Tenants Protest £137 Per Month Rent Increases in Edinburgh 2026

Key Points

• Tenants at a new housing development in Leith, Edinburgh, demonstrated against proposed monthly rent increases of up to £137, or 18.4 per cent.
• Scotland’s tenants’ union, Living Rent, co-ordinated the protest directed at developer and corporate landlord Goodstone Living.
• Campaigners stated that mid-market, build-to-rent, and intermediate-market homes remain excluded from the government’s incoming rent control rules.
• Residents said the rent increases threaten their ability to afford their homes and stay in the area long term.
• Protesters called for an immediate rent freeze across all private tenancies in Scotland and asked ministers to apply upcoming rent controls to all property types.

Edinburgh (Edinburgh Daily) October 16, 2026 – Tenants residing at a major new housing development in Leith, Edinburgh, have taken to the streets to protest against proposed monthly rent increases reaching up to £137 per month, which represent price hikes of up to 18.4 per cent.

Supported by Scotland’s tenants’ union, Living Rent, residents gathered to demand an immediate freeze on the proposed increases by corporate landlord Goodstone Living, whilst calling on the Scottish Government to close statutory legislative exemptions that leave mid-market and build-to-rent residents vulnerable to unrestricted market adjustments.

Why Are Tenants Demonstrating Against Goodstone Living in Leith?

Residents and union representatives gathered outside the development to voice opposition to the sharp rise in monthly costs, arguing that such significant jumps push household budgets past breaking point.

As covered by local reporting from Deadline News, tenants highlighted that an 18.4 per cent escalation far outpaces local wage growth and general inflation, making long-term residency in the area increasingly unsustainable for working households.

The affected housing project, managed by developer Goodstone Living, sits within a growing segment of Edinburgh’s residential property landscape. However, tenants argue that corporate landlords are exploiting market dynamics at the expense of community stability.

How Are Residents Affected by the Proposed £137 Monthly Rent Increase?

For many households within the development, the addition of £137 every month represents a severe financial strain that forces difficult choices regarding basic living expenses. Local tenants described the psychological burden created by unexpected, steep rent notices.

“The thought that I might be forced to look elsewhere to live next year because I can’t afford to live here due to a rent increase is frightening. I don’t want to live my life like I have a timer on how long I can stay in one place. We all just want to live in peace without the fear of finances hanging over our heads.”

The union has warned that without immediate intervention, higher rental figures will drive long-standing residents out of the neighbourhood, contributing to wider displacement across Edinburgh’s private rented sector.

What Is Living Rent Demanding from Corporate Landlords and Ministers?

Living Rent organisers have condemned the steep increases, labelling them destructive to local communities and indicative of broader flaws in Scotland’s housing regulations. Union leaders argue that corporate developers operating under the banner of mid-market or build-to-rent housing should not be permitted to levy uncontrolled price rises on tenants.

“These rent increases are despicable and push tenants who are already struggling to make ends meet to the brink. Goodstone Living shows us how these corporate landlords will get away with everything they can, no matter the impact on local communities. Goodstone Living must cancel these rent increases immediately.”

The union further pointed out that the structural exclusion of intermediate-market, mid-market, and build-to-rent homes from government rent control mechanisms enables developers to operate outside standard tenant protections.

“By excluding intermediate-market, mid-market and build-to-rent homes from incoming rent controls, the Scottish Government has effectively enabled opportunistic behaviour like this under the guise of ‘affordable housing’. The Scottish Government must act urgently, both with an immediate rent freeze to protect all tenants until rent controls are in effect and by extending rent control legislation to include these tenancy types.”

At the time of reporting, Goodstone Living had been approached for comment regarding the protest and the tenant demands.

Background of the Particular Development

The dispute in Leith comes amidst a prolonged period of regulatory transition within Scotland’s private rented sector.

Following emergency legislation introduced under the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act, which temporarily capped private residential rent increases during the peak of economic inflation, ministers have been working toward long-term rent control frameworks through the broader Housing (Scotland) Bill.

However, specific property categories—most notably build-to-rent (BTR) schemes and mid-market rent (MMR) developments—have frequently occupied distinct regulatory classifications designed to encourage institutional investment into new housing stock.

Housing campaigners have repeatedly argued that exempting these sectors creates a two-tier system in which residents in newly constructed or institutionally managed blocks face steep open-market adjustments, while traditional private rented sector tenancies maintain greater protection.

Edinburgh in particular has seen intense rental pressure due to acute supply shortages, rising population numbers, and high demand across both student and professional markets.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Private Tenants and Corporate Landlords in Edinburgh

This demonstration in Leith marks a significant escalation in public resistance against institutional landlord pricing structures in urban Scotland. The ongoing friction between build-to-rent developers and tenant unions is likely to influence several upcoming operational and legislative outcomes:

• For Private Tenants: If the Scottish Government maintains current exemptions for mid-market and build-to-rent properties in upcoming legislation, tenants living in institutional developments across Edinburgh are likely to face recurring, above-inflation rent increases as landlords align rates with broader market conditions. This trend will increase demand for union-led member defence campaigns and heighten pressure on ministers to implement comprehensive price caps that apply across all tenancy models without exception.
• For Corporate Landlords and Developers: Continued public demonstrations and media coverage present heightened reputational risks for institutional investors targeting Edinburgh’s housing market. Developers relying on build-to-rent models may encounter greater community friction, formal local council scrutiny during planning stages, and political pressure to offer long-term rent certainty to secure site approvals.
• For Policy Makers: Escalating protests in high-density rental hubs like Leith will force Holyrood ministers to defend or re-evaluate statutory exemptions within the Housing Bill. Should public pressure mount, parliamentary amendments expanding rent controls to cover mid-market and institutional lets could be reintroduced to prevent widespread displacement in Scotland’s major cities.