An estimated one million families have resorted to using credit cards to pay their mortgage or rent during the past year, research has shown.
Around 6% of households said they had used their plastic in order to keep up with their housing costs during the past 12 months, according to housing charity Shelter.
People in working class professions were most likely to have resorted to using debt to cover their mortgage or rent at 8%, but 4% of those at the other end of the income scale also admitted they had been forced to use their credit card in this way.
Kay Boycott, director of policy and campaigns at Shelter, said: "This is a shocking discovery, that over a million households in Britain are in such desperate circumstances that they need to borrow money on credit cards to pay for basic housing costs.
"If people are already struggling to the extent that they fear losing their home, increasing credit card debt cannot be the answer."
The group warned that many of the people who had resorted to using their credit card to cover their housing costs could find themselves facing homelessness this year, particularly as defaulting on their credit card repayments could lead to their property being repossessed in the worst case scenario.
It urged people who were struggling to keep up with their housing costs to seek advice urgently.
Ms Boycott said: "Shelter has a network of advice services across the country who are ready to give free advice on a range of subjects including debt and housing issues so we would urge anyone struggling to get in touch ... The sooner they seek help, the more options are available."
