The Tenement Maintenance Working Group's interim report has warned that the condition of many Scottish tenements is on a "cliff-edge".
The Scottish Parliament working group on tenement maintenance has made a number of recommendations on how to address the problem. These include inspections every five years and creating a communal tenement "pension" fund for future repairs. The interim report also calls for the compulsory establishment of owners' associations.
The working group, comprising MSPs and housing and building experts, will publish a further report in the summer. As Convenor of the group, Graham Simpson MSP hosted the "Tenement Maintenance One Year On" Event at the Scottish Parliament along with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Graham Simpson said “Nearly 20 per cent of Scotland’s housing dated from pre-1919. 68 per cent of those 467,000 homes had disrepair to critical elements, and 36 per cent had critical and urgent repair needs. A report to Glasgow councillors last year highlighted that repair bills to some blocks reached well into six figures - sums that are simply unaffordable to most people.
“We are sitting on a building maintenance cliff edge. The Scottish Government must act to protect Scotland’s’ heritage and housing infrastructure.”
