More people paying rent with credit cards, says Shelter

More than two million people have paid their rent using a credit card in the last year, research from Shelter reveals.

A YouGov poll conducted in August 2010 found six percent of 2,200 respondents had fallen back on a credit card to pay for housing, compared with four percent in November 2009.

The charity is urging individuals who have done so to seek advice about how to manage what they owe, noting that it only takes an increase in rent or a bout of illness to start off an unmanageable spiral of debt.

Shelter Chief Executive Campbell Robb said that for many people, it is a "daily struggle" to keep a roof over their heads.

"This is a totally unsustainable situation and one which we fear could see thousands more families pushed into debt, eviction or repossession and ultimately homelessness," Mr Robb stated.

Shelter advises people in debt to make their rent or mortgage payments their top priority, while also looking to reduce the cost of bills and get a credit report.

Source: cafonline.org