[MargaretR]

I can only surmise that the owners of ex council houses are being faced with the prospect of compulsory expensive repair bills, because if they are one half of a set of semis and the exterior needs repair/revamp, they will have signed some sort of agreement to permit and pay for such repairs when they purchased. I stand to be corrected, but know this will apply to ex council flat dwellers when communal facilities (roof, stairwells) are repaired - maybe to semis too.