Question reference: S5W-33114
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 9 November 2020
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Current status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 November 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available for tenement properties that require urgent repair.
Answer
Owners of tenements are responsible for the cost of work to repair their own homes. Where owners own a flat in a tenement they share responsibility for work required to common parts of the building.
Local authorities have broad discretionary powers to provide assistance to home owners who have difficulty in paying for repairs. funding for housing activities is included in the general capital and revenue grants provided to local authorities, and the allocation to housing is at the discretion of the local authority, subject to local resources and priorities.
Where an owner is unable or unwilling to pay for their share of common works the local authority has discretionary power to pay the missing share, make a charge against the property, and recover it in instalments. A registered social landlord can pay, and recover, a missing share, if they own property in a tenement. The Scottish Government is also currently piloting an equity loan scheme in eight local authority areas, which can be used to help home owners fund repairs.