A home owner has spoken about how she feels “trapped in her flat” after being hit by a £30,000 bill from her local council for improvements to the building she lives in.
Erin Miller was originally in favour of the works to her Edinburgh block, believing it would benefit the value of her property. However, when faced with the estimated cost, she burst into tears.
The 32-year-old ended up voting against them, but was outvoted by fellow residents, which included homeowners and tenants. Despite securing a grant to put towards part of the bill, she is still left to try and find nearly £20,000 to fund the rest.
Now she has put her plans to sell up on hold, as any potential buyers would have to be notified of the outstanding fee, meaning she would suffer loss on the property, and has hit out at the council for its handling of the situation.
Erin lives in a mixed-tenure block, which had been earmarked for improvements by City of Edinburgh Council. She believed any works would improve her flat’s value and the building’s carbon footprint, but was distraught upon receiving the £30,000 bill.
The council will only go ahead with refurbishment in a mixed-tenure block if over 50 per cent of owners and tenants vote in favour. However, Erin argued she was always going to be outvoted, as her stairwell is made up of four council tenants and two home owners.
The sustainability manager has managed to get a grant of £11,000 to put towards the costs, but is still left with a bill of just under £20,000 she says she cannot afford.
She said: “I was on the fence on whether to vote for the works or not. 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 or 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 had planned to sell her flat to buy a home with her partner, but now feels trapped. She claims the council gave her the choice of a debt repayment plan with a 4 per cent interest rate, or selling her home to the council.
She believes neither option is viable, adding: “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.
Erin was also critical of the local authority’s handling of her predicament, reports Edinburgh Live.
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She said: “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.
“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.”
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