Council Repair Charges

[ISickboyI]

Any advice would be most appreciated.

I rent a couple of flats in Scotland where one of them is in a shared blocked with 5 other council tenants. I have just received a letter stating that an inspection has been carried out and the lighting and paintwork are in need of remedial action. The close is in above average condition but to be fair is peeling in areas so I do not have an issue with this.

My concern is with the price that I have been quoted. £1,897.39 +VAT for a 3 storey block of flats! For my 1/6th it comes to £316.23 +VAT! Is this just something I have to put up with or is there any grounds for appeal based on their overly exaggerated repair costs? What actions should I take? Request breakdown of their figures? Obtain quotes from other sources?

Thanks in adavance,

Andrew

[P.Pilcher]

To be quite honest, for a block of flats of this size, the charge either to repaint the block or your share does not seem unreasonable. If you can get it done more cheaply, why don't you obtain a quotation and send it to the housing department at the council having telephoned first to establish who the responsible individual is and discussed the matter with him.

P.P.

[MrWoof]

My first rented property was an ex council maisonette in Haringey, service charges were £1200 pa in 1997 and maintenance was on top of this. There is no real comeback against a local authority, Haringey even changed the way they calculated charges so we couldn't work out their fairness because there were so many complaints. I have only one suggestion where this type of property is concerned, get rid, its not worth the hassle. Wait 'till they want to build a community centre, council tenants vote 'yes' you see the bill but are outvoted. A friend of mine received a bill for £10,000 for their share of a community centre they didn't want.