Right-to-buy residents left in ‘limbo’ by RAAC discovery
Homeowners who are set to be forced out of their properties after collapse-risk concrete was found in the roofs are threatening legal action over the council’s handling of the “complete nightmare”.
Tenants on a council housing estate in Aberdeen were told in February that they would have to move out after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) panels were found in about 500 homes.
But residents who purchased their homes after the properties were sold off under the Right to Buy scheme say they have been left in “total limbo” by Aberdeen City Council.
The homeowners fear that they too will have to leave. On the estate, 140 homes are privately owned while more than 360 are rented out to council tenants.
Homeowners told i they are discussing joint legal representation to get compensation if the local authority decides to demolish the estate, and to explore whether the council may have been negligent in failing to address structural flaws. Councils have the power to demolish homes that are owned by residents using compulsory purchase orders.
Hannah Chowdhry, a 20-year-old law student, bought her ex-council home on the Balnagask estate for £120,000 last summer – but says she was not told about the presence of RAAC in the roofs.
“I’m totally shocked,” she said.
“The whole community is distraught. We don’t want to lose the money we’ve put into our homes. We want to get proper compensation. We’ll be fighting for an outcome that is fair.”
RAAC, a cheap version of concrete compared with Aero chocolate bars because of the “bubbles” contained within panels, was used in construction projects between the 1950s and 1990s. Although the “crumbling concrete” has been estimated to have a lifespan of 30 years, some experts believe it can be repaired and made to last for at least 50 years.
Aberdeen City Council, which first became aware of possible RAAC in its housing estate in September 2023, announced at the end of February that independent engineers had advised the 1960s-built houses at Balnagask contained RAAC and were “high risk”.
The council has said a report to determine the long-term future of the site will take up to six months. Currently, RAAC has not yet been identified as widespread in social housing in England. North of the border, the Scottish Housing Regulator has made its initial inquiries public, and RAAC has been found in almost 1,000 homes.