Borrowed time
More than a million use credit cards to pay housing costs
Plastic the last line of defence against eviction and repossession.
Features
Triumph or disaster?
The right to buy divided opinion from its introduction 30 years ago in December. The Thatcher government’s aim to turn council tenants into property owners was a huge success, argues Peter King
... but what about the losers?
With some 2.5 million homes wiped off the stock of social housing by right to buy, the policy’s knock-on effects cannot be ignored. By Nicola Hughes
Direct pressure
The local housing allowance is nearly always sent directly to tenants – even when they want it paid to their landlord. For vulnerable people, this pressure to manage their finances can be too great. Rob Stares reports
Opinion
How we can save the planet
The Copenhagen summit focused on the impotence of politicians to reach agreement on the scale of action required to save our planet, Jacky Peacock says
Missing the X-factor
The housing industry, by failing to meet the demand for family homes, has a lot to answer for, says Wayne Hemingway
No case to answer
Justice for private sector landlords and tenants hinges on an extension of the housing ombudsman scheme, argues Mike Biles