Show me the money timeline for hard pressed defective apartment owners – Seery Kearney

Today’s decision by Government to create a remediation scheme for defective apartments and duplex developments will bring huge relief to the many affected home owners, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

“Tonight families living in affected developments will tuck their children into bed in complexes where the fire systems to save their lives are not up to the standard required by law,” stated Senator Mary Seery Kearney.

“This is not the fault of these homeowners who could not have anticipated defects such as these when they bought their properties. I hope that being assured of the government’s support in what can only be a hugely stressful situation may bring some comfort to them.

“The broad parameters of the scheme approved by Cabinet will see ‘whole of building’ financial support for qualifying complexes where apartments or duplexes require remediation for fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in purpose built apartments and duplexes constructed between 1991 and 2013.  Supports will be subject to a triage system whereby those most in need of remediation works will be addressed first.

“However, this does mean that owner management companies (OMCs) will have to ensure they have had their complex assessed, understand the strict criteria for eligibility to the scheme, submit their ‘asks’ to the operators of the scheme, expected to be the Housing Agency, where they will be given an estimate of priority of need before any funding is forthcoming. This all feels like a long period of time will elapse, during which apartment owners still have the worry and stress of what might happen.

“While the commitment to financially support retrospective remediation works is very welcome, the details of that have not as yet been finalised.

“It is essential that the Minister provide homeowners with a timeline so that they can plan and see an end to woes that were absolutely not of their making.”

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