With rents on the rise across the UK, home ownership becoming an ever more distant dream as mortgage rates soar and the cost of living crisis stretching our bank balances further and further, it’s a seriously stressful time to be a tenant right now – and according to a new report, there’s a link between housing insecurity and poor mental health.

The new study from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation thinktank, titled Anxiety Nation, found that people with money problems (such as low incomes, little or no savings or employment insecurity) were significantly more likely to suffer from symptoms associated with anxiety, including sleep problems, lacking happiness, feeling worthless and being unable to make decisions.

Private renters were at least twice as likely as homeowners to report 10 out of the 12 symptoms measured (the gap was smaller for two of the symptoms – lacking energy and lacking calm – but still noticeable), leading the Foundation to describe the private rental sector, which has doubled in size since 2000, as “one of the greatest engines of insecurity in our time”. 

“Too many people are caught up in a vicious cycle in which mental distress impedes confidence, leading to problems at work, which can, in turn, lead to issues with debt, housing and even relationships, leading to still more worry,” said Joseph Rowntree Foundation fellow Tom Clark, who co-authored the study.

“The government needs to wake up to the reality of the twin problems of insecurity and anxiety, which are doing great harm to both national economic welfare and individual wellbeing,” he added.

Rents have been steadily creeping upwards in recent months, with properties in seriously high demand: anecdotes of prospective renters turning up to flat viewings and being told they’re the 45th person to see the property that morning, of bidding wars for rental properties and of landlords informing tenants of drastic rent hikes when they want to renew their contracts are becoming increasingly frequent.

“In October, the average rate for a new tenancy in the UK was £1,171 a month according to HomeLet’s Rental Index,” says Laura Howard, personal finance expert at Forbes Advisor. “This is 1% up on the previous month and 10.6% higher than October last year – that’s more than the current annual inflation rate.

“Rents are rising even faster in London where new tenants last month forked out an average £1,989 [per month], 2.3% more compared to just the previous month.”

“Rising mortgage rates and fears that they could climb higher still, combined with less attractive tax breaks has prompted many landlords to throw in the towel and sell up,” she adds. “This has caused a lack of supply of decent rental property which, in turn, is intensifying competition among prospective renters – and pushing up prices.” 

“And of course, the regular household bills such as energy, council tax and broadband, which are also rising, are piled on top of this cost, setting up a very difficult winter ahead for the nation’s renters.”

So, why are the implications for renters’ mental health so stark? A secure home, notes psychologist Wendy Dignan, is a basic human need. “Our home really is our castle psychologically and emotionally,” she notes. “And if our homes don’t feel secure and safe… it really attacks our profound sense of safety at the deepest level, psychologically and emotionally.” In order to feel that sense of security, Dignan says: “We need a level of control… rather than the fact that it might be precarious and that the rent might be pulled out of our reach, or we might be given two months notice to quit and have to find somewhere [else].”

When we don’t feel secure, Dignan says, we often end up filtering everything that backs up feeling unsafe and rejecting anything that’s positive and doesn’t back up feeling unsafe. This can create a negative feedback loop, resulting in “low mood, anxiety, poor self-care, sleeping problems” and encouraging negative coping mechanisms (from over-reliance on alcohol to over-eating) which can “have impacts on work, friends [and] health,” she says. 

Worrying, she notes, and that includes concerns about rent increases or housing insecurity, is a form of “future forecasting”, and while the rental landscape is unlikely to shift significantly any time soon without some major structural changes, there are some tactics that you can use to tackle your anxieties in the moment.

“A way to get out of [the spiral of worry] is to bring your mind back to the here and now,” she explains. “The best thing to do is get a piece of paper and write down all the worries, then actually rate them and think about how realistic they are,” as some of them might be “really negative and out of proportion. And that helps the worry to stop being a worry and start to be more about reality.”

Your landlord can’t increase your rent during the fixed term of your contract unless there is a rent review clause that allows this, which will explain when and how any increases can be made. As well as making sure you’re aware of your rights, Smriti Joshi, lead psychologist at mental health app Wysa, says: “It’s important to know what support is out there, and you can try local charities, Citizens Advice and your council.

“Talk about your concerns, spend time keeping active… spend time with friends and family… and focus on small wins each day, rather than getting overwhelmed by the big picture,” she adds. 

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with their mental health or emotional wellbeing, you can find support and resources on the mental health charity Mind’s website and NHS Every Mind Matters or access the NHS’ guide to local mental health helplines and organisations here.

If you are struggling, you can also ask your GP for a referral to NHS Talking Therapies, or you can self-refer.

You can also call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org for confidential support.

Images: Getty