The report, Our Housing Rights Project, was written by Cables Wynd House Residents Group (CWHRG) and is based on their research over the past three years. After surveying residents in 2022 and 2024, the group said it has uncovered significant issues with dampness and mould, pests, anti-social behaviour, broken lifts, delayed repairs and poor communication.  

For example, in 2024:

• 53% of respondents said they had a problem with mould
• 63% of respondents reported a pest problem
• 40% said their home negatively impacted their mental health.

Based on this evidence, the group has set ambitious targets for improvements and is calling upon their landlord the City of Edinburgh Council to bring their homes up to an adequate standard. They said their human rights - such as the right to adequate housing, children’s rights and the rights of people with disabilities - are being breached.

The report launch, sponsored by Councillor Katrina Facenda, will be held at Edinburgh City Chambers, where residents will present their findings and calls for action. City of Edinburgh Council and Police Scotland have been invited to respond.

Angela O’Hagan, chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, who is speaking at the launch, said: “The increase in repair times, and repairs left unresolved, prevalence of vermin, and in anti-social behaviour all reveal the impact on people’s quality of life and everyday living conditions. All the elements the residents raise in this report are basic human rights – to housing, health, participation – in decision making, in education, and access to services.”

As the report states: “Our aim is to work together to make the flats a happier and healthier place to live, and to hold the City of Edinburgh Council accountable for its basic duties in the realm of international human rights treaties, UK laws and Scotland’s Promise to young people, especially those with care experience.”