Rise in Scots struggling to pay for home

The number of people in Scotland who are struggling to pay for their home has increased by nearly a third in the last two years, according to a study.

Research by YouGov, on behalf of Shelter Scotland, indicated 12% of a sample size of 600 people said they were currently struggling to pay their rent or mortgage costs.

YouGov suggest the 12% figure is equivalent to nearly 200,000 households.

As many as four in 10 respondents said they would struggle to pay their rent or mortgage if it rose by as little as £50 a month during 2019, while 39% admitted they had at least once borrowed money from a friend, used a credit card or used their savings to pay their rent or mortgage.

Shelter Scotland has warned that ignoring money worries rather than seeking advice could lead to people’s homes being put at risk.

According to the charity, one household every 18 minutes was made homeless in Scotland last year, with nearly 11,000 households forced to live in temporary accommodation – including more than 14,000 children.

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “It’s quite clear that tens of thousands of people are entering 2019 worrying about meeting the costs of their rent or mortgage and that many thousands more would struggle with even a modest rise on those costs.

“A perfect storm of austerity, harsh welfare reforms, stagnant wages, job insecurity and the high cost of housing are making it harder for people to make ends meet.”

Graeme Brown