There have been apartments and multi-unit developments (MUDs – which can also include duplexes or houses in a managed estate or commercial units) in Ireland for decades. However, the past 20 years has seen strong growth in this form of housing with an 85% increase in the number of apartments between 2002 and 2016. Planning permissions for new apartments were 50% higher than those for houses in 2020.
These are positive signs in the interest of more compact growth within our urban centres. With ongoing urbanisation, a move to greater housing densities and a lack of green space in urban areas, growth in the number of apartments and MUDs is likely to continue in the coming decades.
Many chartered surveyors advise developers and others in relation to apartments. The Society has in recent years prepared a number of reports on the costs of building apartments. It has also contributed to the revision of building regulations to support the construction of high-quality multi-unit developments.
As well as its input on the construction side, the Society is also the main professional body in Ireland for the property professionals who manage MUDs. These are often known as Managing Agents as they work as Agents to the owners’ management companies (OMCs) who are responsible for managing the MUDs.