Council home set to be sold off after repair bill would be more than double market value

South Lanarkshire Council are set to sell the property off.

A council house in Bothwell with serious structural problems is to be sold off after repair costs were found to be more than double the property’s market value.

The former tenant of the two-bedroom property at 13 Morven Way raised concerns about cracks throughout the building and the overall condition of the property — and was permanently rehoused.

The property has been lying empty ever since, and will now go before South Lanarkshire Council’s housing and technical resources committee on June 3, where councillors will be asked to approve the disposal of the house on the open market.

The single-storey end terrace house, which was built in 1960, was flagged after the tenant’s concerns prompted a full structural assessment.

The report by Grossart Associates identified serious defects throughout, including internal and external separation cracks, an off-level floor slab, and wall cracks throughout.

A report by housing director Stephen Gibson, which will be tabled at next week’s meeting, states that the inspection “identified an on-going structural problem within the property, with serious defects noted throughout.”

He wrote: “The total cost of reinstatement works to 13 Morven Way is estimated at £162,687.

“All works included within these costs are mandatory. Any works that were deemed non-essential have been removed from costings to cap the costs of this project.

“It should be noted that, even if these works were carried out, there is no guarantee that structural issues would not re-emerge following this.

“Similar style of properties within the Bothwell area have sold for £87,000 on the open market. Therefore, the reinstatement works to 13 Morven Way are just over double the market value of similar type properties.”

The works required are extensive — stripping out the interior, replacing the roof, installing new external render and windows, and strengthening the external walls.

The recommendation is to sell the 13 Morven Way property as it stands, with any proceeds going into the Housing Revenue Account’s Capital Programme.

With the local authority in the midst of a housing emergency, the council’s estates team “will actively monitor the market in an attempt to buy back other ex-council properties within the area to replace this property.”

*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.

And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.