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

Attendees and apologies

Scottish Government 

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

External stakeholders

• Built Environment Forum Scotland
• Scottish Property Federation
• Clackmannanshire Council
• Trust Housing Association
• North Lanarkshire Council
• Scottish Federation of Housing Associations
• City of Edinburgh Council
• Bield Housing Association
• Scottish Housing Regulator
• Aberdeen City Council
• Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers

Items and actions

Terms of Reference 

The purpose of the group was explained with reference to the terms of reference for the main group. The purpose is for high level and strategic discussion, and it is not intended for this group to take on responsibility for the management of dangerous buildings. 

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. SHR issued guidance for landlords to follow when making the initial RAAC assessment, and they have now received all these initial returns. The latest information from social landlords shows that there are 1,150 properties with RAAC across 12 landlords. 

The next steps for the SHR are:

• contact the 12 landlords who have (as of 16 Nov) identified RAAC to let them know the information will be released 
• proactive management of data and information – including publication of summary data as soon as the 12 landlords have been informed of the data release
• start to gather more fine-grained information, including on engagement with tenants
• update the information as landlords provide new information to SHR.  Confirmed that this will be expected proactively as new information becomes available, although reminders are likely to be issued

Scottish Government officials gave an update on engagement with UK Government (UKG) with regard to RAAC. UKG had set up a cross-UK departments group which was helpful and allowed SG to access information. This group is no longer meeting, with the UKG focus now on understanding the extent and condition of RAAC in UK departments buildings and assets, especially schools. 

Clackmannanshire Council – Sharing experiences of dealing with unsafe RAAC in housing

Clackmannanshire Council provided a summary of their experiences of dealing with unsafe RAAC in housing. Initially they had assessed their public buildings. A deeper assessment of one housing block was conducted, after issues were identified by a surveyor on 19 September, leading to its evacuation. The poor condition of RAAC in this case was caused by water ingress. This led to review of 8 similar blocks in the area - one was found to have RAAC, which was in good condition.

The on-going desk-top analysis prompted detailed assessment of 40 further blocks, 2 of which were found to have RAAC in poor condition and needed evacuation. Seven of the blocks had RAAC in good condition. Overall, Clackmannanshire have established that there are 10 blocks with RAAC in roofs. To date, the RAAC assessments have been focused on communal areas and the council now plans to include top-floor flats in their assessments. 

The flats in the decanted blocks are a mix of tenures – socially rented, privately rented and owner-occupied. Some of the private owners are initial Right to Buy purchasers, but not all. Private owners are seeking quick decisions from the council about the next steps for the decanted blocks, and initial feedback is that their insurance will not cover issues related to poor condition RAAC. The council is awaiting a decision from their own insurance company. Council officials are also receiving a number of press queries and enquiries from MSPs and others. Residents have been told that there are concerns with the roof. The council’s surveyors have had to be as certain as possible that safety issues meant decanting was the only option. These evacuations have added significant pressure on the temporary accommodation stock.

The council are considering plans for an ongoing monitoring regime, for those blocks with RAAC present where there is no urgent need for action. This will be developed with advice from structural engineers. The council also plans to ensure that all roofs are completely sound so that no water ingress can occur, which could damage the RAAC. Clackmannanshire Council are happy to share information with this group as matters develop. 

Intelligence sharing – RAAC in private housing 

The group were asked to share information about RAAC in private housing. SG opened the discussion by summarising Homes for Scotland’s contribution at the last meeting of this group – that their initial research suggests that RAAC was not widely used in privately built housing. However, we are aware that RAAC is present in privately owned residential property which was previously social housing and some may be present in converted commercial buildings.

Local authorities outlined the number of homes they have in private ownership, both in mixed-tenure blocks and as terraced housing, which either may have RAAC or do not have RAAC . A number of points were raised about: how to avoid devaluing people’s homes, funding for identifying and assessing RAAC, funding for common repairs, responsibility for common repairs and the importance of a common approach across the housing sector, focusing on fairness.

SG highlighted the need to understand the extent of RAAC before any funding options can be considered. It is clear that UKG will not be making any additional money available. The formal liability for the property is on the owner, under legislation. However, as many of these properties were purchased through Right to Buy it is likely that people will expect some support. The main questions affected local authorities are being asked by owners are ‘what are you doing for me, how much are you providing in compensation and when are you going to buy me out?’. 

Updates from organisations 

All organisations present were then invited to provide any information or updates not yet given. A question was raised around capacity for emergency planning in housing associations, and their limited experience of (e.g.) evacuating a building. It was noted that an emergency evacuation would give rise to a homelessness obligation on the part of the council for those with nowhere to stay and that early engagement between housing associations and local authorities is recommended. All local authorities have a local emergency resilience plan which they can share with housing associations and provide support to them as needed. Clackmannanshire noted how important it was to have the housing officers, who know the tenants, as well as the building standards teams present when they decanted the buildings.

All landlords present at the meeting were happy to share updates about their RAAC position and their approach. There is potential for forming a group (or virtual group) of affected landlords to share information and provide support. 

Any other business

No other items were raised.

Date of next meeting

The date of the next meeting is scheduled for the week beginning 11 December 2023. 

Action Log 

Action point 1.1

Engage with affected landlords who have identified RAAC in advance of data release. 

Action point 1.2

Local authority landlords to share examples of information already sent to occupants in order to share with other landlords as best practice.

Action point 1.3

Consider the longer-term relevance of the social housing RAAC database, ensuring suitability for future use.

Action point 1.4

Encourage landlords to keep their asset information up to date. 

Action point 1.5

In-depth discussion on RAAC in private housing and communication with residents to be added to the agenda for next meeting of group

Action point 1.6

Continue to engage with Homes for Scotland for information and evidence on RAAC in private housing.

Action point 1.7

Consider information needs for homeowners to take appropriate action in relation to RAAC and add topic to agenda for next meeting.

Action point 1.8

Convene group of affected landlords to share information and experience with  other social landlords.