Episode August 28, 2026 42 min 32s

Is Britain headed for a retirement renting crisis?

From This is Money Podcast This is Money

From next year, those in receipt of the full state pension will have to start giving some of it back to the government in income tax.

The Treasury has put in place a ‘waiver’ system for less well-off pensioners – but it has been revealed this week that those who chose to defer their state pension could miss out because of the extra income they receive.

On this week’s podcast, Georgie Frost is joined by This is Money’s Helen Crane and Tanya Jefferies to discuss whether that is fair, and how Britain’s state pension got so complicated.

Staying on the subject of retirement, estimates of how much we have to save for old age usually assume we will own our homes and have paid off the mortgage by the time we quit work.

But for a growing number of people, that isn’t the case – and a new study suggests those who rent during retirement could have to save £419,000 extra to afford it.

With today’s youngsters expecting to get on the ladder later, or perhaps not at all, the problem is only set to worsen. The team discuss this shift and what people can do to prepare.

Despite a greater need for rented homes, the property market is awash with landlords trying to offload flats. Who is going to buy them, and is it an opportunity for first-time buyers?

And finally, from Lidl trainers to pizza menus and even Argos catalogues, we reveal the everyday items that could be tomorrow's collectables.

00:00 – Introduction

01:04 – Why some pensioners could face income tax on the State Pension

05:00 – Who could miss out on the Government’s proposed tax waiver?

09:47 – Should you still defer your State Pension?

14:35 – The looming problem of renting in retirement

19:00 – How much more do renters need to save for retirement?

23:36 – Why are so many landlords selling their flats?

27:28 – Are flats still worth buying?

30:58 – Is buy-to-let becoming a professional investors’ game?

36:08 – Could the junk in your house actually be worth money?

39:56 – Why old Argos catalogues and pizza menus could become collectables