You may have read or heard about the residents of Beacon South Quarter apartments in Sandyford, Co. Dublin, who are potentially facing a mounting bill of €10m for structural damage repairs, such as water leakages and fire safety problems. The Beacon South Quarter apartments have various types of owners; 20% are owner-occupiers, a property company owns 25% with the remainder split between the county council, a housing scheme, a voluntary housing scheme and investors. If you are in a multi-development property, while reading about the dispute you may have asked yourself “who is responsible if the same thing happened to my home”.

Who Is Responsible – Take Action Now

If you are living in a multi-development property it is important to check whether there is a structural guarantee in place. Apartments are held by way of long lease and the structural part of the buildings and common areas are owned by a management company. Management companies are obliged to have insurance in place for the block and a copy of the policy should be provided to each owner.

Ordinarily, in situations where there are structural defects, you may have the option of pursuing the property developer. In the case of the Beacon South Quarter apartments, the development company that built the apartments, Landmark Developments, went into receivership in 2010. However, they can pursue other construction companies that were involved in the development of the apartments. In a statement the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council claimed it was a matter for the developers to ensure the works were carried out in accordance with regulations.

We would advise anyone who is in a difficult situation regarding a property dispute to contact a solicitor to avoid unnecessary delays. At Keating Connolly Sellors, we have an established reputation for providing expert residential property services.

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Gillian Butler

Gillian Butler is a conveyancing solicitor at Keating Connolly Sellors and has several years’ in-depth experience in dealing with residential property transactions. If you have experienced structural damage to your home, contact Gillian at [email protected] or call +353 (0)61 414 355 or +353 (0)61 432 316.

The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice. We advise people to always seek specific expert advice for their individual circumstances.