Money and Mental Health Policy Institute research on falling behind with rent

30/05/2018

We know that experiencing a mental health problem can make it harder for residents to deal with housing costs. That’s why recently, together with several other housing providers, we commissioned Money and Mental Health to do some research into the link between mental health and falling behind on rent.

The research looks into why people experencing mental health difficulties are more likely to fall behind on paying their rent and it explores what the consequences are when people do fall behind. Money and Mental Health have focussed on how social landlords currently respond to residents who find themselves in this situation and they've produced a checklist of recommendations for social landlords to help them better support residents.

When talking about the link that the research has made between mental health and money problems, our Assistant Director of Care and Support, Katri Wilson, said that some people don’t know about the extent to which many people experience mental health difficulties, which can often cause a breakdown in communication between residents and housing providers if residents feel overwhelmed by the way landlords are trying to contact them, so ‘it’s good that it’s been highlighted’ in the report.

We have long understood that experiencing mental health problems can make managing money really difficult for some people, which is why we make sure our Assessment Team and Financial Support Team understand mental health and are trained to offer support and advice on money troubles to residents experiencing mental health problems.

We’re pleased to have been able to support this research on such an important topic and we encourage you to find out more by reading the full report and the best practice checklist for social landlords, on the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute website.