Living Rent
 | |
| Abbreviation | LR |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Edinburgh Private Tenants Action Group |
| Formation | 2014 |
| Type | Tenants' union |
| Headquarters | Edinburgh, Scotland |
Membership (2020) | 1,200[1] |
| Affiliations | |
| Staff | 9[2] (in 2021) |
| Website | livingrent.org |
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]
Living Rent is affiliated to ACORN International[5][6] and is an associate member of the International Union of Tenants (IUT).[7]
Structure
[edit]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]
History
[edit]![[icon]](/https/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2021) |
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]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Report from our fourth Annual General Meeting (but first on Zoom!)". 27 July 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Micro company accounts made up to 31 May 2021". Living Rent. 31 May 2021 – via Companies House.
- ^ a b "Living Rent Campaign: Scotland's housing is "killing people"". CommonSpace. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Living Rent: Catching up with Scotland's Tenants' movement". Bella Caledonia. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ a b "About us". Living Rent. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "ACORN International Affiliates". ACORN International. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Members". International Union of Tenants. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ Hammar, Magnus (November 2016). "Five young organisations: Fighting gentrification, speculation and unaffordable rents" (PDF). Global Tenant. Stockholm: International Union of Tenants. pp. 12–13. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "The time has come for a living rent". Bright Green. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Living Rent holds first AGM as a tenant's union". 8 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Living Rent holds second national AGM". 20 January 2016.
- ^ "We're out for power, and all the locks and landlords in the world won't stop us smashing through!". Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "We've negotiated rent controls for Scotland in our SNP deal – it could make renting and buying fairer". i. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.