On Saturday 8th November, members of Living Rent Lochend held a community day at Craigentinny Community Centre to launch their campaign for safer roads in Lochend. Local councillors were in attendance and heard testimonies from locals about their experience with road accidents in the area as well as proposed solutions to prevent further danger to pedestrians and cyclists. Continue reading

Members in Aberdeen successfully negotiated with Winchesters Lettings to stop the imminent eviction of our member Ripley and secured an £800 rent refund!  Aberdeen members Tracy and Tally tell you all about it below... Continue reading

While the West of Scotland Thistle Awards celebrated the local tourism industry, a large queue had formed outside, emulating a sight familiar to many: that of waiting for a bus that will never come. This is how Living Rent branches in Glasgow, alongside Get Glasgow Moving campaigners kickstarted our new campaign to demand upcoming tourism tax revenues are directed to fund publicly owned buses. Dressed as workers and tourists, demonstrators held signs condemning our broken bus network and demanding better from those in power. The 5% visitor levy which will be introduced in 2027 is estimated to raise 16 million per year. As a community union, we have long campaigned to improve living conditions for everyday Glaswegians and know this sum presents a perfect opportunity to invest in quality public services. Instead, the council is planning to use this money to further develop tourism in our region. Funding tourism while we struggle to make full use of our city due to unaffordable and unreliable bus networks shows the council is more interested in accommodating tourists than residents. A new report from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) shows less than a fifth of users are satisfied with our bus network (Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy - Final Draft for Approval).  We know there is a different way, with franchising models showing the success of reinvesting back into the network. The Scottish Government holds franchising powers from June 2025, but there is little indication of when this could become a reality in Glasgow.  With next year's Commonwealth Games happening in Glasgow, our city is set to see a significant increase in visitors who will no doubt be left underwhelmed by Glasgow’s impractical, expensive and slow services. Indeed, franchising would not only benefit Glaswegians, but also tourists trying to get to know our city. As a city, we should be striving to attract tourists because Glasgow is effectively run and well connected, rather than spending money on tourist infrastructure expressly designed for them.  Affordable and reliable transport is at the heart of a liveable city. Buses connect people with their loved ones, places of employment, leisure and commerce. People on low incomes, disabled people and women are more likely to rely on buses to get by. Despite their importance, the quality of buses has declined sharply since they were deregulated in the 1980s and 1990s. In Glasgow we have seen how private operators have run buses to reap profits rather than to serve people’s needs. Local communities have had routes cut with more profitable services favoured instead. Every year, the price of tickets reaches a new high, all the while, shareholders are reaping the rewards of privatisation.  Cities across Scotland and the UK have had franchising in place for years, it is absurd that a city the size of Glasgow, is still lagging behind in this regard. We find it logical that the tourist tax should be used to support franchising and improve our buses once for all, four residents and tourists alike. Sign our petition to demand that: The money generated from the tourist tax should help speed up the reintroduction of public buses in the city.  The tourist tax revenue should  be used to fund Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) in the establishment of a publicly- owned bus service (under a franchising model).

After a decade of fighting, Living Rent members have pushed the government to pass rent controls! For a decade, Living Rent members have been taking action, talking to politicians, appearing in the press, knocking on doors, gathering signatures, and growing in numbers to demand rent controls which stop rents from skyrocketing and protect tenants in our homes. Ahead of the vote, we staged our biggest rally yet outside the Scottish Parliament, a massive show of support for rent controls. Last week, MSPs in parliament voted to pass the Housing Bill and with it, rent controls. This bill would not exist without the organised work of Living Rent members. It caps rent increases between tenancies, clamps down on disrepair, and strengthens joint tenancy rights.It is the power of ordinary people standing up for what they believe in, working together, and refusing to give up, that has made this happen.And yet, this victory is still far from the real changes that we need. The rent controls proposed are the bare minimum, and many of us will find ourselves left unprotected. Now as ever, we need to come together to defend ourselves from unfair treatment and put power back in the hands of tenants.The tireless work of unions has improved our lives through increased wages, the right to vote, sick pay, holiday pay and weekends - we aren’t going to stop now.Join the fight for stronger rent controls and continue our fight for rents that we can afford.  

Across Scotland, too many tenants live in homes that are riddled with mould and damp and unfit for human habitation. This report examines the impact on tenants of living with mould and damp in Scotland’s largest social landlord, Glasgow’s Wheatley Homes. Continue reading

Leith Resident Lucas has won a rent reduction of £175 for 6 months - that's a total of £1050 compensation! After living in the flat for only a month, Lucas was unable to shower and use the sinks in the bathroom and kitchen due to a blockage in the plumbing.  This blockage meant water from the kitchen sinks and shower would accumulate in the shower tray and leak onto the downstairs neighbour, leaving Lucas' shower and sink completely unusable. Temporary repairs that failed to address the cause of the leak left Lucas feeling frustrated and powerless - so he got organised with fellow Living Rent members.  Through member defence action, we were able to arrange a meeting with the landlady who was completely unaware of the extent of these issues and that Lucas had been left for so long without access to water. Living Rent getting involved brought to light that poor communication and a lack of meaningful action by the lettings agent DRM Residential meant the landlady responsible for the property couldn't do her job and Lucas faced weeks of undue stress. Through negotiations, we arranged for the repairs to be done, the landlady in addition has replaced the whole shower and sincerely apologised for the issues, agreeing to the full compensation requested by Living Rent, and even gifted homemade gin and artisanal soap. Continue reading