1m families use credit cards to pay rent

As the credit crunch continues to bite, 6% of families resort to using debt to pay their rent

As we enter a new year, thousands across Britain are still being effected by the credit crunch, as new figures reveal that over a million families have resorted to using their credit card to pay their rent or mortgages.

According to the research carried out by housing charity Shelter, six per cent of UK families have used plastic to keep their heads above water when paying household costs in the last 12 months.

‘This is a shocking discovery, that over a million households in Britain are in such desperate circumstances that they need to borrow money on credit cards to pay for basic housing costs,' says Kay Boycott, director of policy and campaigns at Shelter.

Working-class professions were most likely were most likely to use debt to cover their living costs, with eight per cent using credit cards this way.

Still, four per cent of middle-class professionals also admitted they have been forced to meet bills by paying with plastic.

Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said: ‘The fact that one million households are now resorting to credit cards to help pay their mortgages is a damning indictment of this government's lack of real help for hard-pressed families.'

If you, too, have been forced to using credit cards to pay for housing costs, Marie Claire would like to hear form you by posting your experience below.

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