Proposals being considered at Edinburgh council next week could lead to more tenants being charged for deliberate damage to their homes.

A Rechargeable Repairs Policy being considered next week would see full enforcement of charges come in across the city.

If workers from Edinburgh Building Services, the council's in-house maintenance provider, suspected a tenant of deliberate damage they could set the wheels in motion for the tenant to pay for the repair themselves.

Council spokesman Noel Miller said the decision on what damage was deliberate "would be up to the discretion of workers on a case-by-case basis" but that guidelines on making the decision were yet to be cleared up, as the policy was still "in its infancy".

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He said charging was most likely to come into force for repeat offenders.

The policy will be discussed this Tuesday and if agreed, would come into effect in spring 2013.

Councillor Cammy Day, Housing Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: "Where irresponsible tenants damage or neglect their home all other tenants have to pay for it - that's not fair."

The policy of passing deliberate damage repair costs on to tenants could make a small dent in the council's £20m a year repairs bill, and council staff hope it would act as a deterrent.

66% of tenants asked in a recent survey said they thought the charges policy would be effective at putting people off deliberately damaging council homes.

Councillors will discuss the plans at Tuesday's meeting of the Health, Social Care and Housing Committee.

(NE)