived in a council house 20 or 30 years ago.

“Private rents tend to be higher than council or affordable rents, meaning Local Housing Allowance rates don’t tend to go as far.

“So on top of this, freezing Local Housing Allowance rates as private rents have risen has made it even harder for many to find somewhere to live.

“With the same number of privately rented homes as 10 years ago, it means that landlords have a growing choice over who they rent to.

“Tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit also haven’t been helped by some of the changes introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act, most notably the ban on paying rent in advance.

“Historically, paying a chunk of rent upfront was often way for tenants on lower incomes to appeal to landlords, and compete with those on higher incomes.”

Canonical: https://experts.pressassociation.com/expert/105/views/92d14c18dd455a17