LIVING Rent has called on Scottish ministers to intervene amid a retrofit scheme that could reportedly leave local homeowners in a huge amount of debt.
The retrofit scheme, dubbed MTIS (Mixed Tenure Improvement Service) was originally proposed in 2018 to address the poorly insulated and maintained housing stock in Lochend within mixed-tenure buildings.
Many of the homes are reportedly in a state of disrepair, with damp and mould among the issues.
The scheme – which residents initially celebrated – was meant to insulate and repair homes in Lochend and Restalrig, making them more energy efficient and easier to heat, bringing them up to the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH2).
But the joint ownership of affected buildings between council properties and private flats has resulted in the affected homeowners being hit with very high bills for the work, Living Rent has warned.
According to the tenants union, some homeowners have received estimates of over £40,000 – with initial communications about the project advising people to use their savings, or apply for loans with the council’s Scheme of Assistance payment plan, which offers interest rate loans of 4-6%.
Living Rent says that many residents do not have thousands of pounds in savings, nor do residents consider it fair to pay interest on a loan they might have no choice but to take out.
At yesterday’s event in Lochend, tenants’ union members presented a report on their experience of the retrofit scheme, making the case that lessons should be learnt from its rollout.
Members of the tenants union also presented the report to the Just Transition Commission, an independent advisory body to the Scottish Government responsible for providing scrutiny and advice on putting justice at the heart of climate action.
Laura Dalgetty, Living Rent Lochend campaigns officer said: “We have campaigned tirelessly to make this building scheme a fair deal for our community: Homeowners, council and private tenants alike.
"We invited MSPs and councillors to hear how this work is affecting our lives and what we think could be done to make this a positive experience for other communities. Their absence tonight is deeply felt. For retrofits to work and actually involve the community, our politicians would do well to start by taking our experience and expertise seriously.”
