The recent report from the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF)on Scotland's crumbling tenements warned that comprehensive work to renovate tenement closes and properties since the 1960s, has almost ground to a halt and suggests urgent solutions now need to be found.
More than 12,500 pre-1914 tenement flats and 5,000 post 1924 tenements are substandard. Without action, the worst properties face demolition. Meanwhile unimproved properties can drag down whole areas.
"The constant deterioration of the poorly managed and maintained tenement stock not only has an impact on the tenements immediately affected, but on a much wider area.
"At its worst it can make the areas concerned feel less attractive, less safe and more isolated places to live," the report says.
Housing associations have a long history of bringing such neglected buildings up to a decent standard. Those surveyed for the report highlighted three main reasons for properties becoming sub standard: lack of routine maintenance, a lack of management of the building and a lack of interest from owners.
Some private owners, having bought under right to buy, find themselves property rich, but unable to afford essential repairs. And while some private landlords are responsible, others refuse to pay for any maintenance leading to what one local authority housing official called 'a major time bomb'.
There are examples of successful responses to this however, such as Queen's Cross Housing Association which won a Herald property award for taking over vacant tenements earmarked for demolition and turning around 44 affordable homes in an impressive regneration project.
The question of whether private owners will cooperate with housing associations looking to buy and regenerate run down blocks appears answered by Govanhill Housing which neighbours 13 tenement blocks identified as a priority for action.
With an initial budget to acquire just 80 properties, the association has already had more than 90 enquries, 40 per cent of them from small landlords and 60 per cent from owner ooccupiers.
Not all schemes are as promising. Paisley South Housing Association recently withdrew from a scheme to renovate 54 local flats because subsidies were such that the proposal was deemed too risky. A solution is being sought but the affected properties continue to worsen.
Another hurdle is that some of the relevant skills have been lost. "Contractors now have less experience of the flexibility required for this work," the GWSF report says.
GWSF says a one-size fits all approach will not work but is callling for the Scottish Government to fund more intensive tenement improvement schemes, and introduce enforceable legal responsibilities for tenement owners to share maintenance costs.
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