RECENT data reveals that there was no social housing advertised for rent in Edinburgh throughout all of December 2024.
The data, gathered from a freedom of information (FOI) request submitted by Third Force News (TFN) shows a stark decline in the amount of housing available out of those owned by the City of Edinburgh Council.
As of 6 January, there were still no properties advertised on EdIndex – the access point for social housing in Edinburgh.
It has been found that the number of properties advertised on the site in 2024 was down by almost a quarter compared to the previous year.
The FOI request shows that although the council owned 20,576 homes as of 6th January 2025, none were available on EdIndex for the whole of December last year.
This is compared to 179 advertised at the same time in 2023.
The site splits prospective tenants into two categories – starters, who do not yet have their own home, and movers who have a home but wish to move, such as council tenants or registered social landlords.
The number of properties available to current social tenants in particular has dropped significantly, with just under half being made available to movers in 2024.
In response to the FOI request, the council also stated that properties available for let will be advertised in the next edition of Key to Choice on 13 January.
Housing, homelessness and fair work convener Lezley Marion Cameron told TFN: “Sadly, due to multiple contributory factors, including legislative and policy changes by the Scottish and UK governments, demand for accommodation in Edinburgh continues to far outstrip supply, and our private rented housing market city remains the most expensive in Scotland.
“Since declaring the housing emergency and agreeing a Housing Emergency Action Plan, to ease the impact of pressures and reduce the number of households without settled accommodation, an inordinate amount of work by the council and the third sector has been taking place to tackle the cycle of recurring homelessness, and homelessness prevention.
“To that end the service is working to deliver an improved homeless prevention programme for residents at risk of becoming homeless.
“More void properties are also being brought back into use and the council is reviewing its allocation policy for council homes to make sure it continues to enable fair access to housing, including consideration of protected characteristics.
“These measures are already having an impact however the stark reality is that City of Edinburgh needs much more financial support from the Scottish Government.
“As convener, I am keen to work proactively, collaboratively, and collectively with everyone involved in Edinburgh’s housing sector to address and resolve systemic issues and to explore innovative solutions to provide the housing our city and citizens need and deserve.”
As of 20 January, there are now 70 homes available on the EdIndex site.
