Edinburgh needs affordable housing for students and other residents, not expensive, exploitative student developments that are a drain on our communities. Since 2010, developers have built over 14,000 student development units. Developers are cashing in, while students and residents are being pushed aside and priced out of their neighbourhoods.
Why we don’t need more purpose-built student developments:
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Valuable land is being used for private profit instead of community housing
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Local needs are not being met: Thousands are waiting for homes or in temporary accommodation
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They do not pay business rates, so none of the profits go back into the community to support local housing or community services
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They are too expensive for most students (an average of £1200/month for a room)
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They are exempt from most tenancy laws, leading to extortionate rents, poor upkeep, badly built units, and no tenant rights for students
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They target international students who can't get UK guarantors; they are often made to pay 6-11 months upfront, and then students are trapped in a fixed term lease
We are calling on the Edinburgh Council to amend the current City Plan 2030 and adapt stricter requirements into the City Plan 2040, which is currently under development.
Our Demands to the Council:
- Enact stricter affordable housing requirements in student developments to reduce their impact on local rents, displacement, student homelessness
- Convert underused existing developments into social housing or student co-operatives
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Gather data on occupancy rates of student developments and the impacts on the community to determine need
By signing, you give Living Rent permission to submit a formal response to the City Plan2040: Call for Ideas consultation on your behalf. You will receive an email when that happens, but you do not need to take any further action.
