LIVING Rent, Scotland’s tenants and community union, is calling on the council to save residents of Dreghorn Estate from eviction.
The petition, created yesterday, already has almost 500 signatures from concerned locals joining the call and urging the council to buy the houses.
Tenants of the military-owned Dreghorn estate were notified in November last year that some housing would be sold off if deemed “surplus to requirements”.
38 families are likely to be forced to move by this summer, with some facing homelessness if other accommodation cannot be found.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) owns Dreghorn estate, which has been used as housing for veterans, personnel, and their families, due to its close proximity to Dreghorn barracks.
The City of Edinburgh council has been buying empty properties on this lot through its stock buyback scheme for the past two years, converting them into council housing.
In November however, some private residents were notified by the MOD that their houses would be sold off to other parties, and they would be forced to move by summer this year.
Now, Living Rent is calling for the council to purchase these homes and therefore allow the residents to continue living there as council tenants.
Currently, Edinburgh Council’s tenanted acquisitions scheme only allows for the council to buy back housing stock from owner occupiers in blocks where the council already owns at least half of the properties.
The petition, titled “We are not surplus: No Dreghorn Evictions” already has 489 signatures since being published yesterday.
One resident, Helen Collins, said: “My husband, a veteran who dedicated 27 years of service to our country, and I have established a strong foundation here.
“For the past eight years, I have been operating a childminding service from our home, providing essential care and support to local families.
“The financial implications of eviction would be devastating, as it would not only result in the loss of my livelihood but also severely disrupt our ability to meet basic needs.
“We would be forced to give up our car and without that, my husband would be unable to commute to work, and we would struggle to maintain payments on our loans, credit cards, and other financial obligations.
“This chain of events could force us into bankruptcy, jeopardizing our financial future and well-being.”
An MOD spokesperson said today: “These properties are no longer required for Defence use, and as such were sub-let as a temporary measure.
“Civilian tenants renting homes that are not required for service personnel sign-up to two months’ notice to vacate.
“Sub-lets are always offered on a short-term basis only and cannot be considered as an alternate source of social housing.”
A Living Rent spokesperson said today: “It is beyond belief that 47 families are set to be evicted in one swoop as their homes have been deemed ‘surplus to requirement’.
“Across Scotland, we see landlord after landlord push tenants out of their homes, completely ignoring the catastrophic impact that this has.
“The threat of eviction has a huge, corrosive impact. Not knowing what will happen to your home leaves tenants in a state of constant limbo.
“These families had been assured that they had secure housing and still they are set to be given eviction notices.
“The council has in its power to ensure that the tenants are able to remain in their homes and it needs to do everything it can to prevent them from being forced out.
“The council must commit to buying the homes with the people inside them and converting them into council homes.
“Failing to do so would be catastrophic for the families and cannot be allowed to happen.”
Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener Lezley Marion Cameron said today: “The DIO as landlord is pursuing their own strategy for a complete exit from Dreghorn and commenced its engagement with the Council at the same point as engaging with their tenants.
Understandably, these circumstances are stressful for DIO tenants. To that end, our Council officers and DIO representatives are currently exploring options for those remaining at Dreghorn Barracks.”
