Is your MP aware of the issue of Furniture Poverty? Do they know what can be done about it? Please copy-and-paste the text below, or download our template letter to write to your MP to ask them to help us to End Furniture Poverty.
You can find your MP’s contact details here
[Constituent Name]
[Constituent Address]
[Constituent Email Address]
Dear [Insert MP],
I am writing to you to highlight the issue of furniture poverty and the number of people living without essential furniture, appliances and furnishings, like flooring and window coverings. There are over 6m people in the UK living in furniture poverty, many of whom live in our area.
Living without essential items can have a devastating impact on people’s physical and mental health, and their social and financial wellbeing, which not only affects their lives, but also places pressure on the wider public purse, through increased demand for the NHS, social care, and the provision of emergency and temporary accommodation.
Research shows that, off those in furniture poverty, 51% of social renters reported extreme or very negative impacts on their physical health and 62% reported extreme or very negative impacts on their mental health.
I believe that the social housing sector could offer much-needed support for their tenants through the provision of furnished tenancies. Currently, only 3% of social homes are let as furnished, compared to 29% in the private rental sector. End Furniture Poverty are campaigning for at least 10% of social housing stock to be offered as furnished: providing a secure home for vulnerable people such as domestic abuse survivors and those leaving homelessness.
A furnished tenancy is a full package of furniture provided to tenants, new and existing, as a condition of their tenancy. Existing tenants should be offered Furniture Rental Agreements with as many or few of the essential items that they need. The cost of the furniture is covered through the service charge element of Universal Credit, allowing the landlord to recoup their costs and cover administration, repairs and replacements. Rental services allow tenants to return the items and reduce the service charge should their circumstances change.
I am writing to request that you meet with End Furniture Poverty to discuss this issue further and learn how you can work to offer increased support for those experiencing furniture poverty in our constituency.
Also, I would like to see you work alongside End Furniture Poverty to encourage local social landlords within the area to offer furnished tenancies to their low-income tenants. This could alleviate the worst material deprivation in the constituency and support thousands in achieving a better quality of life.
Your support on this important campaign would be greatly appreciated. To work with End Furniture Poverty please email daniel.peake@endfurniturepoverty.org.
Yours sincerely,
