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The plight of homeowners affected by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) continues to deepen, as residents in Bathgate, West Lothian, are left with no option but to sell their homes to cash buyers at significantly reduced prices. With no support from West Lothian Council, the Scottish Government, or the UK Government, those affected by this crisis are being forced to absorb financial losses that could have been avoided with timely intervention.
Nicole, a private homeowner in Bathgate, has shared her personal struggle with the situation. Her property, a flat-roofed end-terrace house, appears to have RAAC panelling in the roof. Recognizing the urgent need to sell, she has begun the process of trying to place her home on the market, only to face multiple hurdles.
One of the main barriers to selling is the requirement for a specialist structural engineer to inspect the roof and confirm the presence of RAAC. This inspection is necessary to allow a Chartered Surveyor to provide an accurate valuation of the property. However, after contacting seven different companies—including the Institute of Structural Engineers—Nicole found that no engineers were available to carry out the assessment. Even West Lothian Council’s building standards department lacks professionals qualified to undertake the work.
In one case, an engineer offered to provide a report at a reduced cost (typically £600 + VAT) if a joiner could drill into the roof. However, even obtaining building plans for the property from West Lothian Council proved to be another dead end, as records for Building Standards only go back to 1987 and Planning records to 1992. Nicole has now been advised to search the archives for the information she needs—an arduous and time-consuming process.
In a bid to move forward, Nicole has secured an inspection with a local roofing company that has agreed to confirm the presence of RAAC and provide a quote for roof replacement. However, the survey is scheduled for 4th April 2025, meaning she must endure a long wait with no certainty of a solution.
A Housing Crisis Ignored by Authorities
Nicole’s story is far from unique. Many homeowners in Bathgate and other RAAC-affected communities are finding themselves in similar situations. With no financial assistance or practical guidance from the government, they are being left to fend for themselves. Some have resorted to selling their homes via auction or seeking cash buyers willing to take on properties with structural concerns, often at a fraction of their previous market value.
This crisis is the direct result of cost-cutting measures by local authorities that originally built these homes using RAAC—an inherently weak material that deteriorates over time. Many of these properties were later sold through the now-defunct Right-to-Buy scheme, which was meant to provide homeownership opportunities. However, homeowners now find themselves abandoned by the very institutions that encouraged them to invest in these properties.
Despite the clear government failure in allowing RAAC homes to be sold without warning homeowners of the risks, the Scottish Government, UK Government, and local authorities continue to dispute liability and refuse to provide assistance. Meanwhile, homeowners like Nicole are left with no choice but to sell their properties at devastating losses, stripping them of the financial security they had worked hard to build.
The urgent need for intervention cannot be overstated. Homeowners require immediate financial aid, professional assessment services, and clear government-backed solutions to address the RAAC crisis. Without action, more families will be forced into economic hardship, selling their homes under distressing circumstances, while those responsible continue to evade accountability.
"The ongoing crisis faced by homeowners in Bathgate and across the UK, in my opinion, is a direct result of government and local authority negligence. For decades, successive governments allowed homes to be built with RAAC, an inherently weak and time-limited material, without proper warnings or contingency plans for affected homeowners. Many of these properties were later sold through the Right-to-Buy scheme, meaning buyers unknowingly invested in homes that were always destined to fail.
Now, as these structural failures become undeniable, both the UK and Scottish Governments are abdicating their responsibility. They have a duty to act—not only because these homes were built under their watch, but because they actively encouraged private ownership without disclosing the risks. It is unacceptable that homeowners like Nicole are left with no option but to sell at devastating losses, simply because essential surveys, funding, and solutions remain unavailable.
The government must step up with immediate financial aid, professional assessments, and a clear pathway to remediation. Without urgent intervention, more families will be forced into financial ruin, while those in power continue to turn a blind eye to a crisis they helped create."
— Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the UK RAAC Campaign Group
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