diff --git a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_loader.py b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_loader.py
--- a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_loader.py
+++ b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_loader.py
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@
     archive_path = os.path.join(datadir, f"{archive_name}.tgz")
     repo_url = prepare_repository_from_archive(archive_path, archive_name, tmp_path)
 
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path)
 
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     visit_status1 = assert_last_visit_matches(
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@
     )[0]
     assert start_revision is not None
 
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path)
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "uneventful"}
 
     stats = get_stats(loader.storage)
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@
     archive_path = os.path.join(datadir, f"{archive_name}.tgz")
     repo_url = prepare_repository_from_archive(archive_path, archive_name, tmp_path)
 
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path)
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     check_snapshot(GOURMET_SNAPSHOT, loader.storage)
 
@@ -292,7 +292,9 @@
         archive_path2, archive_name, tmp_path
     )
 
-    loader2 = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_tampered_url, origin_url=repo_url)
+    loader2 = SvnLoader(
+        swh_storage, repo_tampered_url, origin_url=repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path
+    )
     assert loader2.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
 
     assert_last_visit_matches(
@@ -322,7 +324,7 @@
     )
 
     # repo_initial_url becomes the origin_url we want to visit some more below
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_initial_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_initial_url, temp_directory=tmp_path)
 
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     visit_status1 = assert_last_visit_matches(
@@ -338,7 +340,12 @@
         archive_path, "pkg-gourmet", tmp_path
     )
 
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_updated_url, origin_url=repo_initial_url,)
+    loader = SvnLoader(
+        swh_storage,
+        repo_updated_url,
+        origin_url=repo_initial_url,
+        temp_directory=tmp_path,
+    )
 
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     visit_status2 = assert_last_visit_matches(
@@ -368,7 +375,11 @@
 
     # Let's start the ingestion from the start, this should yield the same result
     loader = SvnLoader(
-        swh_storage, repo_updated_url, origin_url=repo_initial_url, incremental=False,
+        swh_storage,
+        repo_updated_url,
+        origin_url=repo_initial_url,
+        incremental=False,
+        temp_directory=tmp_path,
     )
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     visit_status3 = assert_last_visit_matches(
@@ -400,7 +411,7 @@
     )
 
     # repo_initial_url becomes the origin_url we want to visit some more below
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_initial_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_initial_url, temp_directory=tmp_path)
 
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     visit_status1 = assert_last_visit_matches(
@@ -422,7 +433,12 @@
     )
 
     # we'll start from start_revision
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_updated_url, origin_url=repo_initial_url,)
+    loader = SvnLoader(
+        swh_storage,
+        repo_updated_url,
+        origin_url=repo_initial_url,
+        temp_directory=tmp_path,
+    )
 
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
 
@@ -464,7 +480,7 @@
     archive_path = os.path.join(datadir, f"{archive_name}.tgz")
     repo_url = prepare_repository_from_archive(archive_path, archive_name, tmp_path)
 
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path)
 
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     mediawiki_snapshot = Snapshot(
@@ -504,7 +520,7 @@
     archive_path = os.path.join(datadir, f"{archive_name}.tgz")
     repo_url = prepare_repository_from_archive(archive_path, archive_name, tmp_path)
 
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path)
 
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     pyang_snapshot = Snapshot(
@@ -536,7 +552,7 @@
     archive_path = os.path.join(datadir, "pkg-gourmet-with-external-id.tgz")
     repo_url = prepare_repository_from_archive(archive_path, archive_name, tmp_path)
 
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path)
 
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     gourmet_externals_snapshot = Snapshot(
@@ -582,7 +598,7 @@
     )
     repo_url = prepare_repository_from_archive(archive_path, archive_name, tmp_path)
 
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path)
 
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     gourmet_edge_cases_snapshot = Snapshot(
@@ -623,7 +639,7 @@
     archive_path = os.path.join(datadir, "pkg-gourmet-with-wrong-link-cases.tgz")
     repo_url = prepare_repository_from_archive(archive_path, archive_name, tmp_path)
 
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path)
 
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     gourmet_wrong_links_snapshot = Snapshot(
@@ -664,7 +680,9 @@
     archive_path = os.path.join(datadir, f"{archive_name}.tgz")
     repo_url = prepare_repository_from_archive(archive_path, archive_name, tmp_path)
 
-    loaderFromDump = SvnLoaderFromRemoteDump(swh_storage, repo_url)
+    loaderFromDump = SvnLoaderFromRemoteDump(
+        swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path
+    )
     assert loaderFromDump.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
     assert_last_visit_matches(
         loaderFromDump.storage,
@@ -675,7 +693,9 @@
     )
 
     origin_url = repo_url + "2"  # rename to another origin
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url, origin_url=origin_url)
+    loader = SvnLoader(
+        swh_storage, repo_url, origin_url=origin_url, temp_directory=tmp_path
+    )
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}  # because are working on new origin
     assert_last_visit_matches(
         loader.storage,
@@ -692,7 +712,9 @@
     assert stats["origin_visit"] == 2
     assert stats["snapshot"] == 1
 
-    loader = SvnLoader(swh_storage, repo_url)  # no change on the origin-url
+    loader = SvnLoader(
+        swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path
+    )  # no change on the origin-url
     assert loader.load() == {"status": "uneventful"}
     assert_last_visit_matches(
         loader.storage,
@@ -708,7 +730,9 @@
     assert stats["snapshot"] == 1
 
     # second visit from the dump should be uneventful
-    loaderFromDump = SvnLoaderFromRemoteDump(swh_storage, repo_url)
+    loaderFromDump = SvnLoaderFromRemoteDump(
+        swh_storage, repo_url, temp_directory=tmp_path
+    )
     assert loaderFromDump.load() == {"status": "uneventful"}
 
 
diff --git a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_utils.py b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_utils.py
--- a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_utils.py
+++ b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_utils.py
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
     dump_path = os.path.join(datadir, dump_name)
 
     tmp_repo, repo_path = utils.init_svn_repo_from_dump(
-        dump_path, gzip=True, cleanup_dump=False
+        dump_path, gzip=True, cleanup_dump=False, root_dir=tmp_path
     )
 
     assert os.path.exists(dump_path), "Dump path should still exists"
@@ -69,7 +69,9 @@
     assert os.path.exists(dump_path)
     assert os.path.exists(dump_ori_path)
 
-    tmp_repo, repo_path = utils.init_svn_repo_from_dump(dump_path, gzip=True)
+    tmp_repo, repo_path = utils.init_svn_repo_from_dump(
+        dump_path, gzip=True, root_dir=tmp_path
+    )
 
     assert not os.path.exists(dump_path), "Dump path should no longer exists"
     assert os.path.exists(repo_path), "Repository should exists"
@@ -94,7 +96,9 @@
     assert os.path.exists(dump_path)
     assert os.path.exists(dump_ori_path)
 
-    tmp_repo, repo_path = utils.init_svn_repo_from_dump(dump_path, gzip=True)
+    tmp_repo, repo_path = utils.init_svn_repo_from_dump(
+        dump_path, gzip=True, root_dir=tmp_path
+    )
 
     assert os.path.exists(repo_path), "Repository should exists"
     assert os.path.exists(dump_ori_path), "Original dump path should still exists"
@@ -110,7 +114,7 @@
     dump_path = os.path.join(datadir, dump_name)
 
     tmp_repo, repo_path = utils.init_svn_repo_from_archive_dump(
-        dump_path, cleanup_dump=False
+        dump_path, cleanup_dump=False, root_dir=tmp_path
     )
 
     assert os.path.exists(dump_path), "Dump path should still exists"
@@ -128,7 +132,9 @@
     assert os.path.exists(dump_path)
     assert os.path.exists(dump_ori_path)
 
-    tmp_repo, repo_path = utils.init_svn_repo_from_archive_dump(dump_path)
+    tmp_repo, repo_path = utils.init_svn_repo_from_archive_dump(
+        dump_path, root_dir=tmp_path
+    )
 
     assert not os.path.exists(dump_path), "Dump path should no longer exists"
     assert os.path.exists(repo_path), "Repository should exists"