A group of private tenants' from Edinburgh will call for tougher action to tackle high rents in the city at next year's election on Friday (27 November).
Members of Living Rent will deliver hundreds of postcards calling for 'rent controls' delivered to the SNP's Edinburgh HQ, demanding Edinburgh candidates for the party commit to introducing measures to control rental prices.
It comes as new statistics show the Lothians have seen the biggest cumulative rise in the average cost of renting a two-bedroom home between 2010 and 2020.
Data from the Scottish Government showed that between 2010 and 2020, the average cost of renting a two-bedroom property has rocketed by 49.5 per cent, a higher increase than anywhere else in Scotland.
In the City of Edinburgh, between 2019 and 2020 the average cost of renting such a property increased by more than 3 per cent.
In 2016, the Scottish Government introduced ‘Rent Pressure Zones’ to try to tackle high rents, but Living Rent say that these have failed, with councils being unable to implement them.
The campaign group want nationwide rent controls based on a European-style points system that links the maximum rent a landlord can charge to the quality of the property.
This would also be attached to the property, not the lease - meaning that tenants moving out wouldn’t have any impact on the rent.
Cat, a Living Rent member in Dalry said: “The Tenants’ Manifesto draws on the experiences of people across Scotland. Housing is a necessity, yet the fact we need to do these actions shows us that this necessity is not being met for far too many in our society.
"It will be a real positive step for our politicians to push for the Tenant's manifesto to be adopted into their party policies and then be implemented.”
Maddy Kirkman for Scottish Labou r in Edinburgh Central said: “Through collective action, Living Rent members have highlighted the need for rent controls in Scotland, especially in Edinburgh and no more so than my local area of Gorgie and Dalry.
"Greater regulation is desperately needed in the private rented sector to redress the balance of power between landlords and tenants and prevent ordinary people paying a huge proportion of their income in return for shoddy accommodation.
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"Living Rent’s model, which links to local affordability and the quality of housing, protects tenants’ human right to a decent home."
The call comes ahead of next year's Scottish Parliament elections, where locals will vote for who should represent them at Holyrood.
The election is expected to go ahead in May 2021.
