A politician is backing a group of private tenants who want to undertake repairs and then charge the cost back to landlords.
A head of steam appears to be building in part of Glasgow where residents claim absentee landlords – some living abroad – are part of the reason why some private rental properties are in disrepair. Some 400 properties in the area are believed to be privately owned.
The Glasgow Live news website says a body called the Denmilne Community Action Group say some tenants pay up to £900 a month but properties in the area have filthy communal areas, overgrown gardens. missing panes of glass, unkempt stairwells, damaged roofs and rubbish strewn gardens.
Some of the properties are reported to house asylum seekers in an arrangement with a company called Mears Housing Solutions, which finds accommodation on behalf of councils.
Action Group member chair Dennis Docherty says: “Landlords own this place but they don’t care. They are not contributing to anything. The closes are in total disrepair – we have roofs falling apart. People are becoming demotivated thinking: ‘what is the point.’?”
Now a local Scottish National Party councillor, Ruairi Kelly, is backing a radical option and says: “The Denmilne Action Group put in a huge amount of work locally to improve the look and feel of the area, but fragmented ownership and absentee landlords mean that there are bigger structural problems not being addressed.
“Making sure that properties are well looked after is vitally important, Glasgow has seen too many homes knocked down because of a lack of maintenance. What I’m trying to do is get agreement from the Scottish Government to enable us to go ahead and carry out works that can be charged back to landlords rather than having to wait and do emergency works once the situation gets worse.”
Mears is quoted in the Glasgow Live piece, saying: “Our team regularly inspects the homes we use to ensure they meet the standards set by the Home Office … We also encourage our service users to take care of their homes and shared spaces, providing clear information on refuse collection and respectful conduct as part of their induction. We continue to engage closely with the Denmilne Action Group. Mears staff met with the group today and have agreed to provide further support to help improve communal areas.”
You can see the full story here: https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/glasgow-residents-claim-landlords-neglecting-31854427
This article is taken from Landlord Today