If you live in a flat or a modern housing development in Scotland, there’s a good chance a property factor looks after the shared parts of your building.
What is a property factor?
A property factor is a company or organisation, i.e. a private business, council or housing association that is appointed to manage and maintain the common areas of a building.
In simple terms, they take care of the areas everyone uses but no one owns individually.
That can include things like:
- Roofs and externals walls
- Stairwells, entrances and lifts
- Shared gardens, play areas or paths
Their day-to-day role can cover everything from cleaning and gardening to arranging repairs and making sure the building meets health and safety requirements.
In some cases, homeowners choose to self-factor, meaning they take responsibility for managing and maintaining the shared parts of the building themselves rather than appointing a professional factor.
How are property factors regulated?
Professional property factors must be registered by the Scottish Government and are governed by a Code of Conduct that outlines the minimum standards they must meet.
This is all set out in the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011, which introduced a national register of property factors and a clear system of regulation.
The Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011 Code of Conduct explains what homeowners can expect. It covers areas such as:
- Communication and transparency
- Written statements of service
- Handling repairs and maintenance
- Financial management
- Complaints procedures
If a professional property factor doesn’t meet these standards, homeowners can raise concerns and, in some cases, will take the issue to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland.
What does a property factor do?
A property factor is essentially responsible for managing the shared parts of a building on behalf of all homeowners. This includes everything from arranging repairs to handling finances and ensuring the property is properly insured.
Day to day, this can often involve organising maintenance to areas such as the roof, stairwell, or surrounding grounds.
If something goes wrong, such as leaking gutter or damaged entry system, the factor will arrange for a contractor, who will oversee the work and then the cost is then divided between owners in line with the title deeds.
A property factor’s work also includes managing accounts, issuing invoices, arranging block insurance and communicating updates to homeowners.
It is important to understand that there are limits to a property factors’ role:
- They don’t deal with issues inside individual flats.
- They are not responsible for resolving personal disputes between neighbours.
Property factors simply exist to ensure that shared areas are maintained properly, fairly, and efficiently.
Looking for a property factor?
Choosing the right property factor can make a real difference to how your development is maintained and how well it runs day to day.
At FirstPort Scotland/SGPM, we combine local knowledge with national expertise to deliver reliable, transparent property management tailored to your community.
If you’re looking for a new property factor or want to find out more about how we could support your development, get in touch with our team today to learn more about our services.
