Glasgow homeowners are accusing their factor of failing to give them a fair deal when it comes to insurance.

Glasgow homeowners are accusing their factor of failing to give them a fair deal when it comes to insurance.

Residents in Glasgow Green and Cardonald are among many who have contacted the Evening Times to say their property managers are not shopping around for the best building insurance quotes - leaving them out of pocket.

However, the factors involved - Ross and Liddell and Glasgow Housing Association - insist they always seek the most competitive quotes.

Many people who live in flats, and also some living in houses, are bound into "block" policies, where the factor is in charge of arranging building insurance for the entire block or development. This is written into their deeds.

Lorraine McEwan says she bought a £250,000 townhouse at The Green, overlooking Glasgow Green, without knowing she was part of a block policy.

For the first year she was allowed to sort out her own building insurance. However, 12 months later she had to cancel the policy and join the communal scheme - as instructed in her deeds.

Lorraine says her premium had been £67 year, But the new block policy leapt to £205 for the same level of cover.

The social care worker said: "I can't believe how expensive the communal policy is."

Neighbour Paul Merrick recently called six different insurance companies for quotes - and all were cheaper than the one he has to pay through Ross and Liddell.

He added: "Surely because they are buying in bulk the factors should be able to get us a better deal?"

A spokeswoman for Ross and Liddell said buying in bulk is not always cheaper.

She added: "The nature of the insurance cover our clients require is far more complex than a straightforward, individual household insurance policy.

"We must ensure all aspects of the common property, as well as their own property, are comprehensively insured to fully protect their interests.

"While individuals may appear to be able to secure a cheaper insurance quote by themselves, in most cases they will not have declared the full extent of cover they require, such as common areas, lifts, underground car parks and communal roofs.

"They may also have neglected to declare the full claims history of the property, which can seriously affect the price of the premium. These can render their policy, and any subsequent claim, void and leave them exposed and personally liable for huge costs."

It is not just those with private factors who feel let down.

Patricia Warren, from Cardonald, believes GHA charges owners too much for their block insurance.

The retired 54-year-old lives in a four-in-a-block home and pays GHA £26.99 a quarter for building insurance, which includes an "administration" fee.

She said: "I feel GHA is ripping us off. Why does it need to take an administration fee?

"I already pay GHA a substantial management fee every year. Why does it charge more just to set up insurance?"

Jennifer Russell, managing director of GHA (management) Ltd, said: "GHA was able to negotiate a massive reduction in buildings insurance costs for homeowners when we re-tendered the contract last year.

"This meant average savings of 26% - between £40 and£50 for the majority of households.

"In line with practice throughout the sector, this service incurs a small fee as a reasonable sum of remuneration for carrying out these duties.

"We were only able to achieve these savings for our customers by agreeing the contract would continue to be administered in-house by GHA(M) rather than by the insurance company."