Press release
Final Call for public to Share Experiences of Defects in Apartments and Duplexes
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, has today made a final call for homeowners, landlords, directors of Owners’ Management Companies and Property Management Agents to share their experiences of housing defects relating to fire safety, structural safety and water ingress in purpose-built apartment and duplex buildings constructed in Ireland between 1991 and 2013.
The deadline for completing the surveys is Monday 14 March 2022.
An Independent Working Group to Examine Defects in Housing, established by Minister O’Brien in February 2021, is seeking information on these experiences. Views are sought from people regardless of whether such defects in those properties are currently known, unknown or where no such defects have arisen.
Encouraging as many people as possible to participate in the survey before the March 14th deadline, Minister O’Brien emphasised:
“Since this consultation was launched in late January there has been a very positive public response. Today, I’m making a final call to homeowners, landlords, directors of Owners’ Management Companies and Property Management Agents, who own or manage purpose-built apartments or duplex buildings constructed in Ireland between 1991 and 2013, to complete these surveys. We want you to complete them whether the property in question has defects or not, or if the presence of defects is not known.
“I understand the working group wants to hear in particular from Owners’ Management Companies and Property Management Agents of these types of properties as we know there is a significant number who have not yet responded to the survey. If you live in a duplex or purpose-built apartment complex, built between 1991 and 2013, we ask you to contact your Owners’ Management Company to encourage them to participate.
“Understanding the experiences of those directly affected by fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in apartment and duplex buildings constructed in Ireland between 1991 and 2013 will help us understand the scale of the issue. We need to understand the full extent of legacy problems so that we can address them going forward.”
Acknowledging the Working Group’s work to date, the Minister added: “I look forward to receiving the Working Group’s report later this year and will give it my full consideration.”
The working group will use the survey information to inform its report to the Minister with particular regard to the following:
• the nature and scale of the issue of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects
• the difficulties that arise following the discovery of these defects
• the costs and levies associated with the remediation of the defects
Separate surveys for each stakeholder group are available here: Online survey in relation to defects in apartment and duplex buildings
ENDS