Matthew Hilton

Even when I've been told by my solicitor that I can pick up the keys to my new house from the estate agent in Darlington, County Durham, I'm convinced something will go wrong. They will tell me it has all been a mistake. The money never materialised, it was lost, scammed. I have three collies in my car. Their eyes are shining, and I feel so responsible for them. Despite it being April, the rain is torrential, freezing. We cannot be homeless. Not again. Finally, the estate agent runs out to my car and hands me the keys. 'Congratulations!' she says. That's what everyone says when I tell them I have clambered back on to the property ladder. It's a good thing! A rite of passage, like getting married or having a baby. Me? I can barely believe it. I never, ever thought I would own a house again.