What this guide is
If you own your home, you're responsible for helping to maintain and repair common areas of your building. Read this guide for information, advice, and to learn what your responsibilities are.
What common areas are
When you buy a flat, you take on rights and responsibilities for the common areas and parts of the whole building.
You jointly own these common areas and parts with other owners in the building. Common areas and parts include:
- foundations and outside walls
- chimneys, stacks and vents
- the close and staircase
- bin stores and back courts
- the roof
- gutters, downpipes and drainage system
- door entry system
- common paths.
Who is responsible for common area repairs
If your building's common areas need to be repaired, every owner must pay a share of any common charges for works and services.
Your title deeds normally tell you about your rights and responsibilities for your own property and for your shared responsibility for the whole building. They may also detail your proportional share of common costs and your obligations to manage and maintain the building jointly with the other owners.
If all of the flats in a building do not have the same conditions set out in their deeds, you should get advice from a solicitor or refer to legislation under the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 (GOV.UK website).
You may decide that the easiest way to handle maintenance and repairs is to hire a property manager or factor to take care of it for you. However, you may decide to self-manage the building, meaning that you and your co-owners would carry out any management work directly.
Property that's jointly owned with the council
Most council flats are in buildings which are jointly owned with private homeowners. Cooperation and participation from all owners is essential in securing common repairs and improvements in these buildings.
We will not carry out repairs or improvements without consulting other owners within the building first. However, we can carry out common repairs if a majority of owners agree to the work. We'll also intervene if emergency common repairs are needed, particularly when a problem that needs repairing directly affects a council-owned property.
We'll assess and prioritise other, more general repairs that owners or tenants report. We might need to defer some jobs due to budget restrictions.
Grants for common repairs works are generally no longer available from the council. However, owners may receive grant assistance as part of council-led major investment works carried out in mixed-tenure block properties.
See the Common Repairs and Property Management leaflet, which explains how we can get involved in buildings where we own flats alongside private owners.
Advice on repairs and maintenance for flat owners
See the Under One Roof website for useful information for homeowners about common areas, including:
- articles on flat owners' legal responsibilities towards their co-owners
- technical information to enable owners to identify repair problems
- technical information to enable owners to understand quotations from builders
- drawings and photographs to help owners identify the various parts that make up their building
- sample letters for use when corresponding with your neighbours
- advice on dealing with owners who refuse to participate in repairs.
Contact us
For more information on organising common repairs, email us at ownersenquiries@renfrewshire.gov.uk.