Six per cent of people have used credit cards to pay off their mortgage or rent in the last year, a survey by Shelter's ROOF magazine has revealed.
Just over seven per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds have done so over the last year.
"Ordinary people are being forced to seek more risky and expensive ways to stave off the threat of eviction and repossession," said Shelter chief executive Adam Sampson.
He added that the problem was getting worse as the cost of housing continues to rise. Increased interest rates, the recent credit crunch and unaffordable housing mean more people are running into financial difficulty.
Director of Community Advice, Heather Keates says lenders are not solely to blame. She says people who make the minimum payments on their cards would not show up as a bad risk on credit checks, even if they are stretching their finances to the max.
Total credit card debt reached £53.4 billion at the end of August 2006, according to CreditAction.
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