Survey aims to improve private housing
Wednesday, January 23 2008
The results of a forthcoming survey by the Scottish Government will be used to find more efficient ways of identifying private homes in the Scottish Borders that need to be improved.
The Scottish Government, in partnership with Scottish Borders Council, wants to monitor the condition of the private sector housing stock to inform future housing investment strategies.
Householders will be receiving letters from this week, inviting them to take part in the exercise. They will be visited by an interviewer who will ask them about house repairs and costs. A professional surveyor will then assess the property.
This survey will focus on around 500 private sector homes only, because Scottish Borders Council and local housing associations already have information about social rented housing in the area.
In the private sector, individual owners decide whether to make improvements if their properties need repairs. The Scottish Borders has higher levels of disrepair than the national average.
Scottish Borders has a greater percentage of houses built before 1919 than the rest of Scotland, and a greater percentage of houses built after 1982. The age of housing is reflected in the energy efficiency of the housing stock, and currently Scottish Borders has a poorer energy rating than Scotland as a whole.
Unified Solutions.