Renfrewshire Council

Housing services we provide to tenants and residents of council properties

The council provides specific services to tenants and residents in council properties including heating, laundrettes, cleaning and grass cutting, property management, high rise services and lift maintenance, the factoring register and responsibilities, complaints and customer satisfaction.

Heating

We provide heating and hot water through a communal heating system, serving both Council and privately owned properties.

Laundrettes

Private owners and tenants have access to in specific locations.

Common maintenance

We provide close cleaning services and seasonal grass cutting in specific blocks occupied by private owners and Council tenants who have signed up to this service.

Property management

We provide factoring services involving inspection, common repairs and maintenance, on behalf of a small number of private owners in Renfrewshire who have signed up to this service.

High rise building services and lift maintenance

We provide lift maintenance and specific services for our high rise flats which contain owners.

If you do not receive any of the above factoring services and have issues with a private factor, or are looking to appoint a factor please see the information below on Private Factors and Unregistered Property Factors.

Factoring register

Renfrewshire Council is a registered property factor: Property Factor Registration Number: PF000284

Renfrewshire Council has registered just over 2,500 properties under the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011, where we provide one or more of the specific factoring services below to over 900 private homeowners across Renfrewshire.

Following the introduction of new legislation (Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011), all Councils who provide any form of factoring services to private owners, have been required to register these addresses with the Scottish Government.  All traditional private property factors have also been required to register property.

Details of all registered factors can be found by searching the Scottish Property Factor Register.

Factor responsibilities

The Scottish Government require all registered factors to adhere to a Code of Conduct that sets out minimum standards of practice, which all registered property factors are required to comply with.

Failure by any registered factor to comply with the Code of Conduct may result in the Scottish Government and Ministers removing a factor from the register.

Under the Code of Conduct we are required to issue a Written Statement of Services to all owners in properties we have registered and to issue you with a financial statement of all charges and payments on a yearly basis.  If you have lost your Written Statement of Services, a copy is available on request from our Owner Services Team.

The written statement of services will also provide information to owners on the role of the The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland Housing and Property Chamber. The First-tier Tribunal is an independent judicial body which is separate from Scottish Ministers and Local Authorities.  It was established to investigate complaints regarding property factors and will consider applications from homeowners who consider that their property factor has failed to carry out their factoring duties, or failed to comply with the Property Factors' Code of Conduct.

Complaints

Before making an application to the The First-tier Tribunal, homeowners must notify their factor in writing of their complaint and allow their factor an opportunity to resolve the matter. The Council's Complaints Procedure details how to complain and other related information. If you are still dissatisfied at the end of your factors complaints process then you can make an application to The First-tier Tribunal.

Customer Satisfaction

The Council has and will continue to seek the views of owners who receive factoring services from the Council and reports to the Housing Regulator on levels of customer satisfaction.

Should you have any questions, comments or complaints to make regarding the specific factoring services you receive from the Council, you can contact us using one of the methods noted below and your comments will be passed to the relevant section for their response.

Private factors and unregistered property factors

All property factors are required to register. Failure to do so is an offence under the Act.

Anyone can check if a property factor is registered by searching the register.

Enquires about a property factor's registration and/or information relating to unregistered property factors can be emailed to the Property Factor Registration team at the Scottish Government at: propertyfactorregister@scotland.gsi.gov.uk   It would be helpful if enquiries could include the property factor's name, address, details of any persons associated with the property factor and their contact details.  This will assist any subsequent enquiries.

If you have made a complaint to your private factor but are still dissatisfied you can contact the The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland Housing and Property Chamber

Finding a property factor

The Property Managers Association Scotland Limited website has a list of property factors. 

If you have any other questions, please refer to the booklet 'Factoring and Common Repairs Frequently Asked Questions'.