More than 2 million families forced to choose between power bills and rent

Key points

• Around 2.3 million Australian households have missed or delayed at least one bill in the past year to cover rent or a mortgage, according to Finder research. Electricity and gas bills were the most common payments put off, with 8 per cent of people saying they had delayed one.
• Finder money expert Richard Whitten said other bills can easily slip when housing costs take a large share of the budget.
• Separate REA data shows the national median advertised rent reached $675 a week in September, up 5.5 per cent over the year.