Sacrificing Meals and Belongings to Pay the Rent: What New Research Reveals About the Price of a Home

What would you give up to keep a roof over your head? For a striking number of British renters, the answer is meals, possessions and even their health. New research from The Salvation Army has found that nearly four in five renters made what the charity calls 'painful sacrifices' over the past year — going without food or selling belongings — simply to cover their household bills. It is a stark reminder that for many, renting is no longer just expensive; it has become a struggle to stay afloat.

The charity's report, titled 'Holding on at All Costs', puts a figure on what it actually takes to run a home in 2026: roughly £22,000 a year. That total covers more than rent alone. It includes utilities, council tax and the digital essentials that modern life demands, such as a phone and internet connection. The calculation also accounts for less frequent but unavoidable costs, like replacing furniture and white goods — the kind of expense that can tip an already stretched budget into crisis.

The findings come from a YouGov survey of 1,100 renters across Great Britain, carried out online between 20th and 26th May 2026 and weighted to be representative of all adult renters. The picture they paint is of the estimated 16.5 million adults who rent facing relentless pressure. And that pressure is not purely financial. Nearly one in three renters — 29% — said the strain of their situation over the last twelve months had taken a toll on their mental health.

Behind the statistics are stories that The Salvation Army sees daily through its community churches. Lt. Colonel Nick Coke, the charity's Territorial Co-ordinator for Justice and Reconciliation, described a grieving widow forced to sell furniture to buy food, a working mother living with her children in a single room, and a father who ended up rough sleeping with his 18-year-old son because he could no longer afford rent. These are not edge cases, the charity argues, but the visible end of a much wider problem of financial insecurity.

Lt. Colonel Coke's central argument is that these problems feed into one another. Debt, unemployment, poor health and homelessness are interconnected, building up harm that policy designed in silos fails to address. The Salvation Army intends to press that point directly, sharing its report with the Government ahead of the Autumn Budget. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to do everything possible to tackle the cost of living, and the charity is clearly aiming to hold him to that promise.

So what does this mean if you are one of the millions renting today? First, know that the squeeze you feel is not a personal failing — the numbers show it is widespread and structural. Budgeting for a tenancy means thinking beyond the monthly rent: factor in council tax, energy, and connectivity costs, and build in a buffer for the irregular expenses like appliance replacements that the report highlights. If you are already cutting back on essentials, organisations such as The Salvation Army and your local council may be able to offer support before a shortfall becomes a debt or worse.

For landlords, too, there is a lesson. Tenants pushed to their financial limits are tenants at risk of arrears and instability, so realistic rents and early, honest conversations about payment difficulties serve both sides. And for the market as a whole, the report sets a clear benchmark: with the annual cost of a home now estimated at £22,000, policymakers preparing the Autumn Budget face mounting evidence that keeping renters housed — healthy and dignified — requires joined-up action, not isolated fixes.