Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC): Housing Stakeholder minutes – December 2023

Attendees and apologies

The Scottish Government

• Housing Standards and Quality (Chair)
• Building Standards Division 
• RAAC Coordination Team
• Property Team 

External stakeholders

• Built Environment Forum Scotland
• Scottish Property Federation
• Trust Housing Association
• North Lanarkshire Council
• Scottish Federation of Housing Associations
•  Scottish Heads of Property 
• Scottish Housing Regulator
• Aberdeen City Council
• Under One Roof 

Items and actions

Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) - update on data collection project – findings and next steps 

The Scottish Housing Regulator provided an update on their data collection project, providing an analysis of social landlords’ responses to its survey on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in social housing.   

The Regulator’s survey identified that, to date, nine landlords that have identified the presence of RAAC in some of the homes they provide to tenants with a total of 953 homes affected. Following further updates from landlords, 97 have now confirmed that there is no RAAC present in their tenants’ homes, and 59 continue to investigate whether RAAC is present in any of their homes. The number of homes currently under investigation is 27,318.  

The nine landlords that have identified the presence of RAAC in some of their homes are: 

• Aberdeen City Council 
• Almond Housing Association Ltd 
• Angus Council 
• The City of Edinburgh Council 
• Clackmannanshire Council 
• North Lanarkshire Council 
• South Lanarkshire Council 
• Stirling Council 
• West Lothian Council 

Since reporting the above, one further Local Authority is in the process of confirming the outcome of their investigation. 

The SHR has issued two press releases to publicly make available a summary of data as it emerges. The SHR is also in the process of responding to an information request regarding this data.

The next steps for the SHR are

• update SG with weekly data sets as further information becomes available 
• engage with LA’s to determine the stage of their investigations 
• proactively manage data information, including updating SG as the landlords confirm new findings as a result of their investigations 

Intelligence sharing – RAAC in private housing 

The group were invited  to share any information attendees might be aware of about RAAC in private housing.  

It was noted that Homes for Scotland’s initial research which had previously been shared with the group had suggested that RAAC was not widely used in privately built housing. However, there was the potential for RAAC to be present in privately owned residential properties which was previously social housing. In addition, RAAC may be present in converted commercial buildings. It was understood that the UK Government building safety regulator was undertaking research in this area with the opportunity for members of this group to be involved in that work. 

In terms of the RAAC that had been identified to date, the majority was considered to be in good condition. Moreover, maintenance plans were in place where RAAC had been found. The SHR reported that where immediate risks had been identified these were dealt with in a timely fashion including through the use of urgent decanting if required.   

The importance of capturing data about properties which had been sold and were now in private ownership was stressed including the need to differentiate between private and RSL stock, as well as where the tenants were renting privately. 

While not being a cause of immediate concern the issue of capacity to deal with the volume of RAAC related repairs was also highlighted.  

An update was provided on the actions being taken by a Local Authority  around RAAC, highlighting ongoing investigations and survey work. The authority has also written to all of their social tenants regarding planned inspections and will carry out an option appraisal exercise. In addition, private tenants have been advised to seek professional advice from a structural surveyor. The cost of inspections was highlighted as a concern by the LA as they are restricted from using  Housing Revenue Account funding for this purpose. It was though also noted that Local Authorities have access to specialist engineers which would not ordinarily be the case with private tenants. 

In response to the possibility of Scottish Government  funding for assessing and identifying RAAC, it was highlighted that no additional funds had been made available to the Scottish Government from the UK Government to help address issues relating to RAAC. The UK Government are currently collecting data to determine the scale of the problem. Given the extent of the estate  this will take time and no money as yet had been set aside specially for RAAC.

Updates and sharing best practice 

All organisations present were invited to provide any further information or updates. The following issues were raised: 

• the limited amount of data available regarding the possible presence of RAAC in the retail sector as the sector was yet to respond to requests for information.
• the need for co-ordinated and consistent information, such as FAQs, that could be made available nationally on the Scottish Government website. Aberdeen City Council shared a link to their FAQ page: https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/housing/raac-council-housing for information 
• third Sector organisation Under One Roof shared that they provide information to owner occupiers and landlords, advising them with dealing with common repairs, and requested guidance on information which can be made available on their website 
• the Scottish Government RAAC Co-ordination team indicated that they would welcome any contributions, resources and information which could help inform communication and information sharing. These could be emailed to the team’s mailbox  
• various practical issues about the implementation of an effective assessment and monitoring regime – the group noting that the Manufacturing Technology Centre was in the early stages of exploring non-invasive survey techniques and that this information would be shared with the group in due course 
• officials had contacted the Built Environment Forum Scotland to request any relevant information they might hold and which could be shared with the group in order to help inform discussion

Any other business and date of next meeting

No other items were raised. The date of the next meeting has still to be confirmed.