A couple have been forced to sell their wedding rings to pay their bills following claims that one in 10 people in the North West fear they will be unable to pay their rent or mortgage this month.
Caroline Berens and her husband have struggled to pay for their rent each month and often worry how they will be able to afford the coming months.
The news comes after a Salford woman was forced to choose between heating her home and eating as the Bedroom Tax hit.
And it seems that there are thousands of others in a similar predicament as Shelter, a homeless charity, have revealed that many people have begun the new year feeling overwhelmed with money troubles.
The research, conducted on 4,000 British adults, also revealed that 39% are expecting to fall behind with their mortgage this year with families bearing the biggest money burdens.
Sharing the sentiment, Mrs Berens said: “I go clammy just thinking about the bills.
“I do anything I can to avoid opening the post as I’m scared it will be another overdue bill. We do all we can to make ends meet – we’ve even sold our wedding rings and my mother-in-law has helped us with the rent – but we’re really worried about keeping our home in the coming months.”
Another worried resident, who remained anonymous, arrived home to her rented flat to find the locks had been changed.
She hadn’t realised that a court hearing had even taken place because she hadn’t felt able to open her post after falling into arrears with her rent.
Liz Clare, a helpline adviser at Shelter, said: “We’re now seeing a stream of cases of families who’ve been unable to cope with mounting rent or mortgage bills and feel at breaking point.
“We all know how difficult it can be to face up to financial problems and we often hear from people who’ve been avoiding urgent post, but the reality is that not confronting it means things can spiral out of control.”
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, added: “It’s a worrying sign of the times that so many of us are starting the New Year worried about how they’ll pay their rent or mortgage in 2014. Unless they get help, some of the families struggling now could face the very real prospect of losing their home this year.
“Despite recent discussion of an economic recovery, we know that a combination of high housing costs, wage freezes, and rising food and energy bills has created a nightmare scenario for many families that’s pushing them to breaking point.”
For advice and top tips to avoid rent or mortgage arrears visit shelter.org.uk/advice.
Image courtesy of images_of_money via Flickr, with thanks.
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