Families living near Trinity College in Glasgow's West End told they may not be insured after being forced to evacuate homes

Those living near the former Trinity College worry they will be out of their homes for months after fire crews escorted them from their properties on Saturday evening.

Safety fears were raised over the tower of the 165-year-old building after it was battered by high winds during Storm Malik. 

The Glasgow Times understands that contractors who were working to repair the structure warned that it could have collapsed. 

Emergency services rapidly moved in to evacuate nearby Park Circus residents before they were taken to a rest centre at Kelvin Hall. 

Three days following the move-out, homeowners have been told they may not be covered through their insurance due to the fact their properties are not directly affected by the damage. 

It means that as well as paying mortgages and council tax, they may need to fork out for temporary accommodation while a cordon and fencing surrounds the West End building and nearby streets. 

Victoria Geddes, who has lived in the area for 19 years, said: “I’ve barely slept the last few nights over the thought of spending thousands of pounds over the next few months at my own cost to house myself.

“We were told to go to the Kelvin Hall where we would be put into accommodation but it emerged we would need to claim homeless status.

“We didn’t fancy that so they said if we are owners or occupiers we could claim from insurance and find our own accommodation.

“On Monday morning, we were informed it would be a long-term evacuation so we should start the process of finding an Airbnb or a rental.

“We started to do that but within two hours they called back to say it is unlikely we are insured for this because the damage to Trinity Tower was a pre-existing issue and wasn’t caused by the storm on Saturday night.”

Work on repairing the former Trinity College – designed by Charles Wilson and built as the Free Church College in 1857 – began earlier this month. 

The local authority was notified of the condition of the tower on Saturday and a decision was promptly taken to evacuate the area for the safety of the public. 

Around 100 residents who needed emergency accommodation were put up in hotels by the council. Others moved in with family members or paid for Airbnbs. 

Fred Hamilton, who has lived in the area for 12 years, said: “The fact that we have all been asked to leave means we have not been properly insured. If we can’t stay in our own homes, then the insurance that we bought and that was chosen from our factors isn’t valid.

“Over the years, we have collectively spent millions of pounds on factors bills on what we thought was adequate insurance.

“It turns out that our insurance is not adequate. They haven’t given us 100 percent confirmation that we will not get reimbursed but they can’t authorise anything if they can establish whether or not it was the storm that triggered the evacuation.”

Rosemary Davis, who has lived in the area for 14 years, added: “The Trinity Tower is supposed to be an iconic building in Glasgow, you would think it would have been maintained to a high standard. It’s just a shambles and we don’t know how long we will be out of our properties.

“By all accounts, the insurance is saying that we may not be covered for the expense of having to go and rent a flat elsewhere until we can move back into our homes. That could be months – we don’t know.

“We’ll have to rent a flat at our own expense and some of us have mortgages and council tax to pay on top of that.”

Meanwhile, factors and insurers, Newton Property, will work to determine whether the damage to the tower was pre-existing or caused by Storm Malik. 

The firm says it is in constant contact with residents over potential developments.  A spokesperson said: “We completely understand how upsetting and distressing this situation is for the owners of properties in Woodside Terrace and Claremont Terrace that we manage, and who cannot yet return to their flats due to safety fears surrounding the Trinity Tower.

“However, this is an extremely complex issue from an insurance point of view.

"It first must be established that an ‘insurable event’ happened, and occurred at the time of the storm. 

“While this investigation work continues, we will remain in constant contact with our customers and will work closely with the loss adjusters and insurance companies until the matter is resolved, which we hope will be as quickly as possible.”

The timescale for people returning to their homes will be determined by the scale of works necessary to make the building safe.

The Glasgow Times understands that contractors, Graham and Sibbald, is considering what work will be required to make the structure safe. 

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “Officers from different teams – including building standards, resilience, roads, and social work – have been assisting and speaking to affected residents and businesses since Saturday lunchtime, and continue to do so, assisting in finding accommodation for those who need it and offering advice and dealing with inquiries on a variety of issues.  

“We will engage with the owners’ representatives to make sure that the necessary work takes place as quickly as possible, but it bears repeating that the timescale must come from the organisation carrying out the work.”

The local authority has set up a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on its website to help those who are affected by the evacuation. The help can be accessed by visiting www.glasgow.gov.uk/trinity.

The Glasgow Times approached Graham and Sibbald for comment, which insisted that Glasgow City Council made the evacuation order for the building.