Homeowners have a responsibility to ensure their homes are properly maintained, although the cost of repairs can be hugely off-putting if you live in a large or old building.
Did you know you could be eligible for up to 50% grant assistance contribution from Glasgow City Council through their Voluntary Common Repair Scheme?
Taylor & Martin are here to help you and your co-proprietors maintain your property to the highest standard and in the most cost-effective way possible.
What is a Voluntary Common Repair Scheme?
Maintaining your home can prove challenging when there are major elements of a property which are a shared responsibility, such as the roof and stonework of a traditional tenement building.
Glasgow City Council can offer up to 50% grant assistance, per owner, should all owners be willing to participate in a voluntary common repair scheme at your traditional tenement building.
The repair scheme will incorporate all defects to the common fabric of the building, as identified by a chartered building surveyor, this includes all stonework, the roof and the common stairwell.
On completion, your traditional tenement is fully restored and will be maintained through your property factor, following a clear maintenance plan provided by the surveyor and as required by Glasgow City Council.
Who is eligible for the Voluntary Common Repair Schemes
The scheme is targeted towards those who need it most, with Glasgow’s ageing house stock, the scheme is designed to assist the owners of Glasgow’s traditional tenement buildings.
To be eligible for grant assistance, in the first instance, owners must have a property factor in place, as well as a common buildings insurance policy.
If you currently own a property in a self-factored building and you would be interested in finding out more about grant assistance, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Taylor & Martin, where our team of experts would be delighted to discuss how we can assist.
How does the process work?
Through your Property Factor, owners must engage an agent, or a chartered building surveyor to carry out an inspection report of the common fabric of the building – this report will identify all common defects and will form the basis of the common repair scheme.
Glasgow City Council require all defects identified, to be included in any scheme of repairs to be eligible for grant assistance.
The agent will then produce a schedule of works, incorporating all common defects and ensuring all repairs meet Glasgow City Council’s requirements and carry out a full tender exercise.
On completion of the tender exercise, owners will be presented with a tender analysis document, which outlines the total cost of the repair scheme, which is then eligible for grant assistance.
To be eligible, as this is a voluntary scheme, ALL owners must be willing to participate and pay their apportioned share, less the grant assistance.
There is also a requirement for structural engineers’ inspection, this is facilitated through the engaged agent.
At Taylor & Martin, we facilitate meetings amongst owners and the agent to ensure owners are fully aware of the findings and the next steps available.
What happens next?
On completion of the aforementioned building surveyor’s inspection report and tender exercise, owners will have the opportunity to meet with the surveyor, facilitated through your factor, to ask any questions or queries.
If all owners are in support of proceeding with the voluntary repair scheme, all owners must sign a mandate. The mandates are then submitted to Glasgow City Council to indicate that there is support in principle from all owners. Glasgow City Council will not consider any application without this indication of support from all owners.
The agent will complete a technical checklist and all owners will be required to submit an application form. The application will then be considered by Glasgow City Council with the timescale for the offer of a grant depending on the number of applications already submitted and the budgets available.
Receiving the grant
Once an offer of the grant is issued, all owners must lodge all required funds with their property factor within 2 months. Once all funds are in place, the property factor will instruct the agent to agree to a start date with the appointed contractor.
During the works, all owners will remain fully updated on progress through the factor and agent.
On completion of the contract, there will be a one-year defects liability period, during which period if any issues occur, the agent will arrange for the contractor to return to rectify without any charge.
The agent will produce a final account, and should the project come in under budget, any excess funds will be returned to owners via your property factor.
It is a condition of grant assistance that owners then follow a maintenance plan to ensure the building is maintained to the highest standard. The maintenance plan is produced by the building surveyor and implemented by the factor on behalf of all owners.
Want to find out more?
For more information on the common repair schemes can be found at Glasgow City Council’s website.
Taylor & Martin have extensive experience in facilitating voluntary common repair schemes on behalf of our clients.
Our team of experts would be delighted to answer any questions or queries you may have and advise how we can assist you maintain your property. Please do not hesitate to get in touch today.