Residents of a block of flats in Craigleith in Edinburgh have been advised of huge sums for common repairs, some of which have only come to their notice ten years after contractors first prepared a report for the council. 

We understand that repairs are required to the building’s heating system, to remove asbestos, and a long list of common repairs including the roof.

Maidencraig Court, located in the north west of the city, is a block of 42 flats built in 1956, where The City of Edinburgh Council is both the property factor and also owner of three flats.

Maintenance is overseen by a residents’ association as well as the council who act as factors.

This news comes amid the council voting on Monday (JUN 1) to withdraw as the factor of several of its minority-owned blocks of flats, including Maidencraig Court.

A report about the central heating system prepared by RSP Consulting Engineers in 2016 for the council stated that the gas boilers in Maidencraig Court had already “far exceeded” their life expectancy of 15-20 years at that point. 

Some residents allege that they were only provided with a copy of the report in 2019, three years after it was first prepared.

All residents were advised by Edinburgh Council in 2022 that works may be required to replace the central heating system.

The 2016 report said that cast iron radiators and steel pipework were past their life expectancy of 25 and 35 years respectively, and the report “highly recommended that these are removed and replaced with a new installation”.

The report had also advised the replacement of all gas pipework and meters to each property due to their poor condition.

PURCHASER UNAWARE

One homeowner who purchased a property in Maidencraig Court after 2020, and who wishes to remain anonymous, said that they were not made aware of any defects or maintenance required by the council during their purchase. 

In emails seen by The Edinburgh Reporter, Edinburgh Council advised the selling solicitor that “there are no outstanding repairs for this block” and that “there are no common building defects, maintenance issues, or pending matters that I am aware of”. This appears to have overlooked the terms of the 2016 report calling for repairs.

The council, acting as factors, first reached out to residents raising issues with the communal heating system in June 2022. 

The local authority then sent a letter in November 2023 asking all owners to vote on whether the council would take the lead in commissioning a condition survey report on the heating system.

No reference was made by the council to the seven-year-old report which stated that the heating system was past its life expectancy.

The council raised the condition of the central heating system as a result of the “communal heating annual service visit”.

COMMUNAL HEATING SYSTEM

A separate report was then produced by Blackwood Partnership in October 2024, listing various options for the future of the communal heating system.

The first option was for a “boiler like-for-like replacement” totalling £179,000.

The second option was for a new communal heating system totalling £638,818.

The third option was for a new semi-communal heating system totalling £1,349,766.

The fourth option was for a new individual apartment-based gas-fired condensing combination boiler totalling £469,977.

The fifth option was for new apartment-based high heat retention heaters totalling £397,416.

A first version of Blackwood’s report did not include the option to decommission and isolate the heating plant, but that alternative was added at the request of the Residents Association.

This last option would allow the residents to decide on the future heating requirements but leave no individual heating in the apartments, and would cost £6,053.

The report also noted: “The existing heating system is part original build and part nearly 50 years old. It has served the building well but is now well past its economic life. 

“The boilers are obsolete and spare parts are unobtainable. Only two of the five boilers are operational.”

The council served a statutory notice dated 11 February 2026 on the entire block. 

The Statutory Notice issued by the council on 11 February 2026 required the owners to remedy the following: 

• Defective flat roof covering to four main flat roof areas
• Damaged/inadequate lead flashings around perimeters of flat roof areas
• Defective flat roof coverings over three lift motor rooms
• Damp/saturated insulation below roofing felt to all areas
• Weathered and missing sections of UPVC guttering and downpipes to high level shallow pitched roofs
• Weathered/rotten fascias and soffits behind UPVC rainwater goods
• Missing render to north-east stair elevation
• Missing concrete to soffits of rear staircases
• Spalled render/poor paintwork above flashing to flat roof areas
• Damaged pointing/paintwork to copes to pediments over main entrances
• Heavily rusted supports and treads to three nr stairs to lift motor rooms
• Rotten timber to bases of double doors into lift motor rooms
• Inadequate threshold heights, poor paint finish and limited rot to base of doors/architraves to doors into stores off flat roof areas and into staircases
• Loose areas to shallow pitched copper clad roofs and flashings
• Loose lightning protection system
• Uncertified fall arrest system

In the notice it is made clear that the notice is imposed on the block due to owners being “unable to agree to undertake the works themselves”.

FACTORING SERVICES

A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, was critical of the council’s role as the property factor, part of which would have been to advise residents of any repairs required and any reports produced.

The owner said: “The council has failed as a factor for years. For me all of these things were negligence on their part. 

“From my perspective, I shouldn’t have come into a building with these reports advising from 2016 that these are past their shelf life.”

Another property owner said: “I’m a single parent and a full-time teacher. I have no savings. 

“I’m in my late 30s and this is my first step on the property ladder because it’s impossible for me to save up with how expensive Edinburgh rent is. I need to live near to my work as I don’t drive. 

“I’m extremely worried about the bombardment of repair costs coming in. I’m happy to pay my share of course, but I don’t know how I can possibly do that with everything coming through at once.”

The Edinburgh Reporter asked the council to provide detailed information on its role as factor.

The council confirmed that it acts as a property factor in high-rise blocks where it owns properties – such as Maidencraig Court – with its role involving responding to requests for repairs from owners, arranging repairs and handling maintenance, budgeting and collecting payments, and communicating with homeowners.

The council is responsible for managing the common parts of the block such as stairwells, lifts, common services, the structure and the roof – but is not required to proactively inspect for repairs.

However, this does not mean that the council must actively instruct repair work at its own cost.

In many cases, collective owners must first indicate whether they want works to the common parts to go ahead, and that they will pay for them. 

Housing, Homelessness, and Fair Work Convener, Councillor Tim Pogson said: “We take our duties as building factor extremely seriously and the safety of residents is quite rightly our top priority.

“We are aware of several complex issues concerning communal repairs in the block, some of which span a number of years.

“We are investigating these fully and will keep residents up to date on progress and recommended next steps.”