People living in properties affected by the potentially dangerous concrete RAAC have taken their fight for financial support to Holyrood, delivering a petition to the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish Government says they’re working to ensure residents are supported, but campaigners argue that their concerns are being ignored.
Thousands of homes and flats across the country have been affected by crumbling concrete, which is susceptible to structural failure and is found in many ex-council houses.
STV NewsResidents say they are living in limbo, with hundreds forced from their homes due to the unstable nature of the material.
On Wednesday, campaigners delivered a petition to Holyrood calling on the Scottish Government to create a national fund to support struggling homeowners.
STV NewsIn Aberdeen, 500 affected homes in the Balnagask area are to be demolished and rebuilt.
Aberdeen City Council have agreed to buy private properties containing the potentially dangerous concrete through a voluntary purchase scheme, offering the market value of the homes but deducting the cost of the RAAC roof panels.
Residents say they face losses of thousands of pounds, with many refusing to engage in the process.
Kerry Louise MacIntosh told STV News: “My heart’s broken today. Watching these homeowners go through what they’re going through. I’ve been there, the amount of physical and mental stress.
“There’s homeowners who are suicidal. They don’t want to be here anymore. They can’t stay in their property, they’ve been moved out their property…they can’t get into to their personal belongings.
STV NewsLynsey McQuater was forced out of her home in Tillicoultry after RAAC was found, and she hasn’t been allowed to retrieve her belongings – despite still paying the mortgage on the property.
She told STV News: “It’s really, really hard. I still work full-time. And there’s some days I wake up, and I just cry. I’m 13 months down the line. That was my home for 23 years. So it was a big, massive part of me. And, you know, you get home, you get to feel safe and secure. We don’t have that anymore, and it’s really hard.”
Meanwhile, Yvonne and Roslin both have homes in Chestnut Grove in Livingston. Their properties were found to have not just RAAC roofs but crumbling concrete walls.
STV NewsYvonne Middlemass said: “My husband retired, bought the house in 2017 unaware, nothing in any paper work, that anything was wrong and then found out that this is the situation.
“But Chestnut Grove, it’s not just the roofs. It’s the walls as well as the roofs. People have it in their roofs, that can be repaired. We can’t, how can we repair a house that’s 100% RAAC?”
The Scottish Government says while homeowners are responsible for their own building maintenance costs, it will continue to work closely with local authorities who can provide advice and support.
Campaigners say they won’t stop their fight until they get a fair deal.
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