Edinburgh council urged to buy ex-MoD houses to protect tenants from eviction

Tenants claim they were told when they took on the properties they could stay in them for as long as they wanted.

But the MoD, through its estate arm the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), has deemed the houses surplus to requirements and wrote to the 38 tenants before Christmas, saying they would have to move out in summer 2025.

Living Rent are urging the council to buy the houses so the tenants can carry on living in their homes | supplied

The city council has already bought 40 empty homes on the estate, which is next to Dreghorn barracks, to help it tackle Edinburgh’s housing emergency.

Now Living Rent is urging the council to adjust its “tenanted acquisition” policy so it could take over the MoD homes with the tenants still living in them.

Helen Collins and her husband John have lived in their house for more than two decades, moving in when he was still in the Army and then becoming private tenants when he left.

She said: “My family has resided in the same home for 21 years, a place where we have built our lives and stability. 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.”

And another resident, who asked not to be named, said: "We were told five years ago we could have our home for as many years as we wanted due to the MoD having no plans to do anything with them.

“Then in November 2024 our lives were shattered with a letter from the MoD. Since then we have been living with the fear that we are all going to be evicted with nowhere to live.

“The council's policy is to buy only empty properties under their tenant acquisition policy, and this will lead to the MoD ejecting their 47 tenanted families on the estate to ensure that the sale of our homes to the local council goes ahead.

“The council need to change this policy and purchase the homes from the MoD with the existing tenants in them and let us continue with our lives, and not force us on to the streets.

“It makes no sense to buy the homes to combat the housing crisis we face in our city through turfing us out when we are already on a waiting list with them.”

Housing convener Lezley Marion Cameron said: “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.”

The MoD told the Evening News earlier this month that the Dreghorn houses were no longer required for Defence use and were therefore sub-let as a temporary measure. But it insisted sub-lets were always offered on a short-term basis only and could not be considered as “an alternate source of social housing”.