Not a single property advertised for rent in the South Hams over the past year was affordable to someone relying on housing benefit, according to new research.

The South Hams has been named among just ten local authority areas in Great Britain where not a single newly advertised rental property was affordable to people receiving housing benefit.

Research by homelessness charity Crisis, using data from property website Zoopla, examined more than 817,000 one-, two- and three-bedroom properties advertised between April 2025 and March 2026.

It found that none of the properties listed in the South Hams during that period was affordable to someone receiving Local Housing Allowance (LHA), the housing benefit used to help people on low incomes meet private rental costs.

The district was joined by nine other areas, including Brentwood, Dartford, Merthyr Tydfil, Ribble Valley and Wrexham.

A further 141 local authorities had just 1% or fewer newly advertised properties considered affordable, while in 217 areas the figure was 2% or less.

The findings come as private rents in South Hams continue to rise, with Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showing the average monthly rent reached £1,014 in September 2026.

That represents a 3% increase on the same month last year, when the average stood at £985 - but the difference between rental costs and housing support is particularly stark.

For 2026/27, the monthly LHA rate for a one-bedroom property in the South Devon rental area is £505, rising to £675 for two bedrooms and £840 for three bedrooms.

By comparison, ONS figures put average South Hams rents at £738 for a one-bedroom property, £922 for two bedrooms and £1,141 for three bedrooms.

LHA is intended to cover the cheapest third of private rents. However, Crisis says there is not a single local authority across England, Wales and Scotland where at least a third of newly advertised properties meet that affordability threshold.

The charity argues that successive governments have allowed housing support to fall behind rental costs through cuts and prolonged freezes, with rates most recently frozen in 2024.

It is now calling on the Government to increase LHA so that it reflects the actual cost of renting, arguing that doing so would help prevent people from becoming homeless rather than leaving them struggling to find somewhere they can afford.

Matt Downie, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “A lack of genuinely affordable homes, rising rents and living costs mean that thousands of people are waiting for the security of a settled home.

“What we’re facing isn’t inevitable. It’s the result of a system that isn’t working properly – and it’s within our power to change it. Preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place, by uprating housing benefit to cover the cheapest third of rents, is key.”

The charity’s findings form part of its Home Can’t Wait campaign, which calls for greater access to genuinely affordable housing.