New app to make repairing shared properties easier
For many home owners in East Ayrshire, living in a property with common areas can become a headache, especially when it comes to agreeing and organising maintenance and repairs. But now, thanks to a new app, launched by the Council in conjunction with Novoville, it will be much easier to improve the condition of shared properties throughout the area.
Born out of the Scottish Government’s CivTech Accelerator programme, Novoville's Shared Repairs helps private homeowners carry out the maintenance and repairs of shared (common) areas in their tenement, or housing block. The often lengthy and onerous common repairs process can be managed from the app from start to finish
The Novoville app is free to download on Google Play and the App Store. There is a small fee which is charged only in case of a successful project. It allows users to create their ‘virtual tenement’ and report a repair or maintenance issue to fellow proprietors. Then, app users can hire contractors who are members of East Ayrshire’s Trusted Trader scheme. Receiving quotes, recording of votes and the creation of a digital payment account are also fully supported.
Commenting on the innovation, Councillor Jim McMahon said: “We know that people in flats and housing with common areas can find it very frustrating when routine maintenance and essential repairs need done and it can be very difficult to organise works and get agreement or contributions from all concerned.
“To help with this we also have our Missing Shares Scheme to front the cost of owners not engaging where work needs to be done. But even then, organising a group of householders and engaging contractors can be a daunting and time-consuming effort.
“That’s why we’re delighted to be launching Novoville, which will help make the job of keeping properties in good condition easier, giving property owners the added reassurance of knowing their contractors are Trusted Traders, checked out by our Trading Standards teams, and making the process easier.
“Here in East Ayrshire we have many beautiful older buildings which have fallen on hard times partly because of the difficulty of organising group repairs. We hope Novoville together with our missing shares scheme and the help available from our regeneration team will make it much easier for owners to maintain and improve their properties.”
Commenting on the release, Louis Daillencourt from Novoville said: "We are delighted to be deploying the app in East Ayrshire as the council was one of the very first to express its support when we presented this innovation. The idea for Novoville Shared Repairs is simple: provide a digital place where all your repair and maintenance works can be progressed faster, safer, and in a more convenient way than ever before. The best thing about it? It fully supports tenements where not everyone uses the internet, and comes with an in-built payment account!"
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