Today, we delivered an open letter calling for Dundee City Council to commit to implementing rent controls when the Housing Bill comes into law.   Read our letter in full below:   Dear Councillors,   We, the undersigned, are writing to urge you to prioritise the needs of renters in your constituencies and commit to introducing rent controls after the Housing Bill has passed through Parliament.  Dundee has the fastest increasing rents in Scotland. Over the past decade, housing costs in Dundee have increased much faster than wages, making rent unaffordable for many. Rent for a one bed flat in Dundee rose 10% in the last year alone, after rising 16.9% the previous year. Since 2010 rent has increased by 75.2%, over 25% above inflation. Unaffordable rents are a major driver of poverty, especially as rents are increasing much faster than wages. With the government abolishing the last of the emergency protections for tenants, this is only going to get worse as tenants are hit by a wave of unaffordable rent increases. Housing costs are the largest financial outgoing in most households and 12.5% of Dundee renters are spending over half of their pay on rent. Nearly a third of children in Dundee live in poverty. Worryingly, housing costs disproportionately impact those from minority ethnic groups, women and LGBTQ+ people, making high rents a driving factor of inequality in our city. The price of rent has also had a massive effect on homelessness in Dundee. Between 2023 and 2024, there were 1,106 applications assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness, with 456 households, including 262 children, in temporary accommodation. One of the common causes of homelessness is the inability to meet rent. We know that rising homelessness puts local authorities under a huge amount of pressure: rent controls would help ease this pressure and allow more people to stay in their homes. By committing to rent controls, this council will show what a progressive response to the housing crisis looks like and ensure that tenants are able to remain in the neighbourhoods and communities they call home. Without a commitment to rent controls, we fear that landlords will continue to put up rents, and Dundee will soon become as expensive as Edinburgh and Glasgow have been allowed to become. Edinburgh City Council has already backed rent controls - you have a responsibility to your constituents to do the same.  We, the community - tenants, workers, community groups and leaders - believe the people of Dundee should be able to afford homes. We therefore ask that you listen to the voice of Dundee residents and pass a motion in support of rent controls. We look forward to your response.   Yours sincerely,   Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland Mike Arnott, Secretary, Dundee Trade Union Council Bob MacGregor, Regional Officer, Unite the Union Rory Steel, GMB Scotland Jim McFarlane, Dundee City UNISON Tánaiste Custance, President Elect, Dundee University Students’ Association David Simpson, Unite retired members branch Colin Clement, Stobswell Forum Dr Cian McMahon, Lecturer in Economics & Management Gail Stirling, West End Community Council Iain Daniels, Energy and Benefits Advisor, Citizens Advice Bureau Kate Maher, Elaine Maher, and Sam Cook, ScrapAntics Laura Stevenson, Cake or Dice Community Cafe Sheena Wellington, City Centre and Harbour Community Council Thomas Coutts, Tesco and Dundee United Community Trust Yvette Hoskins, Dundee RAAC Campaign Group Dundee International Women’s Centre Dundee Pensioners’ Forum Fans Supporting Foodbanks Dundee Speak Oot Living Rent Dundee

Today, we delivered an open letter calling for Highland Council to implement a visitor levy that sees funds go towards the housing crisis. Read our letter in full below: Continue reading

Paul and Sesilia tell their story of fighting their rent hike!    Continue reading

On Thursday 26th September 2024, our Edinburgh City Chair Eilidh Keay spoke to Edinburgh City Council's full council asking them to back Rent Controls. The council voted in favour. Edinburgh City Council has become the first council in Scotland to formally support the introduction of Rent Controls. A strong commitment to implementation once the Scottish Government passes Rent Controls into law. If you want get involved in fighting for Rent Controls, join Living Rent and come along to a local meeting: livingrent.org/events Continue reading

Today, Living Rent launched an open letter signed by over 200 SNP members and supporters calling for John Swinney and Paul McLennan to reaffirm their commitment to rent controls. Read it below: Continue reading