Despite social housing rents decreasing in real terms over the past decade, local authorities’ housing arrears have increased by 55 per cent over the last six years, according to Access PaySuite.
For its 2025 Rental Arrears Index, Access PaySuite used Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to find out the number of social housing units owned by a sample of 100 local authorities, the number of those units in arrears and the overall value of arrears.
Based on the FoI responses received by Access PaySuite, local authorities providing social housing are each owed an average of £2.9 million in arrears, up from £1.85 million in 2019. The average number of housing units in arrears (per local authority) has risen by five per cent since 2019. The average arrears per tenant has risen by 35 per cent, from £494 in 2019 to £669 in 2025.
Alex Common, product and engineering director, Access PaySuite, said, “The challenge is to find a balance between supporting vulnerable renters and maintaining the income needed to deliver essential services.
“In our experience, making rent payments easier is one of the fastest ways to boost collection rates and cut costs.”
