Living Rent
Scottish tenants' union From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scottish tenants' union From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Living Rent is a national tenants' union in Scotland. Originally established in 2014 as a campaign group urging the Scottish Government to implement rent controls,[3] it subsequently became a mass membership organisation of tenants aiming to "tackle the power imbalance between landlords and tenants" through collective action.[4]
| |
| Abbreviation | LR |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Edinburgh Private Tenants Action Group |
| Formation | 2014 |
| Type | Tenants' union |
| Headquarters | Edinburgh, Scotland |
Membership (2020) | 1,200[1] |
| Affiliations | |
Staff (2021) | 9[2] |
| Website | livingrent.org |
Living Rent is affiliated to ACORN International[5][6] and is an associate member of the International Union of Tenants (IUT).[7]
Living Rent is a democratic, members-led organisation. Members are organised in branches, typically at a neighbourhood level, each of which has a committee elected by local members. Branches work together on national campaigns through the national forum. A national committee elected by members at its AGM is legally responsible for the organisation and its good governance.[5]
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Living Rent was established in 2014 in response to the announcement of a series of Scottish Government consultations on housing. The organisation followed on from the Edinburgh Private Tenants Action Group (EPTAG).[8] Living Rent's three key demands were for rent controls, the abolition of no-fault evictions and greater flexibility for tenants to end leases early.[9] By 2015, Living Rent had established a national board, links to other organisations and trade unions, and local groups across Scotland.[3]
In October 2016, Living Rent held its first AGM as a tenants' union, reporting a membership of over 100 as well as 2,600 associate members and support from Unite the Union, Unison and the National Union of Students (NUS).[10] By its second AGM in January 2018, its membership had doubled to over 200, allowing Living Rent to hire full-time staff to support its work in Glasgow and Edinburgh.[11] The union's membership subsequently grew to over 500 by the 2019 AGM[12] and over 1,200 by the 2020 AGM, with over 300 people joining during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
In August 2021, Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie credited Living Rent with having "created the political space" for rent control proposals in the SNP-Green co-operation agreement, through which he became Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights later that month.[13]
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