Reform lays new foundations for future of enforced repairs

City council chiefs have ordered that the way it forces owners to carry out the repairs should be made more "customer friendly" amid increasing complaints from homeowners.

A four-person customer care team is to be hired to deal with all communication between the council and residents involved.

It is hoped that the new customer care team will help ease the growing pressure on the service and help avoid "confrontational" situations with people who are being forced to foot the bill for the work.

Council officials are to be told to be clearer in letters about the process and what it means for homeowners.

All estimates of the cost of work are to include full details of where the costs came from.

A much more fundamental reform of the process could still happen as the second stage of the review.

The reforms announced today are unlikely to appease residents who have been landed with hefty bills that they are struggling to pay.

They do not address concerns many residents have about contractors finding extra work and overcharging them.

Councillor Phil Wheeler, the city's finance leader, said: "I welcome this initial report and action plan as an important first step towards relieving the growing pressure on the property conservation service.

"This service, unique to Edinburgh, is designed to be of benefit to both the city and property owners but it is important that the unexpected financial burden it can place on individuals is recognised and managed appropriately.

"One way of doing this is to offer dedicated customer service support throughout."

Around 3000 statutory repair notices are served on properties each year, which involve the need to inform around 37,000 property owners of repairs.

The value of the work grew from 9.2 million in 2005 to 20m in 2009, and the property conservation team is now handling 966 projects with a total value of more than 30m.

Each owner is given 28 days from the notice being served to carry out the work. If they do not, the council can appoint a contractor itself then demand the cash from residents - while also charging a 15 per cent fee for its services.

The council's director of city development, Dave Anderson said a review of sample cases will take place, to see if customers have been overcharged.

Council chiefs will also look at whether the current system of forcing repairs on residents is the best way to protect the city's heritage, or if there should be fundamental reform.

Cllr Wheeler said: "The council must consider whether the current legislation remains the most appropriate mechanism to enforce statutory repairs."

Sky-high bills contested across the Capital

Brian Taylor outside the shop he and his neighbours are being asked to pay for.

PRICY repair bills being forced on property owners are being contested across the Capital.

At Dalkeith Road, a group of tenement residents including Brian Taylor have been handed a bill of up to 80,000 to fix a ground floor shop after its owner disappeared and left the unit to rot. They have now been given help to track down the owner by a private investigator.

At Moat Drive, residents were given a statutory notice to replace a roof tile - but the contractor appointed by the council has found a series of other problems that will now cost residents more than 6500 each.

Chris Gillon, brother of one of the residents, has been fighting the case with the council.

He said: "There does not seem to be any control of the costs once the contractor is appointed. They are given the freedom to pick faults and the more they find the more profits their company gets."