January 16 2019

Trouble is brewing on the doorsteps of tenement closes across the country according to a new report by the Scottish Parliament, which warns that a history of turning a blind eye to ongoing maintenance is storing up future problems.

A fifth of all homes in the country, estimated at 467,000 dwellings, pre-date 1919 and the report found that close to 68% of these suffer from disrepair to critical elements of their structure.

In response to this wake-up call the Scottish Parliament panel has put forward several interim recommendations, including regular inspections of the common areas of all tenement buildings by an architect or chartered surveyor at five-year intervals to form the basis of a public report on their condition.

To combat inertia the group is also recommending that compulsory owners associations be established together with mandatory sinking funds to mitigate against large future repair bills.

Kevin Stewart MSP, minister for local government, housing and planning, commented: “The maintenance of common property is an important issue and owners in tenements, both homeowners and landlords, need to fully accept their responsibilities for maintaining their property.”

The Scottish government will give its formal response to the recommendations upon delivery of a final report.

Responses to the interim recommendations are invited via email to research@befs.org.uk by 27 February.

10 Comments

#1 Posted by Clive on 17 Jan 2019 at 03:40 AM

I took it upon my self to redecorate our tenenment close in Edinburgh in around 2001. Years of neglect, detritus and piss.
Paid for the paint, got ladders to inspire vertigo, and wiped out 30 years of neglect. Yes - it no doubt added value to my own property. The thanks? One of my neighbours tried to stab me!

#2 Posted by Cadmonkey on 17 Jan 2019 at 12:07 PM

So what do you think your then neighbour’s reaction will be when a rep from the voluntary stair maintenance committee knocks on his door asking for his contribution to the “mandatory sinking fund”?

#3 Posted by Neil C on 17 Jan 2019 at 14:08 PM

"Owners in tenements, both homeowners and landlords, need to fully accept their responsibilities for maintaining their property.”

Having spent three years unsuccessfully trying to get peeling wallpaper replaced in a communal stairwell, all I can say is good luck with that. One of the nine residents in our block refused to cooperate and stalled the entire process indefinitely.

It'll take legislation to get a lot of tenement repairs successfully undertaken. Anything less than that will be a waste of breath.

#4 Posted by Euan Leitch on 17 Jan 2019 at 15:18 PM

Thanks for covering this, any chance you could include the link to the consultation, it might answer cheeky wee Cadmonkey's questions https://www.befs.org.uk/policy-topics/buildings-maintenance-2/

#5 Posted by John Glenday on 17 Jan 2019 at 15:30 PM

Absolutely Euan. I've included a link and email address for responses above.

#6 Posted by Euan Leitch on 17 Jan 2019 at 15:42 PM

Cheers!

#7 Posted by Jonjo on 17 Jan 2019 at 17:16 PM

A note on English usage here. In line 17, the verb should simply be "mitigate", not "mitigate against". This error, which is seen more and more often, arises from confusión with a completely different verb, to "militate against".

#8 Posted by Nairn's Bairn on 18 Jan 2019 at 10:32 AM

A note on English usage above. In line 3, the noun should simply be "confusion", not "confusión". This error, which is rarely seen, arises from confusion with a completely different language, Spanish.

#9 Posted by Big Duck on 18 Jan 2019 at 15:17 PM

@#8 Haha

#10 Posted by Yeti on 18 Jan 2019 at 22:06 PM

Not to be confused with Confucius who was a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history.

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