Edinburgh does not need more Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA). What we need is affordable housing for our students, neighbours, and communities as a whole. We are asking Edinburgh City Council to bin their current plans on building students developments, listen to residents and stop building new student developments. 

Since 2010, developers have added over 14,000+ PBSA units. Yet student homelessness continues to rise, and many of these units sit empty. Even as the number of incoming students falls in Edinburgh, construction continues. Developers are still cashing in, while students and residents are being pushed aside. 

Why this matters:

PBSA displaces residents & students
Valuable land is being used for private profit instead of community housing.

Unaffordable and underused
PBSA is too expensive for most students and often sits empty.

It harms the housing system
Many PBSA properties operate like hotels during festivals such as the Fringe. This pushes up rents, pushes out students, and damages long-term housing stability.

Social housing waitlists keep growing
Thousands are waiting for homes while developers build more student flats that meet no local need.

Local services are under pressure
Too much overdevelopment increases demand on GPs, public transport, and schools. Meanwhile, PBSA’s do not contribute to local council tax, which means they are not supporting the services their tenants rely on. Developers are also exempt from business rates, so they make big profits, whilst giving little back. 

Exploitative rents & poor quality
PBSA are exempt from most tenancy laws, leading to extortionate rents, poor upkeep, and badly built units. They target international students who can't get UK guarantors, often leaving students with no real options. They are often made to pay 6 - 11 months upfront, and then trapped in a lease which is hard to leave.  

Profits don’t stay local
PBSA profits go to developers and global investors, not into the community, local housing, or student services.

We need homes for people, not for profit. Let’s put our community first and remind the council it needs to listen to its residents, and not the developers. The council’s next City Plan is being released in the autumn. Now is the time to act. Sign this petition and say Go Away PBSA !

By signing, you give Living Rent permission to submit a formal response to the City Plan consultation on your behalf. You will receive an email when that happens, but you do not need to take any further action.