Council shares progress on grant programme for Glasgow’s private sector homes

The PHSG programme provides support for private housing to help meet two key objectives of the city’s Housing Strategy: to improve the condition of existing housing stock and to preserve Glasgow’s tenements and built heritage, and to improve the energy efficiency of Glasgow’s homes.

A 2019/20 survey of pre-1919 tenement properties - there are 70,000 such homes, an important, affordable part of the owner-occupied and private-rented sector in Glasgow - found that around 5% of these were in a state of serious disrepair. Certain areas of the city see higher concentrations of tenements in poor condition, with associated problems with repair and maintenance.

The 2006 Housing Act placed a greater emphasis on owners of private homes taking responsibility for their maintenance and repair, and investment in Glasgow’s pre-1919 tenements continues to be key in tackling their decline, and - in some cases - preventing demolition. However, in instances where owners cannot carry out essential repairs, the council is required to intervene to do so. Repair costs for such tenements can be over £500,000, and given the PHSG programme’s funding has remained static over the past decade, the programme faces some challenges.

A key step in protecting privately owned and rented tenements is the appointment of a property factor to maintain and repair properties in common ownership, and the council’s Private Sector Housing team will assist owners find a property factor. Property factors and owners are required to put a maintenance plan in place for their tenement building and take out common building insurance to allow them to be considered for grant funding towards the cost of common fabric repairs, as this will safeguard public investment and encourage them to take responsibility for the future maintenance of their buildings.

A number of examples below illustrate the range of support through the PHSG programme:

• A statutory form of this support is the provision of grants raging between 80-100% for adaptations to the privately owned/rented homes of disabled people;
• Financial support is provided to owners who take responsibility for tenement repairs and carry out work on a voluntary basis. The council’s part-funding of the Glasgow City Heritage Trust allows extra funding to the voluntary repairs programme, and the council’s support of the Under One Roof website means owners have both access to impartial advice and information on maintenance and repairs in common blocks;
• The Missing Shares programme has supported 600 owners in tenements carry out around £2.5 million of common repair work since April 2025;
• The council is supporting housing associations in carrying out repairs to pre-1919 tenements, with Linthouse Housing Association and Southside Housing Association being two examples, and the council is also working with Wheatley Homes to carry out repairs on tenements on High Street, King Street, Parnie Street and Trongate in 2025/26;
• In the Central Conservation Area, major common fabric repair schemes are being supported in Sauchiehall Street and surrounding areas;
• The council’s Housing team will engage with owners / private landlords to instruct repairs in some of the more challenging cases of dampness or mould arising from water ingress in tenements, and PHSG funding may be considered appropriate in certain circumstances.

The delivery framework for the retrofit of homes in Glasgow is being developed, and pre-1919 tenements would be an early focus for action - subject to funding - through the framework.

The committee was also given an update on the programme for 2024/25, which saw £8.614m spent through the PHSG, mostly on voluntary repairs - including small-scale works and retrofit measures - disabled adaptations, care and repair, and statutory repairs.

Councillor Ruairi Kelly, convener for Housing and Development at Glasgow City Council, said: “The Private Housing Support Grant programme helps owners and tenants across Glasgow, protecting our hugely important tenements and allowing disabled adaptation and a range of repair works. Supporting owners with necessary repairs on these buildings also prevents the deterioration becoming an issue for adjoining buildings, which can be a problem in higher density areas.”