Domestic abuse victims with debt blocked from social housing allocations, says CIH report

Survivors of domestic abuse who are in debt face further marginalisation from housing allocation policies, according to a new report from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), King’s College London and Oxford Brookes University.

Due to their financial situation, which is often a result of the abuse they have experienced, survivors are unable to bid for social housing until their debts are cleared.

This has left thousands of families trapped in temporary accommodation, with the latest government figures showing 132,410 households currently without a permanent home, many of which have experienced domestic abuse.

The research revealed that households can be unable to access the housing register over debts as small as £250, while spending on temporary accommodation last year reached £2.8bn.

Stephanie Morphew, CIH policy lead, said: “Debt and the costs associated with fleeing an abusive relationship can, and do, hinder survivors ability to access to safe, permanent housing. Survivors of domestic abuse often face financial insecurity further compounded by economic abuse, the cost of living crisis and navigating the homelessness system.”

The report, titled ‘You can’t bid because you’re in the red’, analysed the allocation policies of local authorities across England and urges providers to reassess their housing-related debt allocation rules given that only 14% of new social lets are allocated to those moving from temporary accommodation.

Authored by KCL professor Katherine Brickell and Oxford Brookes’ Mel Nowicki, the report found that 88% of local authorities have a disqualification policy due to housing-related debt, while 54% have a de-prioritisation policy linked to housing-related debt.

The study also acknowledged that domestic abuse is a gendered crime. According to the latest government data for England and Wales, the victim was female in 72.5% of domestic abuse-related crimes and in 65.4% of domestic homicides in year to March 2024, compared with 12.3% of non-domestic homicides.

Nowicki said: “We know that economic coercion and control is a major component of domestic abuse, often leading to rent arrears and other forms of housing-related debt. And yet, across England, many allocation policies are in effect barring domestic abuse survivors from accessing social housing because of these debts.”

The CIH’s recommendations also included implementing prevention strategies, clearing arrears, and introducing flexible funding schemes.