Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are thousands of families who bought properties before 2014 that have substantial latent defects, including fire safety issues and water ingress. The State is partly responsible for this. The non-existent regulatory regime allowed unscrupulous builders, developers or architects to build those homes.

We asked in the "Safe as Houses?" report by the Oireachtas committee for the Minister of State to look at the issue and, in the first instance, try to design a non-judicial latent defects resolution process so people are not forced to spend money they do not have to go to court or to chase builders who are no longer solvent. Second, we asked that some funds be put into a latent defects resolution fund that could be matched by industry or others to try to deal with the issue. The problem will grow. It is disappointing for the Minister of State to say it is just a matter between the homeowner and the person who sold him or her the house. I also think it is wrong to say the Minister of State has been looking at the issue when I am not aware of any work in the Department looking at any of the recommendations relating to latent defects in the "Safe as Houses?" report. I urge the Minister of State to give a commitment to at least look at it, develop a non-judicial process to resolve it and to assist with financing, where appropriate, where developers are no longer trading and cannot be pursued through that process, possibly with a fund that is matched euro-for-euro with industry contributions.

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