AN app designed to help owners of shared properties repair their buildings has been rolled out in two further areas of Scotland following its success in Edinburgh.
Developed by tech company, Novoville, in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, the Shared Repairs app launched in April last year and has helped more than 500 tenements carry out £700,000 worth of repairs.
Repairs carried out range from £50,000 for extensive roof repairs down to £200 for new door locks, through to £20,000 improving stonework, £5,000 repainting stairwells, to £2,000 on new gutters.
The app lists around 150 contractors which are members of Edinburgh’s trusted trader scheme, with users being able to request quotes from the firms before taking a vote via the app on which of the companies to opt for.
Following its success in the capital, Perth and Kinross and East Ayrshire councils have announced today that they are to launch the app in their constituencies.
Councillor Mandy Watt, finance and resources convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said, “The feedback I’m getting is that without the app, some people say they wouldn’t have had the confidence to approach neighbours and get the repairs done, or the process would have taken a lot longer due to communication breakdowns and uncertainties about the correct course of action.”
Louis Daillencourt of Novoville added, “It’s been a pleasure to work with Edinburgh proprietors in the last year to help them fix often longstanding issues, keep their buildings safe, and make them more comfortable. Thanks to their feedback, we’ve learnt a lot and invested towards making the app ever simpler to use.
“This year, we’re progressing on multiple fronts. First, we’re deploying in more local authorities, collaborating with their private sector housing teams to make the app available to more and more owners around the country. We’re also continuing to work with consultants, architects and surveyors to ensure proprietors get the programme of work and maintenance plan their building needs. But in the wake of COP26, we’re also working on an absolutely critical development: making energy-efficiency upgrades accessible through the app.”
