Housing and Arts, a Vicious Circle

Rosie Priest investigates the unsurprising (but overlooked) nexus between: a city designed for tourists; a bankrupt arts sector and a housing policy that drives social cleansing.

The proposed initiative to crack down on short term lets in Edinburgh city has been postponed. But what do the arts have to do with it?

Well, it was primarily art sector leaders lobbying against rental reforms, with the Fringe Society’s Chief Executive claiming that the proposed planning guidance for short-term lets in the City of Edinburgh was “draconian”. The arts sector clear pressure on the council and government has resulted in delays to procedures which would significantly reduce poverty and curb preventable deaths of homeless residents.

This week I wrote to the arts organisations, their boards, and their staff to seek clarity on their actions: for this I need to apologise. Whilst board members and executives are responsible for organisations actions, staff are not. In anger and frustration my actions were not care driven, I am fortunate to know a lot of the people who work in these organisations, and they continuously work hard to make positive changes in the sector, and society. I am not envious of their immensely complex jobs. It is the arts leaders who are lobbying against reform, not arts workers. 

Of the nearly 8000 short term lets available on AirBnB alone (Edinburgh has the highest rates per capita in the UK, with some areas of the city having 1 in every 3 homes designated an AirBnB), around 5000 of those are entire homes, half of those are owned by landlords with multiple properties (the data on Edinburgh AirBnB’s can be found here). The AirBnB’s are empty for an average of 277 days a year – occupied predominantly around August.

As the society’s chief executive claims “The history of home-sharing during the festivals goes right back to their earliest days. The idea that that was almost going to become impossible would have been the final nail in the coffin” is encouraging a false narrative. Most homes being rented are entire properties, by landlords with more than one property to let. In fact the legislation states “for those letting a room or rooms within their own home temporary licences will be available giving first time hosts the flexibility and opportunity to try out short-term letting before a full licence application is made”, which highlights either the chief executive of the Fringe Society does not fully understand the regulation, or is willingly misrepresenting the legislation to create panic and support for its dismissal. 

“But why is this so important?” you may be thinking. Edinburgh Poverty commission has stated that the need for affordable property and access to homes in the city is the leading driver of poverty in the city. Worryingly, Edinburgh residents who have died homeless has increased by 150% in just 5 years. 44 residents of Edinburgh died on its streets last year, whilst 5000 homes sat empty. All of this is of course linked to Edinburgh’s 5000 empty AirBnB homes, as research shows an abundance of AirBnBs in a city drives up housing costs and increases poverty and homelessness. 

from 2019

The arts sector’s active championing of the legislations demise is furthering poverty in the city. I doubt any of the friends and families of the 44 homeless residents who lost their lives in the city would care if the city lost its claim to be a “culture capital”, nor the 3000 families waiting for council homes or the 2400 households who are currently homeless in the city. And as these statistics highlight, homelessness will only increase. There are many people undocumented as homeless taking extreme measures to stay warm this winter. Landlords responsible for the 5000 homes empty for 277 days of the year, half of which are run by landlords with multiple properties, are profiteering from the festival leading to the very literal deaths of the city’s people.

There have been arguments made that the legislation needs further exploration to consider the impacts on the city, such as reduced accommodation for artists and audiences during the festival period in August. Organisations argue that the new legislation will have detrimental impacts on Edinburgh’s economy. However, what is not being discussed is the hugely positive economic impact of the legislation. If the 5000 entire homes which sit empty for 277 days of the year became available – that’s potentially thousands of residents contributing to the city’s economy year-round. Hypothetically, if 2 people were to live in each of those homes long term and contributed just £10 a week to the city through take away coffees or trips to the cinema, that’s over £5million annually pouring into the city. Many of the arts organisations who have been championing the demise of the legislation could benefit from residents with secure and safe homes, and they could become audiences and participants year-round. In fact, as we know arts workers earn less and feel less valued than many other workers in different sectors. Improved housing in Edinburgh could benefit many of the arts workers who are struggling the most in the sector.

When we consider the upsetting closure of the Edinburgh Filmhouse, could a city with an additional 10,000 residents living in safe, secure and long-term accommodation, who aren’t grappling with and struggling through poverty have benefitted that arts institution? In fact, how much would the festivals and the arts organisations more generally benefit from having residents occupying these empty homes year-round? Most festival audiences are Edinburgh residents themselves, surely these numbers would grow if the legislation was passed? These are all hypothetical situations, but what we do know as fact, is that high numbers of AirBnB’s in a city increases poverty and housing precarity.

If arts leaders are attempting to diminish the legislation which will decrease poverty and improve the lives of those living in Edinburgh, they are enacting violence on the people of this city. And worse, they are enacting this violence on the residents of this beautiful and vibrant city who have the least, many of whom their own organisations attempt to work with through ‘outreach’ interventions and ‘community’ projects. 

I’ve written it many times: but this city is not a festival, it is a home. Please can we as a sector together push for a positive change that will lead to a reduction in poverty first, and then figure out how the festivals work around that second?