A so-called 'middle-class' family from Perth has become the latest casualty of Scotland's escalating rental crisis, facing the grim prospect of homelessness after their landlord decided to sell their home.
Emma Mulholland, a senior administrator, and her partner Scott, a self-employed tradesman, are caught in a perfect storm of soaring rents, fierce competition, and a severe shortage of available properties. Their story is a stark warning for countless families across the UK struggling with the cost of living.
A Heart-Wrenching Search for Stability
With three children and a dog, the family's requirements are specific, yet reasonable. They need a three-bedroom home with a garden, a fundamental need for any growing family. However, their search has been met with disappointment and despair.
'We are looking at properties that are £300-£400 more than what we pay now,' Emma revealed, highlighting the brutal inflation in the local rental market. Their current rent of £750 per month now seems like a distant memory as comparable properties now command over £1,100.
The Human Cost of a Broken Market
The emotional toll is immense. The family has already faced the rejection of having an offer accepted on a house, only for it to be cruelly snatched away and given to someone else. This instability threatens not just their finances but their children's sense of security and well-being.
Their situation dismantles the outdated notion that housing insecurity only affects those on the lowest incomes. 'We are a working family, we both work full-time, and we still can't secure a home,' Emma stated, a sentiment echoing across the country.
A Systemic Failure in Housing
This case in Perth is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a wider national failure. A chronic lack of affordable housing, combined with rising interest rates prompting landlords to sell, has created an unprecedented squeeze on the rental sector.
Families who were once secure are now finding themselves priced out, stuck in bidding wars, and facing the terrifying uncertainty of where they will live next month. The dream of a stable family home is rapidly fading for many.
The Mulholland family's fight for a basic roof over their heads is a powerful indictment of the current housing market and a urgent call for action from policymakers.
