Nearly half of councils in England face shortfalls in affordable housing as a result of government welfare reforms, a spending watchdog has warned.
 
The National Audit Office said increasing housing allowances in line with inflation rather than local rents could lead to "significant problems".
 
It also suggested nearly 90% of claimants know little or nothing about housing benefit cuts.
 
The government said it was "restoring fairness" to the system.
Under plans first announced in 2010, about two million households will see state support for housing cut, with a small number facing big reductions.
 
There will be a cap on rents and overall benefits while under-35s will only be able to claim the cost of shared accommodation.
 
The National Audit Office (NAO) highlighted potential issues with a number of the reforms, saying the government had "little firm evidence" about the likely impact on claimants' behaviour or the costs of introducing the changes.



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