A 71-year-old man from Cornwall has spoken out about his living conditions as part of a national charity’s efforts to highlight the hardships faced by the growing number of older people who are renting privately.   

Peter Fox, who has lived near Penzance since the 1980s, told older people’s charity Independent Age how he has struggled to manage.  

He said: “I went to art school, so didn’t qualify for many jobs. I did cleaning and picture framing and never earned a lot of money – which meant I never got on the housing ladder. The big problem now is that I have to use 60 per cent of my pension to pay my rent. 

“It’s only a tiny bungalow and it’s falling to bits. The bedroom is just seven-foot square, so you can’t turn around in it, and there are cracked windows. There’s a very tiny kitchen, with no room for a cooker or a washing machine. It’s appalling, really. I want to get out of the renting sector because I’m fed up with it. 

“Now I’ve only got 40 per cent of my pension to live on when I’ve worked all my life. It just cannot be fair.” 

Peter is not alone. A recent Independent Age report on Hidden Renters found that almost one in six (15%) older renters have less than £100 of disposable income to spend each month after paying rent, leaving little to cover food and bills. 

One quarter (25%) of older private renters experience long-term poverty, and more than one in five private      renters aged 65 or over in England feel uncomfortable raising concerns with their landlord.

Joanna Elson CBE, chief executive at Independent Age, said: “An affordable and secure home is critical to a good life, and it’s all too easy to assume that this is a guarantee for those in later life. But the truth is that many older people, like Peter, have been left with no option but to use the private rented sector. 

“They are an often unseen and rarely considered group. Many live on a low income, constantly concerned about where their next meal is coming from or how they’ll pay their bills. 

“The government’s promised Renters Reform Bill offers a rare opportunity to ensure everyone in later life regardless of circumstance has a safe and secure place to live. It is vital that the government acts to end no fault evictions, tackle discrimination against older people on benefits, and raise the standards of homes in the private rented sector.” 

Independent Age is a national charity for older people in financial hardship. Peter’s story was originally shared as part of the launch of their renewed focus earlier this year across the key themes of income, costs, housing and community.