Unlike many European countries, Scotland lacks mandatory owners’ associations, leaving tenants and flat owners to navigate the complexities of retrofitting on their own. With legislative changes years away, the question remains, how can communities take action now to green-proof their homes for the future?

By Devon McCole | Photos by Angus Brodnax

Scotland’s iconic tenements, with their high ceilings and their reddish, sandy stonework, are often celebrated as a distinctive feature of urban living in the Southside. But behind their charm lies a significant challenge: retrofitting these historic buildings for a sustainable future.

While many people would want their homes to be better insulated and more sustainable, as we explored in a previous article, the ‘retrofit revolution’ is not a straightforward transition.

Property Factors

The first thing Emma’s team looked at was property factors, starting with case studies in the Crosshill area.

Property factors themselves tend to manage and maintain the common parts of land or property owned by more than one homeowner, like the stairways, hallways and lifts in a tenement flat.

“In Europe,” she says, “property factors are almost mandatory for condominiums and play a strong role, especially in retrofitting.”

In Scotland, the experience differs, with property factors being more common in the west, where flat owners typically rely on them to manage shared property issues. Whereas in the east, flat owners tend to self-manage their buildings, meaning they handle maintenance and decisions themselves.

Opposition to property factors here in Scotland seems to stem from mistrust about their services and fees: “I think that's why a lot of people maybe resist property factors, it’s like ‘why are we paying for this twice?’ But I think insurance gives the owner peace of mind, knowing that their building is fully insured.”

The main issue is achieving collective agreement among owners, which is essential for building insurance and potential retrofitting projects, “Everybody in the building has to be doing it. If somebody's not doing it and you don't know, then you don't have insurance.” Emma cautioned.

Different owners within a tenement building may have different views on retrofitting, or be unsure about it, or wary of it. That’s why Emma and her team brought members from the property factoring world together in a workshop to try and figure out some solutions together.

Most recently they’ve been seeking owners in Govanhill to join their workshops. Emma hopes that these workshops with property factors and tenement owners will help foster a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in retrofitting tenements. As well as address the lack of clarity and trust around property factors' roles in the retrofit process, and empower owners by giving them the tools, the knowledge, and the resources to improve the energy efficiency of their building.

Owner’s Associations and Navigating the Legislation in Scotland

Through these workshops, they also want to encourage the owners to establish their own owners’ associations for tenement buildings. Something Emma believes would best bring those people together and streamline the decision-making process.

But, as Emma pointed out, Scotland lacks a clear, unified approach, with a divide between the east and the west. Scotland’s system is slower compared to other European countries, like the Netherlands, who implemented Home Owners Associations as far back as the 1970s: “Scotland's a bit of an outlier. You're up against owners and the property rights that owners have, which is the peaceful enjoyment of your property and how you control your property.”

Legislation around mandatory owners associations is still in the works here, which is why Emma and her team are championing better autonomy for owners and tenants: “The government has had to consult on the legal implications of this because it potentially touches on their human rights. It could take years. But they did get two working groups together to discuss tenement maintenance. Both groups are seeing that you have to get owners to come together or else they won't. That’s why I think the way to go is to make owner associations compulsory.”

Whilst Emma is pleased the government is consulting on owners' associations and policies to facilitate retrofitting and sustainable upgrades, she is concerned people are still waiting for change: “We are now asking ourselves ‘what can we do in the interim?’ and ‘how can we innovate?’ I think people should get together and try to agree on things. Start off with repairs. Carry on as if you were a formal organisation and get on with it.”

How far can you go? Angus’ Govanhill retrofit story

Angus Brodnax, a joiner who now works for LocoHome, a cooperative organisation supporting individuals and communities in adopting sustainable housing practices, retrofitted his tenement flat in Govanhill. Combining his professional knowledge with his lived experience, he provides unique insight into the challenges and opportunities of retrofitting a tenement as an owner.

“I was encountering all these issues that our customers come across on a day-to-day basis and I started to think it would be really helpful if I'd gone through this process myself and understood it,” he explains.

Three months into his new job at LocoHome, Angus began retrofitting his flat on Daisy Street: “I just started making a plan to rip the whole place out and go as far as I could on a really limited budget using the government grants. I wanted to see how efficient I could make the flat and also see if I could decarbonise it, which is really difficult to do in a tenement.”

Decarbonising his tenement and abandoning fossil fuels proved to be the biggest challenge. For that, a heat pump had to be installed. Installing it was far from straightforward.

“It turns out that this was the first of this kind of heat pump being sold in the UK,” Angus explains. “It’s the size of a large fridge freezer and it has to be inside your flat. My flat is quite small.”

To ensure the heat pump's efficiency, Angus had to insulate the flat's walls, a task complicated by the tenement’s structure. While the process was invasive, taking about a month to complete, he says the results were worth it: “Previously, my flat was 14 degrees in the mornings when I was warming it up. Now it’s constantly 19 degrees, and my bills have dropped from £85 to £55 a month. I’m infinitely more comfortable.”

His retrofit experience serves as an inspiration, but not without caution: “What I did, with the insulation and the heat pump installed, was going the whole distance. It’s complicated and involves risks, so people should be cautious. At LocoHome we deal with a lot of flats. It’s important to understand that it is actually very difficult to achieve a lot in a tenement situation.”

But he stresses that this is not to discourage people from making the transition: “It’s definitely a lot easier for people living on the bottom floor of a tenement. But even if you’re on the floor in a tenement building and you can sort your windows out, reduce drafts, and insulate the floor and ceiling, you're doing a really good job already. Draft reduction is by far the most effective and cheapest thing to do.”

Emma echoes Angus’s sentiment, noting that small, manageable changes can still make a big difference. She calls this the ‘soft-retrofit’: “Not everyone can afford the shiny heat pump or wants the disruption of big retrofitting projects. But there are small, manageable steps you can take that still improve energy efficiency.”

“That’s why we’re looking at ways to empower people to take these smaller steps now while we wait for bigger changes or funding to make more extensive retrofits accessible to everyone.” she explains.

Looking Ahead

While retrofitting remains a complex journey, stories like Angus’s prove that, with the right support, progress is achievable.

Angus encourages those interested in retrofitting or green-proofing their home to join the LocoHome cooperative: “We've got a really active forum where people talk about these things a lot, particularly Glasgow contacts.”

Mike Heffron from Under One Roof shared that the charity is also seeing retrofit as a gradual process rather than an ‘either/or’ scenario: "There is significant disrepair to tenement buildings throughout Scotland. It makes no sense to consider installing insulation in the loft if the roof above it is leaking and needs replacing." He goes on to explain, "Low and no-regret solutions can have significant effects in keeping heat in and reducing energy emissions from gas boilers until large-scale projects such as heat districts are operational in areas like Govanhill."

Visit underoneroof.scot or locohome.coop for more information