The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of building defects and provides for an examination of defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing report, "Safe as Houses?".
In this context, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, TD, has established a Working Group to Examine Defects in Housing.
To date, the Working Group has been engaging with key stakeholders and stakeholder representative groups. Using an online survey, it is now seeking the experiences of:
- Homeowners (both current and former)
- Landlords (including private investor/owner, institutional/commercial, Approved Housing Body, Local Authority etc.)
- Directors of Owners’ Management Companies (OMCs)
- Property Management Agents
The Working Group is asking people to provide information on their experiences of defects relating to fire safety, structural safety and water ingress in purpose-built apartment and duplex buildings constructed in Ireland between 1991 and 2013.
Information is sought from people regardless of whether such defects in those properties are currently known, unknown or where no such defects have arisen. The surveys, an explanation on how the survey responses will be used by the Working Group, the Working Group membership, its terms of reference, and a privacy statement relating to the surveys can all be accessed on the Government of Ireland Website.
The surveys will run for six weeks from Monday 31 January 2022 to 5pm on Monday 14 March 2022.
