Ex-council does not mean the council pays every repair bill. The Council mixed-tenure repairs guidance says all owners, including the council, are responsible for their shares of common repairs. The council represents the flats it owns and funds their shares. A private owner’s contribution needs a separate check.
Start with the deeds, not the former landlord
The council explains that roofs, external walls and stairs can be common areas in mixed-tenure blocks. Some parts may be shared by only some owners, while others belong to an individual flat. The title deeds set the cost split; where they do not explain it, legal rules apply. Ask your solicitor what that means for the precise block and flat.
Is the council actually the property factor?
Do not infer that from the building’s history. The Council property factoring service says the council acts as factor at a number of multi-storey blocks and has been withdrawing the service from specified blocks. Check the current arrangement, who manages work and where to report repairs. The fact that the council owns some flats is not, on its own, confirmation of the factoring position.
What does a council factor do?
The factoring page describes managing communal repairs when reported and carrying out compliance checks. It says routine compliance checks are not routine inspections of buildings for repairs. An existing factor is therefore not a substitute for reading the Home Report or investigating defects.
Documents to ask for before offering
- The deeds and the current factoring or management information.
- Recent accounts and the basis of charges.
- Details of proposed, voted-on or contracted common works, including estimates and notices.
- Any money already demanded, paid or held for those works.
- Insurance information and any known gaps in cover.
Ask your solicitor how outstanding decisions and charges will be handled in the sale. Do not rely on a seller’s verbal assurance that “the council deals with it”.
Use the same property checks as elsewhere
Read the Home Report, inspect the flat and ask about consents for alterations. Our factor guide and insurance checklist cover related enquiries. You can browse postcode areas and compare streets, but our heritage data does not identify ex-council ownership, management arrangements or future repair bills. Constitution Street and the Leith map illustrate the heritage lookup only, not council ownership.
Questions buyers ask
Does the council pay every repair in an ex-council block?
No. The council says all owners, including itself, are responsible for their shares of common repair costs. Check the title deeds and the particular works.
Is Edinburgh Council always the factor?
No such assumption is safe. Check the current factoring arrangement for the block; former council ownership does not establish it.
Does the website identify ex-council flats?
No. Our data concerns conservation areas and listed buildings, not ownership history, factoring contracts or repair bills.
General information from open data, not legal advice. Confirm the details with the council, Historic Environment Scotland or your solicitor.
Not legal advice. This is a plain-English summary of official sources to help you know what to ask. Every property is different, so check the details with your solicitor, surveyor or the council before you rely on it.
Related
EH6 postcode area · Missing repair shares · Tenement repair rules · Browse postcode areas · Search a street
Compare two streets · The Edinburgh flat buyer’s checklist · Data sources and limitations
Official sources
Checked 6 November 2026. Council mixed-tenure repairs guidance · Council property factoring service · mygov.scot Home Report guidance · mygov.scot common-repair responsibility. Summaries are our wording; check the originals for your property.