Who pays for tenement roof repairs in Glasgow?
The short answer
In most Glasgow tenements, every flat in the building shares the cost, not just the top floor. Your title deeds come first. If they are silent or unclear, the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 makes the roof shared property, and the bill is usually split equally between flats, unless the largest flat is more than one and a half times the size of the smallest.
Key points
- Check your title deeds first. They override the default rules.
- Under the Tenement Management Scheme, roof costs are usually shared equally between flats.
- Costs are split by floor area if the biggest flat is more than 1.5 times the size of the smallest.
- Owners decide on repairs by simple majority, with one vote per flat.
- Any owner can instruct urgent work to stop damage, and recover the shares later.
Start with your title deeds
Title deeds for Glasgow tenements often say who owns and maintains the roof, the close, the back court and other common parts. If your deeds clearly allocate roof costs, that allocation applies. Your solicitor, or the Registers of Scotland, can give you a copy of your title.
Many older deeds are vague, contradict each other, or say nothing useful. That is where the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 comes in.
How the Tenement Management Scheme splits the bill
The Act includes a default set of rules called the Tenement Management Scheme. Where the deeds do not deal with something, the scheme fills the gap. Under the scheme:
- The roof over the close and stair is treated as scheme property, maintained by all the flats it serves, even though the top-floor owners may own it outright.
- Maintenance costs are shared equally between the flats.
- The exception: if the floor area of the largest flat is more than 1.5 times the smallest, costs are shared in proportion to floor area.
So in a typical eight-flat close where all flats are similar in size, each owner pays one eighth of a roof repair.
How owners make decisions
- Each flat gets one vote, and decisions are made by a simple majority.
- Owners can decide to carry out maintenance, appoint a factor, and require each owner to pay a deposit for the work.
- Owners who disagree can apply to the sheriff court to have a decision annulled, within a short time limit.
- If your building has a factor, the factor usually organises quotes and votes on the owners' behalf.
Emergency repairs
If water is pouring in or slates are about to fall into the street, you do not have to wait for a vote. The Act allows any owner to instruct emergency work needed to prevent damage or for safety, and recover the other owners' shares afterwards. Keep photos, the roofer's report and the invoice.
Roofers usually need scaffolding or a cherry picker for tenement roofs, and those need council permits in Glasgow. Our guide to scaffolding and skip permits lists the current fees.
If a neighbour will not pay
Owners who refuse to pay can be pursued for their share through the courts. Councils also have powers under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 to help with repairs to private homes, and some can pay a "missing share" and recover it from the owner who did not pay. Contact Glasgow City Council's private sector housing team to ask what applies to your building.
Every owner in a tenement must also have buildings insurance for the reinstatement value of their flat, including a share of the common parts. Check your policy covers the roof.
Choosing a roofer
Get at least three written quotes that describe the same work, with photos of the problem. Be wary of anyone who knocks on the door offering to fix a roof they say they noticed from the street. Our guide on spotting rogue roofers explains why. The firms in our Glasgow roofers table were checked on reviews, vetting and track record.
Questions
Do ground-floor owners have to pay for the roof?
Usually yes. Under the Tenement Management Scheme, the roof is maintained by all the flats it covers, which normally includes the ground floor.
Does the top-floor owner own the roof?
Often the top-floor owners own the roof above their flats, but under the Act the roof over the close and stair is still maintained by all the owners it serves.
What if there are commercial units on the ground floor?
Shops and other units in the building count as flats under the Act and normally share costs in the same way, unless the deeds say otherwise.
Is this legal advice?
No. This is a general guide. Your deeds and your building are unique, so speak to a solicitor or your factor for advice on your own situation.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk: Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 (opens in a new tab)
- Glasgow City Council: road permits, skips and scaffolding (opens in a new tab)
This guide is general information about Glasgow and Scotland, checked on 3 November 2026. Prices and rules change, so confirm anything important with the organisation named before you act.
