Public health advice
Health advice for housing
Dampness
Environmental Health Officers can investigate complaints related to dampness within a resident's property. There are a variety of types of dampness including condensation, rising dampness, and penetrating dampness.
These matters can often be resolved through providing advice or through informal liaison with the owners or occupiers however Environmental Health Officers have the power to issue statutory notices requiring the relevant owners to carry out necessary repairs. In certain circumstances the Council may carry out work in default and recover costs.
Odours
Officers are often called on to investigate smells. There are a variety of causes of odours ranging from cooking smells, defective drains or even dead or decaying animals. Where possible, officers will offer advice and help in identifying the problem and the steps to be taken to alleviate it.
Drainage
Defective drainage within a private property can be investigated by Environmental Health. If necessary, a notice can be served on the owners to remedy any drainage defect. In the event of non-compliance with the notice, the Council may carry out works in default and recover costs.
All drainage problems which occur in the main sewerage system are dealt with by Scottish Water:
Dirty houses
Environmental Health are occasionally notified of problems with dirty houses, often by neighbouring properties or concerned individuals. Environmental Health Officers have powers to inspect houses when they are believed to be in a filthy or verminous condition.
Where a problem is confirmed, the occupier or owner may be required to clean up the property within a specified time period. Failure to do so could result in the work being carried out in default by the Council and costs recovered afterwards.
