At a meeting of the full Edinburgh Council on Thursday, city policymakers agreed to explore options around establishing a new tenure policy for Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA).
These rules would require new PBSA developments to have 35% of bedspaces secured as “Affordable Student Accommodation”, rising to 50% if the development is on public sector or industrial land.
“Affordable” in this context would mean that rooms are capped at a rate pegged to the maximum income a full-time student could receive in a particular academic year, and the affordable units must be allocated by the associated university or college to students they consider most in need.
Edinburgh City Chambers. © 2026 Martin McAdam
This would bring the city in line with the London Plan – which has provided the regulatory model for the Edinburgh PBSA plan.
In addition, PBSA schemes in Scotland are currently not subject to Non-Domestic Rates.
As part of the motion, the council’s Finance and Resources Convener will write to the Scottish Government to ask that PBSA schemes will from now on be liable to pay Non-Domestic Rates.
The SNP group, who introduced the motion, say that this measure would help to tackle the “student housing affordability crisis” they say is afflicting the city, while the Conservatives were concerned that such a measure might simply increase the regulatory burden on developers.
The SNP’s motion, which was backed by the Greens, would have seen officers immediately begin work on implementing such a plan.
Introducing the motion during Thursday’s full council meeting, SNP Councillor Danny Aston said:
“We have got a student housing affordability crisis in this city, as we heard from the deputation this morning.
“Many students are homeless: a recent study conducted at the start of this academic year in Edinburgh showed that 16 per cent of students were starting out their year at uni without anywhere to live.
“PBSA rents have increased 62 per cent in the last decade and are now at 1400 pounds a month, or more than that. What we are looking for here is rebalancing that.”
This was eventually amended by the Labour group, who preferred to have officers prepare a briefing to the Planning Committee on the “mechanisms of establishing an affordable tenure policy”.
Labour councillor Joan Griffiths accepted the severity of the issue, but pushed back on the SNP’s procedural approach:
“There has been an extensive level of work already undertaken and planned by officers within the planning service.
“Officers have reviewed the issue of affordability of student accommodation as part of the evidence report produced in the support of the city plan 2040 which will go to a special planning committee on the 3rd of June for consideration.”
She added: “This amendment seeks to provide officers further opportunity to brief members of the planning committee on the nature of the affordability considerations… prior to the adoption of the city plan 2040 Lord Provost.”
Labour’s position was backed by the Liberal Democrats and, eventually, the Conservatives, who decided to back Labour’s amendment after having their own amendment – which would have stopped the motion in its tracks – shot down.
The Renters’ Rights group Living Rent demonstrated in support of Aston’s motion in front of the Edinburgh City Chambers prior to the meeting.
The renters’ rights pressure group Living Rent protested outside the City Chambers prior to the council meeting PHOTO © Ross Chalmers
They welcomed the motion but maintained reservations about the council’s conduct:
“Residents are fed up with PBSA taking over our city. This motion is welcome but is only one small step in tackling the issue.
“The council is failing in their responsibility to take action on the housing and affordability emergency we are in.
“They must do more to show they are taking this seriously, and Living Rent members will continue to make residents’ voices heard and fight for everyone to have a safe, secure, affordable home.”
Edinburgh’s Green Group, who backed the SNP position, were nonetheless pleased about the fact the motion was passed.
Cllr Ben Parker, Edinburgh Greens housing spokesperson, said: “I am grateful to Cllr Aston for this motion which complements vital work already underway to tackle the student housing and homelessness crisis.”
He added: “Students have exactly the same right to warm, dry and affordable housing as everyone else, so it is right that we seek parity with other housing developments in this respect.
“The eye-wateringly high rents charged in many existing PBSA developments are completely unaffordable for the vast majority of students, and that must change.”
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