Locals in Leith have told of their fears their community is being lost to a surge in holiday lets despite new powers to crack down on them.
Leigh Graven, from Leith, says housing should be for people not profits. She added that the recent flood of short-term lets (STLs) is driving up rent prices for residents.
Leigh, a tenancy union member and volunteer for tenancy union Living Rent, believes STLs are causing a shortage of housing in the capital. Research by the group suggests rent prices up have surged 15 percent on average to £1,283 per flat.
Digital marketer Leigh has also demanded that Edinburgh City Council and the Scottish government come together to address the existing numbers of STLs. In early August 2022, both authorities announced plans to tackle STLs in Edinburgh by declaring the country’s first STL control area.
