A national committee elected by members at its AGM is legally responsible for the organisation and its good governance.

[5] Living Rent was established in 2014 in response to the announcement of a series of Scottish Government consultations on housing.

[9] By 2015, Living Rent had established a national board, links to other organisations and trade unions, and local groups across Scotland.

[10] By its second AGM in January 2018, its membership had doubled to over 200, allowing Living Rent to hire full-time staff to support its work in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

[1] In August 2021, Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie credited Living Rent with having "created the political space" for rent control proposals in the SNP-Green co-operation agreement, through which he became Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights later that month.