Concerns over tendering for work under the City of Edinburgh Council Statutory Notices Scheme has resulted in an independent investigation being carried out by Deloitte. Until the investigation is complete all non-emergency statutory repair work has been suspended. Only emergency work, or work which has already started, will be dealt with. You can check the Council's website to find out what is categorised as an emergency:

Edinburgh City Council Statutory Repairs

What if a Statutory Notice is in place but the work has not started?

You want to sell your property, a statutory notice is in place but the work hasn't started. Who is responsible for your share of the cost? Unfortunately you are! Estimated work is only a guide for the cost of the work being dealt with at the time of the estimate. If neighbours are reluctant to work together to get the repairs done, it could be years before the work is carried out. A purchaser is not going to want to be left out of pocket if he accepts the estimate and a seller does not want to be held responsible years down the line...

So how do you safeguard for the future? You could:

• Hire a factoring service

All tenement residents can now hire a factoring service under the Tenement Management Scheme who will carry out regular surveys of your building and arrange regular repair and maintenance work on your behalf. Taking out the hassle and worry of organising all the owners in a block of flats to make repairs.

• Set up an Owners Association

Another way to tackle common repairs is to set up an Owners Association. An Owners Association is a group of owners who have decided to work together and tackle issues of shared concern such as keeping a tenement and back green or roof in good state of repair. The association would be a group with formal agreements about how decisions are made, how bills are paid and sets out rules and responsibilities of all owners. Talk to your neighbours - they may agree this is the best way forward for everyone.

We have an experienced team that can help you with all aspects of statutory notices, factoring services and setting up owners associations. For more information or advice please get in touch.