More than £6000 has been spent removing extensive dry rot in a Glasgow flat in a bid to gain approval to let it out for rent.
A House In Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence has now been granted for the apartment at 19 Wilton Street following the completion of work to remedy the damage to the windowsill and attic of a four-bedroom flat for rent in Maryhill.
During an inspection last year, Glasgow City Council officers discovered the issue in one of the bedrooms causing them serious concern.
A report was brought before the licensing committee on Wednesday.
Managing agent Angus Johnston, speaking on behalf of his brother Charlie Johnston, made the case to councillors to grant the HMO, which allows unrelated people from more than two households to live together.
Chairman Alex Wilson said: “We have seen the report and the second bedroom had extensive rot affecting the window area.
“This was noted during the inspection last year. Can you tell me has this been instructed to be repaired or has it been repaired since that date?”
It was confirmed that the damage had been fixed and that the brothers now know what to look out for when identifying dry rot.
Mr Johnston said: “The flat had only been vacant for two weeks at the time the HMO licensing team came to visit. It was one of the officers who found the rot which came to us out of the blue.
“It was noted that it extended into the shared roof of this property and we were trying to get neighbours to contribute to the costs of fixing it.
“We have now made the decision to pay for this work privately which is costing £6,500. We are hoping to complete the work on Friday.”
Mr Wilson asked the applicant why neither of them had picked up on the issue prior to inspection.
Mr Johnston said: “It was only noted on the outside of the windowsill. Inside the property there was no visual rot.
“What appeared after six months of investigation was that the gutter outside had a leak between the external wall and the inside of the plaster. It wasn’t until the window was opened that the rot was noted.
“We have worked hard to make this a really nice place to live and know what to look out for in the future.”
