Edinburgh tenants protest eviction after two years 'living in cold and damp'
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Members of a union supporting renters have protested at the offices of a property management company in Edinburgh
Members of the tenants union Living Rent protested inside the offices of Arden Property Management in Morningside on Saturday, June 13 in support of tenants Alice Disken and Philip McCrea. Living Rent said the pair are being forced from their home after years of disrepair after they were evicted by their landlord.
The protest follows more than two years of problems with the property, according to the tenants union.
A spokesperson for Living Rent said: “We entered offices around 1.15pm this afternoon. Only one member of staff was working and they agreed to send an email requesting a meeting with us to Catriona Smith, the senior partner at Arden, however they said they can't guarantee that she will agree.”
Ms Disken, 23, and Mr McCrea, 27, say they have lived with longstanding disrepair issues in their home, including mould, damp, heating failures and water damage, which have been ignored by their landlord for over two years.
The issues stem from a ceiling leak, first reported in December 2023 that Ms Disken and Mr McCrea said was not resolved until August 2025. However, they allege that black mould was painted over rather than properly investigated, and that the heating system regularly failed to warm rooms to meet the legal minimum of 18 degrees during winter months.
They said property management firm Arden advised them to leave the heating on at all times.
It is now understood that the tenants were informed in April that the landlord intends to carry out a full refurbishment of the property and that their tenancy would therefore be brought to an end.
Ms Disken says: “It's really disheartening to ask for basic repairs to be done to your home, only to be ignored for months and eventually met with an eviction notice.
“This flat has been my home for the past four years, and for the entirety of that time the flat has not met the legal standards for housing in Scotland.
“We have had to deal with everything from getting electrical shocks from the kitchen sink to the flat rarely being warmer than 15 degrees over winter with the heating on for long periods of time.
“It doesn't feel like we are asking for too much, and for Arden Property Management to tell us that we should be leaving the heating on at all times, or offering us flats that are an increase of over £255/month each just makes us feel like we are being priced out of Edinburgh”
Living Rent said they have repeatedly requested a meeting with Arden to engage in meaningful discussions about alternatives that would allow the tenants to remain in their home while necessary refurbishment works are carried out. Arden has continued to decline this request, stating that ending the tenancy was "the only course of action available."
It is understood Arden agents have offered to assist the tenants in finding alternative accommodation, however any alternative properties suggested would cost each of the tenants an extra £255-£405 per month in rent which they say is unaffordable.
Silvia Razakova, Living Rent Member and former Arden tenant, says: "Alice and Philip's case is not an isolated incident. In my own tenancy with Arden, serious repair issues went unresolved for months, and when I moved out my flatmate was effectively forced out too. As in this case, Arden refused to meet with Living Rent and cut off engagement with tenants attempting to resolve issues collectively.
“This is a pattern: tenants are ignored when they ask for repairs, and face the threat of losing their homes when they organise and stand up for their rights. Letting agents must be held to higher standards, and tenants deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
“Everyone deserves a safe home. We encourage anyone experiencing problems with Arden to get in touch and join with other tenants to make sure that this does not keep happening.”
Arden Property Management senior partner, Catriona Smith said that the company’s involvement with the flat was limited to “professional advice to assess the property” as requested by the landlord.
Ms Smith said: “Arden Property Management has never managed this property, nor have we had any involvement in its day-to-day operations, maintenance, or tenant communications over the past four years.
“Our involvement began only recently, when the landlord requested professional advice to assess the property. The scope of the required refurbishment meant that the works could not be carried out while the tenants remained in the property.
“Acting as advisors, we communicated the situation to the tenants. The final decision to bring the tenancy to an end was made solely by the landlord.
“To assist the tenants with relocation, our agents actively reached out to offer alternative accommodation available within our managed portfolio. “