Housing

Who will get replacements

We’ll survey every council home. If your kitchen, bathroom, wiring, heating or boiler is worn out, we’ll replace it. Not all homes will get upgrades.

Home survey

We’ll survey your home with the contractors we’re working with. 

We’ll go through any proposed works with you in more detail during the survey. You can ask us any questions or tell us anything we need to know, like any relevant medical conditions, or times and dates when you won’t be at home. 

Once we have surveyed your home and decided it needs replacements:

• we’ll write to you with a date for when the contractor will start work in your home
• you’ll get at least 7 days’ notice of the date the works will begin.

You must confirm if this date is suitable or tell us of any times where you will not be available because of holidays, appointments, or other reasons, and ask for another date and time. 
 

What replacements you’ll get

Kitchen replacements

Kitchen replacements will include:

• a stainless-steel sink and taps set into the countertop, new kitchen units, and worktops
• installation of a splashback above worktops and a stainless-steel splashback at your cooker space – a splashback is a layer attached to the wall to protect your kitchen walls from spills, stains or marks
• installation of (non-slip) vinyl flooring
• electrical rewiring, and repositioning of sockets if necessary.

This means there may be some changes to the layout of your kitchen.

If your kitchen is being replaced, the kitchen supplier will also visit your home   to discuss the plan with you.

You’ll get a choice of two different colour schemes for kitchen drawer fronts, doors, worktops, and flooring. The splashback will match your worktop. 

Depending on the layout of your new kitchen, we may need to reposition radiators and switch off your central heating during this time.

Bathroom replacements

Bathroom replacements will include:

• a new bath or shower with waterproof wall panels
• a new electrical shower unit
• a new handwash basin and associated pedestal
• a new toilet and attached cistern
• installation of non-slip vinyl flooring.

Where a specific need is identified, or where the size of the bathroom does not allow for a full-size bath, we may need to install a shower cubicle instead. 

Electrical rewiring

The rewiring of your home will include:

• all new switches, sockets, light fittings, and back boxes (containers behind switches and sockets that hold wires)
• running new electrical cables throughout your home
• replacement of the fuse box (the box that controls electricity in your home), also called a consumer unit.

We’ll need access to all the rooms in your home, including under the floorboards. We recommend you’re not at home during the day while this work is being done.

If you have your own light fixtures and fittings   installed on the walls or ceilings, we’ll need to remove these and replace them with standard light fittings. We cannot put them back. 

If you want to keep your own your existing light fittings or fixtures, let the contractor know in advance and they will leave them aside for you. Otherwise, they will dispose of them. 

Full central heating and boiler replacements

A full central heating system replacement will include:

• installation of a new energy-efficient combination boiler
• all new radiators and pipework
• a new thermostat.

We’ll need access to all the rooms in your home, including under the floorboards. We recommend you’re not at home during the day while the work is being done.

It may also be necessary to change the locations of your radiators to maximise efficiency of the system and reduce your running costs. We’ll let you know if this needs to be done when we survey your home. 

If you’re only getting a new boiler, this should be a straightforward process with minimal disruption. However, we’ll deal with any issues if they occur when the new boiler is being installed. 

Costs

There are no costs for council tenants to have kitchen, bathroom, wiring, heating, or boiler replacements. If your decoration, such as painting or wallpaper, is damaged during the work we’ll make a payment to help with redecorating costs.

Before the works begin

You must allow the contractors access to your property to carry out the works. Tell us about any times or reasons we cannot access your home, such as holidays or hospital appointments. 

Make sure everyone in your home, including any visitors, knows the works are going on, and advise them to be careful.

Let us know when we survey your home if there are any elderly, infirm, or disabled persons who need special assistance or care elsewhere while the work is being done.

Before the contractor arrives, you must:

• remove all bathroom accessories such as mirrors, pictures, toilet roll holders, soap  dispensers, soap dishes, or toothbrush holders
• move any small, portable kitchen appliances such as your kettle, toaster, microwave, bread bin, food storage containers, utensil holders or other items
• empty out any storage or furniture, like cupboards or cabinets, which we’ll need to move or get access to, and move small items and ornaments to a safe location.

Contact your liaison officer if you need help moving items or packing. Do not lift or move anything that would cause you an injury.

Contents insurance

The contractor carries all required insurance. However, we recommend you have your own contents insurance to represent you in any claim or dispute. We advise you to take all reasonable measures to protect your belongings from accidental damage.

If you’re a council tenant, you can join the AVIVA contents insurance scheme or make your own arrangements for home contents insurance.

What happens during the works

Access to your home

The contractor will arrive each day between 8am and 9am so all places we need access to must be clear. 

You must allow the contractors access to your property to carry out the installations. If they cannot access your property at the agreed time, or there is no one at home, we’ll have to reschedule the works in your home. You may have to wait until we finish works in other homes before we can do yours.  

All contractors and council employees carry identification (ID), and they must show this to you before they enter your home.  

They can only work in your home between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, unless they have permission from you and the council to work outside of these hours.

During the work

The contractors will work through the day, and there may be times when you will not have access to cooking, heating, water, or toilet facilities. 

They may need to lift floor coverings and remove and replace heavy furniture to allow the works to be carried out.

They will 

• make sure any lifted floorboards are not left up overnight
• display all required warning signs
• screw down all lifted floorboards on completion of the works.

However, you take responsibility for carpets, laminated flooring or vinyl that is glued or nailed down and cannot be lifted by the contractor without damaging it. If you ask the contractor to lift it, the Council does not take responsibility for any damage caused to it.

They will protect your home as much as possible during the work with clean dust sheets and will clean up at the end of each working day. 

You’ll have a contact person throughout the works who you can phone, and an out-of-hours emergency contact number if needed.

Always supervise children and pets while the work is in progress.

How long it’ll take

These are the timescales for how long each installation will take:

• 7 working days for full kitchen, bathroom, and rewiring
• 5 working days for kitchen and rewiring
• 5 working days for bathroom and rewiring
• 2 working days for a new full heating system
• 1 working day for a boiler-only replacement.

A working day is Monday to Friday and does not include public holidays.

These timescales are for guidance only and while we aim to finish within the planned timescales, it may take longer if we identify unforeseen works. 

The contractor will make sure you are kept up to date on this at the end of each working day.

After the work is done

When the work has been finished, we’ll will inspect it to make sure they are completed to our satisfaction. 

We’ll also complete a customer satisfaction survey with you. You can provide us with feedback on your experience of the process and the quality of the completed work.

Once we’re satisfied the works are complete and all snagging (renovations with small faults or unfinished jobs, like chipped paint) has  been addressed, a Liaison Officer will visit to see if there’s been any damage caused to the décor of your home.

If there is, they’ll advise how much you will receive towards redecorating costs   and will pay it directly into your back account. This can take between 5 and 10 working days from when they process it.

We’re replacing kitchens, bathrooms, boilers, central heating systems, and electrical wiring in council homes where the current facilities are reaching the end of their life span.

We’re upgrading council homes to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS), which ensures homes are energy efficient, safe, and in good condition.

We know that making these improvements to your home will be disruptive, but we’ll make sure support is available where it’s needed during the works.

Find out what affordable housing is, new affordable housing developments, completed affordable housing sites, and future housing developments in Renfrewshire.

What affordable housing is

Affordable housing comes in a variety of types. It includes:

• homes for social rent from the council and housing associations
• homes for affordable rent like Mid-Market Rent
• affordable home ownership, such as shared equity and shared ownership.

Mid market rent

Within Renfrewshire, there are a small number of properties available for mid-market rent. These are more expensive than council or housing association rents but cost less than similar sized houses for private rent. The Link Group currently have mid-market rent properties. If you are interested in this, please contact the Link Group on 03451 400 100.

First time buyers

The Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE/LIFT) helps first-time buyers on low to moderate incomes to buy a home on the open market within certain price thresholds.

Shared ownership

The New Supply Shared Equity Scheme (low cost home ownership) can help low to moderate households buy a new build home developed as part of the Scottish Government's Affordable Housing Supply Programme; part of the council's Strategic Housing Investment Programme.

Learn more about these options for low-income households to buy a home.

If you want to apply for social rented housing from the council you should contact your local housing office or phone: 0300 300 0222.

If you want to apply to a housing association for housing to see their contact details.

New affordable housing developments

The Scottish Government allocates grant funding to local authority areas through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to support the delivery of new build affordable homes across Renfrewshire. Affordable homes can include those built by either the council or housing association partners for social rent, mid-market rent or shared equity low cost home ownership.

Renfrewshire's current Strategic Housing Investment Plan sets out how investment in affordable housing will be targeted to meet the objectives of Renfrewshire's Local Housing Strategy.

Completed affordable housing sites

The following developments were completed from April 2016 onwards.

Developments currently on site

Future developments

In addition to the sites listed on this page, there a are number of new developments within the Strategic Housing Investment Plan that are currently being advanced and will appear here once they have commenced on site.

List of tenants and residents associations

These are the areas in Renfrewshire that have tenants and residents associations:

• Bridge of Weir
• Caledonia Glen, representing part of Caledonia Street and Glen Street in Paisley
• Cochrane Castle
• Corseford
• Ferguslie Park North
• Glenburn
• Maxwellton Court
• Moorpark
• Provost Close
• Williamsburgh
• Woodside.

Email us at tenantparticipation@renfrewshire.gov.uk if you'd like more information about one of these associations or you're interested in joining one.

Start a new tenants and residents association

What they can do

Tenants and residents associations are an important way to:

• discuss local issues
• create a sense of community
• ensure your voice is heard by the council and other stakeholders.

We share advice and information with tenants and residents associations in Renfrewshire to:

• highlight what's happening across our housing services
• welcome feedback on priorities and issues from communities.

We can provide a small amount of funding to cover the running costs of associations in Renfrewshire.

Contact us

Email us at tenantparticipation@renfrewshire.gov.uk if you're interested in starting a new tenant and residents association.

Tenants and residents are groups of people, including council tenants and other residents, who live in an area and:

• provide a collective voice for tenants and residents
• act as a focus for consultation and drive change
• develop extra services, such as lunch clubs or advice resources, to other tenants and residents
• hold regular meetings open to everyone in the association area and conduct their business through a smaller committee.

Get involved

There are lots of ways our people who live in council housing (our tenants) can shape our housing services, including:

• joining an established tenants and residents association or forming a new one
• joining the Tenant Scrutiny Panel
• participating in our tenant-led inspections of our high-rise sheltered housing and housing estates.

Stay updated

We regularly send our tenants email updates sharing important news and information.

We also produce reviews and newsletters keeping tenants up to date.

Read more about our performance as your housing provider.

Contact our tenant participation team

Contact us by:

Other resources

Here are some non-council organisations that offer support to council tenants:

• Engage Renfrewshire - supporting community and voluntary groups, social enterprises, and charities in Renfrewshire
• Renfrewshire Youth Voice - representing young people ages 12 to 25 living in Renfrewshire
• ROAR for Life - helping older people across Renfrewshire
• Scottish Government housing information
• Tenants Information Service - providing independent information, advice, and training for tenants across Scotland
• Tenant Participation Advisory Service - the national tenant and landlord participation advisory service for Scotland
• Scottish Housing Regulator.

If you or someone you live with has difficulty getting in and out of your home, it may be possible to adapt your home to make it more suitable for your needs.

You can apply to adapt your home if you:

• are a council tenant
• are a housing association tenant
• rent from a private landlord
• own your home.

You can contact us if you have any questions.

To start the process, one of our occupational therapists needs to assess your circumstances. They’ll find out what sort of difficulties you’re having in your home and what might be the best way of helping you.

Contact us to arrange an assessment.

Once you've received the outcome of your occupational therapist assessment, we’ll discuss your options with you and can help you decide what to do next.

You might also be interested in resources from these non-council organisations:

• Capability Scotland
• Housing Options Scotland
• Disability Information Scotland.

There’s no cost to apply, but there may be costs to doing the work, depending on your situation.

If you’re a council tenant or housing association tenant

As long as your landlord has adequate funds to do the work, you should not have to pay anything.

If you rent from a private landlord or own your own home

You may be eligible for an improvement grant from the council, depending on your circumstances. Your occupational therapist will help you apply for the grant.

Read our full guide for private tenants and homeowners, which includes information about the grant:
 

Download a copy

You can download copies of the tenant information pack and repairs handbook:

Other formats

Contact us if you'd like a printed copy of the information pack in, large print, audio, Braille, or another language:

We give a New Tenant Pack to all council tenants when they sign the papers to move into their new council home.

The pack includes two booklets:

• a tenant information pack - which covers moving in, paying your rent, protecting your home, and more
• repairs handbook - which covers what repairs we're responsible for, how to report repairs, asbestos safety information, and more.

Insurance options

You can either:

• join the AVIVA contents insurance scheme arranged by Renfrewshire Council
• make your own arrangements with another insurance provider.

AVIVA contents insurance

This is information about the AVIVA contents insurance scheme arranged by Renfrewshire Council.

Download and read the documents below for details on what's covered and how you can join the scheme:

Other details about AVIVA contents insurance

Acceptance restrictions may apply for conviction and claims experience. Terms and conditions apply.

The policy is arranged by Aon UK Ltd and underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

• Aviva Insurance Limited, Registered in Scotland Number 2116
• Registered Office: Pitheavlis, Perth, PH2 0NH
• Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. FP.TCI.2025.450.SD

Home contents insurance offers protection for your belongings. You'll pay a regular fee for the insurance. Then, if the items in your home are damaged, you may be able to claim money back to cover the cost of replacing them.

We encourage everyone who lives in council housing to get home contents insurance. That's because we, the council, will not cover the costs if your items - such as furniture, decorations, and other belongings - are lost due to fire, theft, vandalism, or water damage, such as burst pipes.

Radon in buildings and homes

Outdoors, Radon levels are low.

Every building has Radon, usually at low levels, but it can build up indoors. 
In some areas, radon levels in buildings could be higher because of the types of rocks and soils underneath them.

You can use the free online interactive map from UKradon to search for where you live or work.

UKradon also has expert advice and information for homeowners and employers including how to order a radon risk report or monitoring kit for your property. you can:

• visit the UKradon website
• use the interactive map to check your address (UKradon website)
• phone the UKradon advice line on 01235 822 622.

Risk from radon

We all breathe in Radon every day, usually at very low levels. It makes up around half our annual exposure to radiation. The health risk from radon comes from exposure over a long time and contact with radon does not cause sudden sickness.

Long-term exposure to radon can increase the risk of lung cancer. The risk from Radon is higher for smokers and ex-smokers. There is no evidence radon causes any other health impact.

Read more about radon risk information (UKradon website).

Radon compliance monitoring

We worked with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on a radon compliance monitoring programme in Renfrewshire from summer 2025 to February 2026.

You can read more about our Radon compliance monitoring programme.

Radon is a naturally occurring gas which we can't see, smell or taste. It is released by the natural radioactive decay of very small amounts of uranium within rocks and soils and is found everywhere in the UK.

Housing regulator

We are regulated by the Scottish Housing Regulator to protect the rights of our tenants and people using our housing services.

Reviewing our performance

The regulator looks at:

• our responsibilities as a registered social landlord
• how well we are delivering our housing and homeless services.

Our performance is measured against the Scottish Social Housing Charter which sets out the standards and outcomes all registered social landlords aim to achieve.

The Scottish Housing Regulator website has performance information about us including:

• our assurance statement on how we are meeting regulatory requirements
• the regulator's engagement plan working with us up to 31 March 2026.

Our current performance report 

Our current performance report is from April 2024 to March 2025.

We're required to report performance against indicators set by the regulator.

Our report covers:

• the quality of our council housing
• ensuring our tenants get good value from rent and service charges
• how well we carry out repairs and safety checks
• managing and supporting our tenancies
• referring homeless households to other registered social landlords
• resolving anti-social behaviour
• responding to complaints
• tenant satisfaction with our services
• the regulator's engagement plan
• what we're doing to improve our performance.

View our current performance report.

Complaints and serious concerns

The Scottish Government's Social Housing Charter sets out the standards social landlords need to achieve. Social landlords include registered social landlords (RSLs) - such as a housing association or co-operative - and councils.

The Scottish Housing Regulator monitors, assesses and reports on the performance of landlords in achieving these standards.

Read their fact sheet to learn what to do if you have complaints or serious concerns (Scottish Housing Regulator).

Tenant satisfaction survey

We carry out a tenant satisfaction survey every 2 years.

The latest survey was carried out in 2024 and captured the views of more than 1200 households.

There are six specific areas the regulator asks us to gauge satisfaction levels on:

• our overall services provided by the council as your landlord
• keeping you informed about our services and decisions
• opportunities to participate and shape our services
• the quality of your home
• our contribution to the management of the neighbourhood you live in
• value for money of your rent.

More than 70% of tenants surveyed said they were either very or fairly satisfied with each area.

There has been a decrease in satisfaction since the previous survey, and our tenants highlighted key areas for improvement which we are considering in detail to make our services better and maintain high satisfaction levels.