The student housing crisis in Edinburgh: What help is available?

There is a shortage of 13,000 beds for students in Edinburgh. Housing crises across the whole of the UK have forced some students to take matters into their own hands. Whether its going back home and commuting, bunking on sofas, or scouring Facebook for any available options, the situation is fraught. 

For students with families in surrounding areas, commuting may be the only viable option. The negative impact of this is illustrated in a study completed by The University of Edinburgh entitled the ‘Commuter Students Research Project’ which found that commuter students are 10 per cent less likely to achieve a first class degree.

When staying at home is not an option, students can sometimes be forced to sign long, expensive, and unbreakable contracts with private student accommodation companies. Or in worse situations, students may have to temporarily stay with different friends for short periods of time and ‘sofa-surf’.

A survey by The Tab Edinburgh found that 57 per cent of Edinburgh University students have been forced to skip meals because of financial struggles, showing that the cost of living in the city is often completely incompatible with the realities of being a student.

What are unis doing to help?

The four Edinburgh universities have made it clear that they are aware of this situation, and its effect on their student cohorts, and offer varying levels of support to their students. Accessible information on their respective websites is available to differing degrees of depth.

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The University of Edinburgh, which accounts for 46 per cent of Edinburgh’s student population, manages accommodation for “over 10,000” students, which is about 20 per cent of their cohort. Napier and Heriot Watt guarantee accommodation for their eligible first year students, “eligible” having slightly differing definitions for each university – but for both, excludes those with parents residing in EH postcodes. Edinburgh University and Heriot Watt are able to arrange emergency accommodation for a small number of students in need, and Heriot Watt gives their students access to an in-house team enabling the university to act as a guarantor for students (UK or overseas) who do not otherwise have access to one when seeking a private rental.

A student solution: Loby

Three students in London have developed an app to try and aid with the crisis. Christian Brown, Andrey Dobrov, and Cezar Scerbina are co-founders of the Loby app. Speaking to The Edinburgh Tab, Christian explained the idea came about after the friends found themselves in a situation where they were having to cover the rent for an empty room after someone dropped out, and before they could find a new housemate. It all started with an “application to be our flatmate” where they realised there were so many applicants that they could start matching together people with similar lifestyles. Christian told The Tab that the trio thought, “if we could automate this process, that would be really great, it would be something students could really benefit from”. 

In the first three weeks of launching, there were 1,500 students that signed up and the app now has partnerships with various universities such as Kings College London, UCL and City, University of London.

The Advice Place (EUSA)

Edinburgh University’s student association (EUSA) also offers a number of services, and act as a separate body from The University of Edinburgh. Their content spans from informative blogs outlining the legal guidelines of renting and rent increases, to a flatshare finding service, the advice place is somewhat of a hidden gem when on the flat hunt.

EUSA’s flat sharing website entitled ‘FlatShare’ was released in May of 2024, this tool allows students to “search for and advertise rooms”, “search for potential flatmates and promote yourself as a potential flatmate” and “form a group of people to find a flat with”. This tool is however restricted exclusively to University of Edinburgh students, reportedly to ease the finding of “like-minded people”. 

Local Charities

Various local charities have been set up to support Edinburgh residents at risk of homelessness, with some like Rock Trust focusing on young people, while others like Living Rent focus on supporting renters in the city. Living Rent have had success supporting students living in damp and mouldy conditions, while Rock Trust organises “supportive flatmate” positions where you can volunteer to live with young people who are at risk of homelessness and help to support them: while in this role volunteers are given free or subsidised rent and internet.

Other national charities, such as Shelter Scotland, offer a wide range of guidance and support for students and renters.