Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of households at risk of being made homeless over the coming year by landlords who cannot meet their costs at current levels of rent given the increase in interest rates; and what steps they intend to take to protect such households.

No such assessment has been made. The causes of homelessness are complex, and it is driven by a range of factors, both personal and structural.

Government is committed to preventing homelessness where possible. We have announced the allocation of £654 million in funding through the Homelessness Prevention Grant that will be made available to local authorities in 2023/24 and 2024/25. This is in addition to the £50 million top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2022/23 announced earlier in December.

This is on top of the action Government has taken to support households with the cost of living. At Autumn statement, the Chancellor announced further support for 2023/24. This included a 10.1% increase in benefits from April 2023, and extra support provided to all households with the Energy Price Guarantee which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.