Great Yarmouth has seen a surge of older private renters who are being priced out of their homes, a new report has found.
Across the UK, the town on the Norfolk coast had the eighth largest increase in such renters between 2011 and 2021.
The figures show that the number of older private rental sector households per 1,000 older households in the borough climbed from 47 to 62 over those ten years.
The report, by Independent Age, a charity supporting people in financial hardship in later life, says that high costs are forcing older renters out of homes and communities.
READ MORE: Targeted support needed for older people among ethnic minorities, says charity
Coastal and rural areas have seen the biggest surge in the number of older private renters while much of inner London has seen an exodus.
Three of the areas with the biggest increase in older private renters are in the top five most deprived areas in the country.
The charity says that the housing crisis is forcing older renters living on low incomes out of their homes and the communities they may have lived most of their lives in, into less familiar areas that are typically deprived.
They say there is an increased concentration of older renters in areas of deprivation and that there is "growing income inequality" among those in later life between those who rent and those who own their home outright.
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Older private renters are almost three times more likely to be in poverty than those who own their home mortgage free, they say.
Joanna Elson CBE, chief executive of Independent Age, said: “Moving is a stressful experience for many, but for older private renters on a low income, being forced to move out of their community because of the cost is hellish.
"The physical difficulties of packing up belongings, and the fact that there are less suitable available properties for those with long term conditions or access needs – for example needing a wheelchair accessible property – can make the process of moving incredibly distressing," she added.
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