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AN INDEPENDENT WORKING group is examining defects in apartments and duplexes constructed in Ireland between 1991 and 2013.
Problems with fire safety, structural safety and water ingress in purpose-built apartment and duplex buildings are being scrutinised to understand the scale and nature of defects in the sector.
The group, which was established in February 2021, is asking for homeowners, landlords, directors of owners’ management companies (OMCs) and property management agents to submit information through online surveys.
Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said “we need to understand the full extent of legacy problems so that we can address them going forward”.
“I encourage all those who own or manage purpose-built apartments or duplex buildings constructed in Ireland between 1991 and 2013 to complete these surveys – whether the property in question has defects or not, or if the presence of defects is not known,” he said.
The working group will use the survey information in a report to be published later this year.
The Construction Defects Alliance, a group of apartment owners, Owners’ Management Company directors and construction workers, urged members to complete the survey to highlight problems.
“Around 170,000 apartments were built during the Celtic Tiger era and it’s estimated that at least 100,000 of them are affected by fire safety defects, leaky balconies and defective roofs due to shoddy building and ineffective building control,” Pat Montague, spokesperson for the alliance, said.
“These defects are costly to fix — averaging €15,000 to €20,000 for fire safety issues — lead to huge hikes in insurance premiums and these costs come on top of mortgage payments and service charges,” he said.
“However, there is no hard information on the true extent of the problem and the Working Group on Defective Homes is looking for this information so it can shape its recommendations to Government.
“We in the Construction Defects Alliance are urging all apartment owners and Owners’ Management Companies (OMCs) to fill in this questionnaire as a key first step in letting Government know about the defects issues you are facing.”
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If you were involved in the construction industry back when the tiger roared it was know that these issues were going to surface sooner rather than later
@Patrick Fitzgibbon: this issue hasn’t stopped. Current projects both domestic and commercial in 2022 will have these issues in time due to design and build construction contracts – I.e. build it for as fast and as cheap as possible to maximise profits and hope the issues don’t surface until the main culprits are retired and don’t have to deal with the problems.
Banks regulated themselves and that led to the banking bailout. Insurance companies regulated themselves and that led to the insurance levy which covers the cost of failure. Construction industry regulates itself and we have mica scandal and the fire safety regulations scandal again coming at a massive cost to the taxpayer. When are we going to wake up?
58% have defects. By god.
@Daithí Ó Corraí: and the rest… owners never want to admit to defects because it devalues the property and hykes insurance premiums
Bogus self employment/sole traders responsible for a lot of this. Less responsibility by the main contractor. From the times I used to work on building sites in the early 90′s I’d see so called “tradesmen” who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, even use rawlplugs correctly. Time was money and it was the latter that dominated.
A lot of emphasis on lack of regulation, which is correct. But, regulation should be a lot like PPE, the last resort. Not enough emphasis on building contractors, suppliers and the people who built these things, a lot of who went “bankrupt” and came back in another guise.
Do all new build appartments, not need to be signed of by a fire inspector? How much would one have to put in a brown envolope to get certification? Or is there the issue with Kingspan insolation Koolterm K15, the same insolation used on Grenfell Tower.
@Colm Mac Suibhne: think a fiver would prob be enough
Duplexes? More use of American English.
@John Flood: OMG no new words should ever be introduced…
@John Flood: what are they called in non American english ?
@David Williamson: Upy Downy houses I think!
@David Williamson: maisonettes ?? Omg that’s French tho ?
On this position at mine where asking owners to form out to resolve. Can’t sell until resolved. Absolute Celtic tiger to Max. Signed off by fire inspector on plans not even complete
have your say