A capital home owner says she feelt ‘trapped in her flat’ after Edinburgh Council slapped her with a £30,000 bill for block improvements.
Erin Miller lives in a mixed tenure building on Hawkhill Avenue with the block earmarked for improvements by the local authority.
The sustainability manager was in support of the improvement works, believing it would be good for the value of the property and building’s carbon footprint, but when the estimated bill of £30,000 arrived she broke down in tears.
The council will only carry out works in a communal mixed tenure block if over 50 per cent of the owners and tenants vote for refurbishment.
But the 32-year-old argues her stairwell is made up of four council tenants and two home owners – meaning she was always going to be outvoted.
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Erin has been able to secure an £11,000 grant to go towards the works but she is still left with a bill of around £20,000 for repairs she says she cannot afford.
“I was on the fence on whether to vote for the works or not,” she said. “In principle I agreed with the works and what they are trying to achieve but I simply cannot afford them.
“So my vote was no but we are a block of six with two home owners and four council tenants, so we were outvoted. To me there was no consultation on the extent of the works of timeline.
“There was no discussion on whether some things could be done gradually which would help home owners like myself meet the costs. The whole process felt like we were steamrolled and essentially told they are going ahead with their proposal regardless.
“It is strange to be treated like a tenant when I own the property. Originally I was handed an estimate for the works at over £30,000 for my share.
“I was able to apply for a grant which took £11,000 off the total amount but this has left me owing the council just under £20,000 which I do not have. Most people do not just have £20,000 or spare assets lying around.”
Erin said she planned to sell her home in order to buy a place with her partner but now feels trapped.
She claims the options the council gave her were to take on a debt repayment plan at four per cent interest rates, or to sell her home to the council.
But Erin argues none of these options are viable as selling the property would take into account the £20,000 bill, meaning a loss, and she adds the interest rates offered by the council are too high.
“I may potentially have to sell up but I cannot sell as any new buyer would be informed of the outstanding £20,000 and that will limit buyers. I could sell it back to the council but they would offer me market value minus any amount relating to these works.
“Another option we were offered was to take a 15 year loan or a debt repayment plan with the council but the interest rate was four per cent which I cannot do. None of these options are great.
“I feel at the moment as though I am trapped in my flat and I was planning on selling to move in with my partner. I already work full time but I’m now having to do overtime on weekends and evenings to pay the council for the work.
“I’ve found the response has been hit or miss from the council. We were at a meeting with members of the housing and homeless committee at the council and they were not very sympathetic.
“One member just looked at me puzzled and told me it would improve the value of my flat. This whole ordeal has left me very stressed and really anxious about how I am going to come up with the money.
“I broke down in tears when I got the estimate quote and was in tears when we met members of the council committee. When we got the quote the letter patronisingly told us to use our savings or assets to pay the bill.
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“The worst part for me is the council is taking a 20 per cent management fee for our block. So we are paying an extra 20 per cent for them to facilitate the job. It has been really distressing.”
Sinead McNulty, an Edinburgh city organiser for tenancy union Living Rent said: “This scheme is vital for homes in Lochend and Restalrig but right now tenants in the blocks are at risk of no work being carried out due to the burden on homeowners. No one has the money for these repairs and the costs associated with getting loans are through the roof.
“It is neither tenants nor recent homeowners fault that the council houses in Lochend and Restalrig have faced decades of neglect and a lack of investment. The MTIS scheme has the huge potential to change that and ensure these homes are fit to live in, free of damp and mould and energy efficient. But as it stands, it does not work for all the people and so risks not happening at all.
“Right now the costs are being placed on working class neighbours, when they are not at fault for decades of neglect and underinvestment. Edinburgh council needs to commit to ensuring that the communities affected are at the heart of the decision making, and ensure they are not impoverished in the process. Retrofitting work like MTIS should be a benefit to people in the short and long term. Living Rent Lochend is fighting to make sure that this is the case. It has the best chances of being implemented in all households and therefore no one being left behind, if people can afford the work.”
Housing, homelessness and fair work convener, Lezley Marion Cameron said: “The Council strives to provide safe and suitable accommodation for our tenants and, to do so, regular maintenance to the external fabric and communal areas of mixed tenure blocks is necessary.
“Many mixed tenure blocks require significant investment due to their age, and other related factors, to ensure they are wind and watertight, warm, damp free, safe, and secure.
“These essential works will improve the energy efficiency of homes; reduce residents’ energy bills; and improve the overall area. To that end, Council officers will continue to support tenants and private owners alike.”