ONE in four Scots is so worried about covering the cost of their housing that they fear they’ll have to default on a mortgage or rent payment, according to a new poll.
Shelter, who commissioned the poll, said hundreds of thousands of Scots were living on a “knife edge”.
The poll, carried out by YouGov, found that 28 per cent of adults in Scotland who pay rent or a mortgage said they were worried about not being able to pay for their rent or mortgage at some point during 2016.
That figure jumped to more than a third for 25-34 year olds.
Adam Lang, from Shelter Scotland, said it was “a worrying sign of the times”. Shelter, he said, had seen a jump in the number of calls to the organisation. In 2014, they took 21,284 calls, up from 19,906 in 2013.
He said: “Every day, we hear from people who are living on a knife edge, feeling overwhelmed by mounting rent or mortgage bills, as the increasing pressure of sky-high housing costs continues to take its toll.”
“We understand it is all too easy to bury your head in the sand, hoping the problem will go away. But if you’re in this situation, it’s so important to remember you’re not alone and that help is at hand. Advice from Shelter Scotland is only a click or a phone call away.”
Separate research for the charity showed that five per cent of people in Scotland had to use savings meant for Christmas presents to pay their rent/ mortgage and 10 per cent were forced to cut back on buying food for Christmas. Scottish Labour are expected to announce a new housing policy today. In a speech to party activists in Edinburgh, leader Kezia Dugdale will say young people in Scotland have “left behind by austerity” which has made the prospect of owning a house unrealistic.
She is expected to say: “For too many young couples in Scotland today, buying a house isn’t a realistic prospect. A lot of young people are stuck in a cycle from which there appears to be no escape.
“They decide to rent a flat to save for a deposit to buy a house, but the rent is too high so they can’t save much for that deposit, which means they continue to pay the high rent for years to come. Lots of young people now live at home with their parents well into their thirties, as it’s the only realistic prospect of ever being able to save for a house.
“The price of austerity has been that aspiration has stalled for a whole generation.”
The National will have full coverage and reaction to that speech in tomorrow’s paper.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here