By CAROLINE WILSON HOMEOWNERS who are battling to pay crippling fees for home improvement have been offered vital advice.

A Glasgow lawyer is urging residents to take advantage of a new Scottish Executive-run debt recovery scheme.

He spoke out after the Evening Times revealed the plight of hundreds of residents given just one year to find up to £6000 for work carried out by Glasgow Housing Association on their blocks. Many are now facing legal action over the bills.

Govan Law Centre chief Mike Dailly has described the GHA's repayment policy as "regressive and unnecessary".

But he says anyone with a minimum of two debts is entitled to apply for the Executive's Debt Arrangement Scheme.

It allows people at risk of bankruptcy or losing their home to pay debts over an extended period with minimum interest.

Applicants are also offered free debt management advice.

The Scottish Executive said take-up had been relatively low since the scheme was set up two years ago because it was complicated to use and there was a limited number of advisers.

However the scheme has now been revised to make it easier for applicants to access.

Mr Dailly said: "The GHA's repayment policy doesn't take on board the reality of the situation - that many of the homeowners are on very low incomes."

"Anyone with a minimum of two debts can apply to the Debt Arrang-ement Scheme which allows payment over five to seven years.

"To access it, you need to go to an accredited money adviser. Glasgow City Council has people employed who can provide this service to home owners.

"The scheme has been running for two years but there are only about 80-90 advisers for the whole of Scotland."

The GHA says it is legally ob-liged to get payment from owner occupiers for any improvements because it is a registered charity.

But earlier this week the Evening Times told how campaigners were celebrating a breakthrough in their fight for longer payment terms.

A sheriff told housing chiefs they must allow a nurse who faced settling a £6000 bill within a year to pay it off at £100 a month.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said: "The DAS is a tool to help people to repay multiple debts while protecting them from other forms of diligence.

"Improvements to the DAS have been made to make it a more streamlined process with clearer information available for applicants."

A GHA spokeswoman said: "We would encourage homeowners to investigate any payment scheme to assist them in paying their share of the costs of the improvement works."

We must have more time to pay off our bills'

SCORES of homeowners are expected to attend a meeting tonight as part of a campaign to demand more time to pay massive home improvement fees.

Glasgow Housing Association is being urged to let owner occupiers pay for cladding and roof work over five years.

Dozens of owners in Knightswood have been ordered to pay around £6000 each over a year after contractors pushed ahead with upgrades.

GHA solicitors have issued open decrees - giving it the power to arrest wages and ultimately repossess a house - to a number of owners over the last few months.

The residents in Dyke Road four in-the-blocks face bills of £6000 .

A campaign spokesman said: "The owners are in open revolt and are facing financial meltdown.

"It is grossly unfair to expect working families to pay up to £600 a month to cover these repairs."

The GHA says it is legally obliged to get payment for repairs within a year. A spokesman added that any extension to the time limit would have to be authorised by housing regulator Communities Scotland.

The Save Our Homes meeting takes place at the Quality Hotel, Central Station, at 7pm.