Tackling housing debt and eviction: enhancing occupier engagement through improved communication and advice

Every year tens of thousands of households face the threat of losing their home due to rent or mortgage arrears. The impact this can have on the health and wellbeing of those involved, particularly children, can be significant (Nettleton and Burrows 2001; MIND 2011) not least for the reason that 'home' is often associated with security, safety, community and wellbeing (Fox O'Mahony 2007). Despite this, little is known about the experience of occupiers of the arrears process. What we do know is that a significant number of them do not participate in the arrears and possession process or do so only when it is too late to save their home (see, for example, Bright and Whitehouse 2014; Brookes and Hunter 2016; Whitehouse, Bright and Dhami 2019).

In an effort to understand the reasons for this, this project sought to capture the views and experiences of those with lived experience of housing debt and the threat of home loss. Based on these views, this project offers evidence-based proposals designed to improve engagement in the arrears and possessions process. Given the heightening of the pre-existing 'landscape of precariousness' (Forrest 1999) by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the cost of living crisis, an exploration of ways to improve engagement and reduce evictions seems both important and timely.