from the telegraph
"...According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders an estimated 1.4 million people are due to re-finance their mortgages during 2008 and the first half of next year. They nearly all face a substantial increase in their monthly mortgage payments, with the average increase equating to £200 a month.
On top of this, renters also face soaring costs, with the average rent increasing by 5.9 per cent over the last year, as more and more people are forced off the housing ladder ? increasing the demand for rented property...."
"...The housing crisis has been exacerbated by a lack of supply of new homes. Between 1997 and 2006 only 1.45 million new homes were built in England, but during the same period the number of households rose by 1.7 million, further contributing to the housing shortage.
This is year is expected to see the lowest number of new homes built in a generation as house builders mothball sites, axe workers and struggle to cope with a collapse in demand.
Adam Sampson, Shelter's chief executive, said: "With repossessions soaring, private sector rents rising, millions stuck on the council housing waiting list and thousands more in temporary accommodation, the Government must build more homes, protect people at risk and end the housing divide."