Falkirk Council: New app to help get housing repairs done fairly and quickly

The local authority is working with the company behind Novoville Shared Repairs which is a mobile application that aims to reduce the difficulties that can be experienced by homeowners when arranging common repairs by guiding them through the whole process.

The application allows owners to create a virtual tenement, allowing one or all owners to work through the various legislative steps required to arrange a common repair.

Owners can create and issue standard letters (electronic or paper), identify and agree to repairs, appoint a contractor, collect payment from other owners, instruct and pay a contractor for work done.

Homeowners who arrange and pay for repairs, through the app, will pay, as a block, currently a 2 per cent fee plus VAT on top of the cost of the repair.

The app will link in with the Falkirk Council-backed Buy with Confidence’scheme, offering protections to residents.

The council say this is an “enhanced provision” for people who do not live in blocks where Falkirk Council is the majority owner. In these blocks repairs will continue to be arranged by housing services in the usual way.

The Novoville Shared Repairs has over 1000 tenements signed up in Scotland, which represents approximately 10,000 individual homes.

Falkirk is now the sixth local authority to bring the app to its residents.

Councillor Gary Bouse, Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for housing and communities said: “The app will give users a chance to ensure that everyone pays their share for communal work being carried out in their properties safely and easily.

“It can also help build better relationships amongst property owners as they will have a shared interest in maintaining their building.”

The app was developed by Edinburgh City Council and Novoville.

Louis Daillencourt of Novoville Shared Repairs said: “It is fantastic to have had the chance to work with Falkirk Council, who have been following the progress of our rollout in Scotland closely for some time.

“There are over 22,000 flats in Falkirk, and even more homes which belong in legal tenements (even if they’re not in a block of flats per se), such as four-in-a-block.”

The app is free to download from both the App Store and Google Play.