Eviction resisted in Shawlands
On Saturday 6th July, over 50 members across our Living Rent Southside branches made their way to Martin & Co’s offices to demand a halt to the proposed eviction of two of our members and their 14 year old child.
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Living Rent and Misneachd write open letter to Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes
Today, Living Rent and Misneachd wrote to deputy First Minister Kate Forbes asking voice her commitment to Scotland-wide rent controls to ensure that rents in the Highlands and Islands are affordable and do not force Gaelic speaking communities out of the places they call home.
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Solidarity with the victims of Grenfell
Today, seven years on, we remember the Grenfell Tower fire, in which at least 72 people lost their lives.
Once again we express our solidarity with the bereaved, survivors and wider community of the Grenfell Tower in their ongoing search for justice.
Their fight is a fight that concerns every single one of us.
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Our response to parliament's consultation on the Housing Bill
Throughout April until 17 May, Scottish Parliament surveyed tenants and landlords on their views on rent controls to scrutinise the bill. The evidence gathered from their survey will support or undermine the legislation. As a result, we organised a petition and asked people to support our response to the consultation.
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Scrap Student Flats, Leith Deserves Better!
Scrap student flats, Leith deserves better!
On the 10th of May, Living Rent Leith hosted a public meeting on the PBSA (Purpose Built Student Accommodation) development at Dalton Scrapyard in Duncan Place Community Hub with councilors, MSPs and local participating. Councilors Susan Rae, Katrina Faccenda, and Jack Caldwell attended as did local MSP Ben Macpherson. During the event we held open discussions regarding the Dalton Scrapyard development, the experiences of students renting in PBSA, the need for social housing and the effects PBSA has on local infrastructure and services.
The townhall public meeting was an important milestone in the campaigning for a better alternative than PBSA on the Dalton site. The event was not only an opportunity to hold politicians accountable, but also to encourage an environment where the local community has a say in its own development. The voice of the people should never be ignored, especially on matters directly affecting them!The event ended with all four elected officials backing our demands which were;
Opposing the development of PBSA on Dalton Scrapyard
A cap on the number of PBSAs built in Leith.
A mandatory contribution to infrastructure from developers relative to the size of the development.
A quota of 35% social housing quota for every development.
The public meeting was well attended, particular with non-members which was especially important as it meant that they had the opportunity to speak up on issues that matter to them. Together, we can put the power back into the hands of our communities and fight for a better Leith!
DOUBLE UNION WIN for members in Leith and Gorgie!
Leith Members Stuart and Rory and Violette and Fatima from Fountainbridge, just WON a total £5300 of rent rebates in negotiation with DJ Alexander!
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Pushed to the edge: Living Rent publishes findings from renters survey
Today we published the results from our renters survey where we asked tenants about their concerns regarding the end of emergency protections (April 2024) as well as their past experiences of eviction, rent increases, disrepair and barriers to renting.
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The Scottish government finally published the Housing Bill! Here are our thoughts.
Yesterday, the Scottish Government published the long awaited Housing (Scotland) Bill this week!
Whilst there is much to be done to improve, it is a Bill that landlords are raging over, which is testament to the Bill’s radical potential. And let’s be clear, without us pushing and fighting for this over the last 10 years, rent controls would not be on the table. As ever, there’s more to fight for, but here are our thoughts on the bill and what needs to be done to improve it.
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Fountainbridge Members win full deposit return!
Members were able to WIN the full deposit return of £275 for Sia.
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The problem with rent adjudication
In two weeks, on 1 April, the Scottish Government will end the 3% rent cap which supported tenants through the worst cost of living in a generation. They will replace it with an arcane system (‘rent adjudication’) which fails to address many of the problems of the previous system and promises little stability or protection.
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