25th November 2025
Chair, Deputies and Senators,
Thank you for the invitation to address the Committee today on behalf of the Society of
Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI). I am a chartered building surveyor, and the company
I work for are the competent professionals for three of the four pathfinder projects in
the Interim Remediation Scheme (IRS). I am joined by Aisling Keenan, a chartered
surveyor who specialises in residential property management.
The Apartment & Duplex Defects Remediation Bill represents a critical step in resolving
one of the most significant housing challenges of the past three decades. Thousands of
homeowners across Ireland are living with life-safety risks, financial hardship, and major
uncertainty because of fire safety, structural, and water ingress defects in some building
complexes. The scale of the issue is unprecedented in Ireland’s residential sector.
Chartered surveyors operate at every life stage of a building, from planning, cost
management, procurement, certification, inspections, sale, rental, and management.
The eclectic nature of our membership provides SCSI with rich information to take a
detailed and holistic view of the market and the issues that arise with our built stock.
Having raised the defects issue as far back as 2017 with our submission Defects in the
Built Environment, we are pleased to see the initiation and hopefully the expedited
progress of this Bill.
The SCSI welcomes the Bill’s intent to establish:
- A statutory, fully funded national remediation scheme,
- A central role for the Housing Agency to ensure consistency, oversight and
technical governance, - A clear certification pathway led by competent professionals, and
- A single, streamlined application route through the relevant owner, which is
essential for multi-unit developments (MUDs)
Critical Operational Risks and Recommendations
Drawing on our experience with the IRS and pathfinder projects, we highlight four key
areas for consideration:
1. Strengthen OMC governance alongside MUD reform
Owners’ Management Companies (OMCs) are managed by volunteer directors and
operate on collective responsibility, which often results in disengagement and apathy.
Introducing a national grant scheme for companies managed largely by disengaged
volunteers may require substantial additional safeguards and supports. Attempting to
combine public procurement with private OMC operations may also create conflicting
priorities and inefficiencies, further slowing delivery.
There are opportunities to align this Bill with the Government’s commitment to MultiUnit Development (MUD) reform, which centralises regulation in the Department of
Housing, Local Government and Heritage, establishes a regulator for OMCs, and clarifies
service charge and sinking fund rules.
We recommend including funded governance supports, training, and operational
templates to align public procurement with OMC capabilities.
2. Operational barriers impacting the grant scheme
Over the past two years, the Interim Remediation Scheme, using almost the same grant
model proposed in this Bill, has not achieved its objective of undertaking urgent works to
escape routes of defective buildings prior to the implementation of the overall scheme.
Currently, after nearly two years, no works have reached site. This demonstrates that a
purely grant-driven approach, without addressing operational barriers and complications
with public procurement, may not deliver timely remediation.
3. Dedicated support to coordinate and communicate with MUD stakeholders
Every remediation project in an occupied apartment building requires a dedicated
resource to coordinate access, manage communication, support vulnerable residents,
and prevent delays caused by no access or misunderstandings. This role, commonly
referred to as a Tenant Liaison Officer (TLO), is crucial.
Many volunteer OMC directors and their managing agents, where they exist, are already
stretched. If this role is not funded, on-site operations will not proceed as planned and
may incur cost overruns. If it is not explicitly funded as an eligible project cost, OMCs will
be forced to cover it, and many simply cannot.
4. Transfer of common areas
The requirement for full legal ownership of common areas will be a barrier in the
proposed scheme. Consideration should be given to providing advice and funding where
a transfer to the OMC has not taken place, often due to developers being in liquidation
or otherwise blocking the transfer.
Principles to Shape the Final Legislation
From our practical experience, we highlight three principles that should shape the final
legislation:
1. Clarity , consistency and speed of process
The Bill provides a strong framework, but success will depend on clear
definitions of eligible defects, transparent evidence requirements, and
predictable timelines for assessment, approval, and drawdown. The scheme
must avoid becoming administratively or procedurally burdensome for voluntary
OMC directors, who are already stretched with day-to-day responsibilities
including maintenance, service charge debt recovery, and sinking fund
challenges.
2. Resourcing the system both public and private
This legislation will place significant demands on professional capacity in
surveying, engineering, fire safety, project management, and block
management. It will also require strong procurement and inspection capability
within the Housing Agency. Resourcing these functions, and doing so early, is
essential to avoid bottlenecks and prolonged risk exposure for residents.
3. Ensuring value for money without delaying essential works
The Bill appropriately emphasises governance and cost control, including
requirements for competitive tendering and verification of eligible costs.
Proportionality is critical: processes should be robust but not so onerous that
they delay urgent safety interventions or discourage contractor or professional
participation.
While this Bill addresses legacy defects, it is equally important that we learn from them.
Oversight, regulatory consistency, and quality assurance in multi-unit housing must
continue to evolve.
Chair and Members, this legislation is a vital opportunity to restore homeowners’
confidence, improve building safety, and support sustainable multi-unit housing into the
future. To succeed, the Bill must be well-resourced, operationally efficient, governed
appropriately, and integrated with broader reforms.
Thank you.
Kevin Hollingsworth FSCSI FRICS