Racial inequality ‘hard-wired into housing system’ as UK rent soars

One in six black and minority ethnic renters has seen an increase in their rent in the past month

31 per cent of black and minority ethnic renters have seen an increase in their rent of more than £100 a month (PA)

Racial inequality is “hard-wired into our housing system”, a charity CEO has warned as new research revealed black and minority ethnic (BAME) renters are more affected by rising rent prices.

A YouGov poll of 2,000 individuals conducted on behalf of the housing charity Shelter and shared with The i newspaper showed that one in six BAME private renters has seen an increase in their rent in the past month.

Within this group, 31 per cent have seen an increase of more than £100 a month, compared to 24 per cent of private renting adults and 21 per cent of white renters.

Amid the cost of living crisis, nearly 39 per cent of BAME renters in England are spending at least half of their monthly income on rent, compared to 32 per cent of all private renting adults, and 28 per cent of white renters.

Almost 32 per cent of BAME renters are behind on their rent or constantly struggling to pay their rent, compared to 28 per cent of private renting adults or 29 per cent of white renters.

“Racial inequality and discrimination are hard-wired into our housing system,” Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter told The i.

“The housing emergency disproportionately impacts people of colour, who are less likely to have a safe and secure home and more likely to become homeless.”

She cited one reason for this is due to the fact that “inequality gaps mean people of colour tend to be on lower incomes”, leaving them “more exposed to extortionate private rents and benefit squeezes”.

She added that racially marginalised groups are also more likely to “face direct discrimination and be refused a rental because of racist housing policies and housing benefit prejudice”.

The findings come just as the Runnymede Trust – the UK’s race quality think tank – published analysis showing that BAME people in the UK are more than twice as likely as white people to experience “deep poverty”, making them more exposed to the cost of living crisis.

Halima Begum, the chief executive of the Runnymede Trust, said: “We talk about this cost of living crisis in universal terms. No one is immune from the consequences.

“However, what’s clear from this research is that some groups are less equal and more impacted than others, including our black and minority communities.”