The number of housing association tenants evicted from their homes rose 10% in 2012 to 6,750 households, compared with 2011.

The figure, which comes from research conducted by housing association umbrella organisation Aedes, includes around 950 families.

Around 75% of the evictions were the result of rent arrears. The rest came from fraud, such as sub-letting, from households causing a public nuisance or growing marijuana.

Aedes questioned half of the country’s 400 plus housing associations, of which three-quarters said they expect the number of households with rent arrears of more than three months to rise this year, leading to a further increase in evictions.

The associations say they take measures to prevent eviction, such as contacting tenants with one or two months in rent arrears. Three-quarters of them say they visit the tenants, half of them offer to wipe out some of the debt and one in five sends in a budget coach.