Scotland is in the grip of a rental crisis. As our investigation highlights concerning levels of evictions, we hear from one housing association about its early intervention programme, while experts till us that change is possible…if there’s the political will.
When we arrive at Megan’s small two-bed house in Cumbernauld she’s already peering out of the window and she waves. Until recently she wouldn’t have done that. She owed about £1,800 in rent arrears and, living in fear she would be evicted, kept the curtains shut tight.
“You end up scared to even open the door,” she says. “I didn’t want anyone to know I was in the house. It sounds crazy but you feel unsafe with that hanging over you. You wake up in the morning and just worry about money constantly. And meanwhile the debt rises and the anxiety spirals.”
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