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Low paid workers in the UK are spending almost half of their wages a week on rent, and its pushing millions of households on the brink of debt.

Housing charity Shelter said that with private rents reaching "sky high" prices, average full-time workers on low wages are shelling out 44% of their income to live in a typical one-bedroom home.

And those in London are the worst affected, spending 78% of their income on private rent.

‘Rent-burdened Brits’ tend to earn between £16,000 and £23,000 a year and include people working as hairdressers, security guards, factory workers, care home staff and fitness instructors among others, Shelter said.

Its research also found that the vast majority are desperately struggling to keep up with their monthly housing costs, with many borrowing and getting into debt to cover their rent.

Vanessa, a self-employed hairdresser and seamstress from Lewes, Essex, says she's living on a shoestring because so much of her earnings are eaten up by rent each month.

She said: “It’s so demoralising to work every hour you can and see most of it just disappear down the drain every month as soon as rent day comes round.

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“I’ve been working really hard to grow my business but it’s really difficult to put money into it. If I needed to buy expensive equipment, like a new sewing machine, I wouldn’t have the funds so I would have to take out a loan.

“Every month is a struggle – I don’t have any savings and live with a permanent £3,000 overdraft I can’t afford to do very much socially, or any luxuries at all. It’s like a trap really, I have to work hard to pay the rent, I have no choice"

Calls for 'Living Rent' homes for ordinary families

(Image: Getty)

With a general election only days away, the charity is urging the next government to provide a new generation of Living Rent homes for ordinary working families – investing in half a million of these over the next five years.

Anne Baxendale, director of communications, policy and campaigns at Shelter, said: “Colossal amounts of people’s time and money are being snatched away by eye-watering rents, which is a kick in the teeth when they are toiling so hard for their futures.

"With such a huge chunk of their salaries spent on keeping a roof over their heads, many are forced to dip into savings or are getting into debt to cover other essentials and stay afloat.

"The next government can make a real difference by building half a million new living rent homes for ordinary working people and families. This will give them the chance for a far stronger future, instead of being left to scrape by."

The rental crisis - what the parties pledge have pledged

(Image: Getty)

Jeremy Corbyn's 128-page manifesto has proposed an inflation cap on rent rises, making three-year tenancies the norm and implementing new consumer rights for renters.

Labour's document says that these new measures would 'empower tenants to call time on bad landlords', adding that tenants currently spend some £9.6 billion a year on homes that are 'non-decent'.

The party has pledged to introduce new legal minimum standards to ensure properties are 'fit for human habitation’, giving tenants the right to take action if their home is sub-standard.

There are also plans to ban letting agency fees charged to tenants.

Labour adds that if it wins the election, it will reverse 'the cruel decision' to abolish housing benefit for 18 to 21-year-olds.

The Liberal Democrats have a different view entirely. The party has pledged to bring in a new 'rent-to-own' initiative, offering tenants the chance to use rent payments to BUY their own homes.

The rent-to-own scheme would see monthly rents used like a mortgage with working tenants owning their own home over a 30-year period.

The party would use a Housing and Infrastructure Development Bank and housing associations to fund the building of rent to own homes.

Like Labour, the Lib Dems also say they will restore housing benefit for young people.

In Theresa May's Conservative Party manifesto, the prime minister dedicated several pages to the housing market.

In her 12-point plan, she outlined plans to improve protections for those who rent, offer increased security for good tenants and new plans to encourage landlords to offer longer tenancies as standard.

There are also references to 'Build to Let' with a promise to bring the cost of renting down by securing more homes to rent, as well as improving the quality of homes being built to buy and rent.