Rats, rents and missing data
Inside the mysterious, alarming and expensive world of Fringe accommodation
There is a Grim Reaper stalking the Fringe.
That might sound dramatic, perhaps enough appropriately given we are talking about an arts festival, but they are not my words.
It was Shona McCarthy, CEO of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, who told the Scottish Government last year that the “dreaded rising cost of accommodation” in the capital must be addressed and described soaring bills as a “grim reaper”. This sentiment has been echoed by performers and producers for several years now, but just how bad is the current situation? A few months ago, I set out on a mission to find out, writes Will Quinn.
It was an investigation which would uncover horror stories worthy of a Victorian melodrama, with eye-watering price rises and living conditions that might turn your stomach, as I talked to many performers who brave the Fringe each year.
More on that later, but first of all, I wanted to establish some facts.
No one knows
Readers, I have bad news. I contacted the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and the city council; I reviewed every statement made by Fringe stakeholders to me, other members of the press, and the Scottish Government. I can sum up my findings simply: everyone involved is sure soaring accommodation costs are a huge, perhaps existential, risk to the Edinburgh Fringe as we know it.
Edinburgh has been competing for the title of 'most expensive average accommodation price in Europe’ every August for more than a decade. The eight leading Fringe venues behind EdFest.com were unequivocal in a 2022 statement: “It’s imperative that local and national government, landlords, the universities, Fringe venues, and the Fringe Society all come together to find a lasting solution for this issue, or the future of the Fringe is in very real danger.”
When asked to quantify the problem - how many rooms are needed versus how many the city has - no one knows. The Fringe Society was keen to help but could only point to a limited supply of relatively affordable accommodation in student digs still available when we spoke in April. Visit Scotland had a handle on tourist numbers and hotel supply, but an incomplete overview of short-term lets in student halls or private residences.
The helpful team at Edinburgh City Council came closest, even if our first interaction wasn't hopeful. "...does the Council have any numbers on the accommodation availability to visitors/performers in August?" I asked. "It’s not a statistic we are required to record… It’s certainly difficult to calculate exactly," was the answer.
However, a little digging and some good-natured back and forth led us to a report compiled for the Council back in 2019 by property advisors GVA Grimley Ltd. Excluding Airbnb, which the report considered too "difficult to provide an accurate picture of...", demand for rooms in the city was estimated to exceed provision around 35 days every year. How very surprising.
The report concluded pre-pandemic that there was scope to build up to 7,890 new hotel bedrooms in the city, including 2,750 then under construction.
In 2024, it's safe to assume the pressure on Edinburgh's hospitality supply has returned. By Quarter 3 of 2023, the Scottish Government hailed a 14% increase in visitors to the nation over the same period in 2019. At the same time, Edinburgh stretched its lead on Manchester as the second most visited city in the UK last year with 2.3 million visits versus 1.7 million.
What of Airbnb?
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