What is a common area?
A common area, also known as a shared area or space, is any part of a building that will be used by the residents of more than one property within a building.
Common areas are mainly found in flats, terraces and tenement blocks.
The following are all types of common areas:
- shared doorways
- corridors
- stairwells
- landings
- gardens
- courtyards
- paths
- outbuildings
- roofs
- fences
- gutters/downpipes
- drains
Why should I look after common areas?
You should treat a common area as an extension of your home and manage it in the same way.
Everyone wants their home to be a safe, secure and pleasant place to live. Taking care of the common parts of your building will help to achieve this.
By law, everyone living in buildings with shared access must make sure that all escape routes are kept clear. This is to make sure that people can escape from, and the emergency services can get into, the building in an emergency.
Who is responsible for common areas?
In most types of shared accommodation, everyone living in the building will be equally responsible for looking after common areas.
However, this isn’t always the case when it comes to repairs, so you should check who is responsible in your building.
- if you own your home – check what it says in the title deeds of your home, which you can get from your solicitor, or from the Registers of Scotland. Title deeds are legal documents that explain the responsibilities of the owner of a property (including any responsibilities for common areas).
- if you are a tenant – check what it says in your tenancy agreement or ask your Landlord.
If you are still not sure who is responsible for carrying out repairs in common areas in your building, you can ask a solicitor who deals with property law for advice. You will have to pay for legal advice, so you should always ask for a quote of the costs beforehand.
Practical steps for maintaining common areas
Everyone living in buildings with shared access should try to keep common areas in an acceptable condition. This doesn’t take much effort, but simply some consideration during your everyday activities.
Keep them free from obstructions
- do not store personal items such as bin bags, bikes, pushchairs or old furniture in common areas, as this could cause a fire or someone could trip over them
- do not put decorative items such as plant pots, rugs or tables in common areas. This is especially important for all shared stairs, corridors, doorways and landings
Keep them free from litter
- always keep the area immediately outside your home in a reasonable condition
- you should not dump any rubbish in the common parts of the building
- you should always keep your wheelie bins clean
- never store bins inside a common close, as this could attract rats and mice
Regularly clean and maintain them
- you should check if there are any cleaning arrangements in place in your building
- some buildings have a property manager (also known as a factor) who can provide maintenance services, including cleaning common areas
- if there are no arrangements in place, you could think about setting up a cleaning rota with your neighbours
Think about other people’s safety
- never store dangerous materials in common parts of a property. This is especially important if children or animals have access to common areas and could be put at risk
- dangerous materials include flammable substances (such as bottled gas, paraffin heaters or petrol), poisonous substances (such as cleaning solutions or paint remover) and sharp items (such as hand-held tools or machinery)
