Andrew Prior’s life has been put on hold as he grapples with the fallout from significant fire safety and structural defects in his apartment located in Beacon South Quarter, Sandyford, Co Dublin. What was once envisioned as a temporary residence has become a source of frustration, preventing him from selling his property and forcing him to rent elsewhere.
Upon purchasing the apartment, Prior imagined a few years of living there before moving on. However, after discovering extensive defects—including leaks and fire safety risks—he has faced significant challenges. “A couple of times we have tried to sell, but the potential purchaser has been unable to get a mortgage from either Bank of Ireland or AIB,” he explained, noting that banks deem lending too risky due to the property’s issues.
Now living in a rented home with his family, Prior’s management fees have skyrocketed, costing him between €25,000 to €30,000 in additional payments over the past six years. “What should be €2,000 a year has been €6,000 or €7,000 a year,” he stated, highlighting the financial strain he endures as the management seeks to address the defects.
Prior is one of around 1,000 owners in the development, part of a broader issue affecting many apartments constructed during the Celtic Tiger era, where developers often cut corners. Retired architect Liam Egan, who owns a property in another affected area, highlighted the lack of regulatory oversight at the time. “Light touch regulation… focused on getting apartments built, not on getting them built properly,” Egan noted.
The most pressing concern for these apartment owners is fire safety. A working group established by the Government reported in 2022 that between 50% and 80% of apartments built from 1991 to 2013 were constructed with defects, amounting to an estimated 64,000 to 100,000 units. The projected cost of remediation ranges from €1.5 billion to €2.5 billion, a burden that ultimately falls on taxpayers due to the liquidation of the developers’ bespoke companies post-construction.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien expressed his anger over the situation, stating that while action against developers is possible, no confirmed plans are in place. Previous governmental attempts to levy costs on the construction sector have been criticized for unfairly penalizing the entire industry rather than targeting specific offenders.
Kevin Hollingsworth, one of the report’s authors, warned that the remediation costs could exceed the initial projections due to rising construction expenses and potentially substandard work already completed in anticipation of government reimbursement. Although the first two grants from an interim scheme to address immediate fire safety concerns are set to be disbursed soon, Hollingsworth cautioned that complete resolution could take five to ten years.
Insurance companies have raised concerns as well, threatening to withdraw coverage for defective apartments unless progress is made more swiftly. While new regulations since 2014 have tightened building standards, the shortage of building control officers raises questions about the enforcement of these rules.
For apartment owners like Andrew Prior and Liam Egan, the wait continues, leaving many in limbo as they await resolution for problems not of their making.
