Lifestyle: pounds 12m turns tenants into landlords

Almost 1,900 tenants of Scottish Homes in Dundee have become their own landlords in a pounds 12m transfer deal which is set to benefit the area's economy, it was announced today.

The move comes after a secret ballot in April in which 94 per cent of local tenants gave their backing to the tenant-led Abertay Housing Association. The handover has marked the end of the landlord role in the North-east of Scotland for the country's largest housing agency.

Over the next five years, the community-based group has plans to spend pounds 5.5m on improvements to the houses and on major repairs. The 1,876 houses involved in the pounds 11.8m transfer are located throughout the city. Ann Clark, a Scottish Homes board member, described the move as "a brilliant example of tenants taking control of their own future". The Royal Bank of Scotland is providing loan funding for the acquisition and improvements.