Many people are using credit to cover rent; new survey shows how common it is and what that means

# What the survey measured and who it covered A 2026 survey of 2,000 U.S. adults who each had at least $10,000 in unsecured debt was conducted by Atomik Research for Accredited Debt Relief. Respondents answered questions about how they covered essential expenses in the past year and how debt affected their household choices.

# Main findings One key result: 33% of those surveyed said they used a credit card or borrowed money to pay rent or other housing costs in the last 12 months. Housing is not the only basic expense being put on credit. The survey also found that 66% used credit for groceries, 47% for gas or transportation, and 45% for utilities.

# How people end up charging rent

# How debt is changing household priorities Survey respondents reported concrete trade-offs tied to debt payments. To make debt payments in the past year, 45% cut back on groceries or household essentials, 25% skipped or delayed a utility payment, and 16% skipped or delayed rent or mortgage. Nearly half (49%) said their debt payments leave them living paycheck to paycheck, and 31% said they were making only minimum payments without seeing the balance move down.

This reverses the usual budget expectation that housing is the expense paid before others. The difference is that many households are still protecting housing payments, but they are doing so by shifting the source of funds to credit.

# Financial mechanics that matter

• Cash advances: They allow immediate access to funds but start accruing interest immediately and usually at higher rates than ordinary purchases.
• Recurrence and scale: Because rent repeats monthly and is a large line item, borrowing to cover it produces faster balance growth and higher cumulative interest costs than financing one-off purchases.

# What the data suggests for households The survey indicates many households with existing unsecured debt do not have enough income or liquidity to cover basic costs without borrowing. Charging essential bills shifts the timing of payment but also increases total cost. For households already carrying large unsecured balances, adding financed housing creates a compounding pressure: higher debt service, constrained cash flow, and fewer options for building savings.

# Practical implications to watch

• Expect higher long-term housing costs when rent is repeatedly paid with cards or cash advances.
• Watch how payment platforms' fees and cash-advance terms affect your effective interest rate and balance trajectory.
• If debt payments are forcing cuts to essentials or causing minimum-only payments, the household's financial flexibility is limited, which raises the risk of missed bills or worsening balances.

This story was produced by Accredited Debt Relief and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.