The weekend newspapers' personal finance pages have been awash with stories of borrowers rushing to secure long-term fixed rate mortgages before historically cheap loans disappear. They've had rather less to say about the equivalent bill for social tenants, who face the prospect of the highest rent rise in almost a decade thanks to the Consumer Price Index reaching 3.1% in September.

While the media may have a blind spot when it comes to low-income households, it doesn't detract from the difficult times ahead.